take it outside
Filed Under Places, Tips & Tricks | May 26, 2009
Yesterday we covered your favourite indoor pools around town and with today’s weather it seemed appropriate to bring you the reviews of your favourite local outdoor pools:
Maple Grove Pool always takes us back to our childhood. It opens for the season on June 20th and is known for its warm water and shady spots in which to park yourself and your gear. While the change rooms are nothing to write home about, the concession for snacks did get a shout out.
Okay, it’s not a pool, but the Granville Island Waterpark got high points for its fun factor, play areas for both younger and older kids and its fun, albeit busy, slide. Where it lost points were its “melting glacier and Arctic sea” water temperature, knee-scratching asphalt and mediocre change rooms. It’s already open for the summer 2009 season.
You wind your way through an industrial area to get to New Brighton Pool but it’s worth the trip. The slide got honourable mention from our pint sized tester as did the concession, which makes fresh fish and chips from scratch. It’s quieter than some of the outdoor pools around town but a bit hard to find the first time to you visit, so be sure to mapquest it. It opened for the summer on the long weekend and New Brighton park is also the only park in East Van with ocean access.
Opening on June 20th, the Mount Pleasant Pool is a neighborhood hub during the summer months. Unfortunately this may be the pool’s last year of operation as its future in uncertain, so if you haven’t taken advantage of it yet, be sure to this summer. While it’s not fancy – with just a slide and two diving boards – it’s known for its friendly life guards, cold water and community feeling.
Hint: if an outdoor pool isn’t heated it’ll be warmer if you hit it in the afternoon. And for your full reviews and details check out just keep swimming on our blog, and feel free to add your favourite pools to the list.
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