C’mon in, the water’s fine. New York City’s FREE outdoor swimming pools in all five boroughs are now open for the season, 11am to 7pm daily.
There are additional FREE indoor swimming pools, which are open year-round, and many offer FREE swim programs for adults and children.
NYC public pools are operated by the NYC Parks Dept., which is promoting it’s Cool Pools program.
NYC Cool Pools feature bright summer-themed artwork, cabana-style shade structures and plantings that offer shade, and special FREE Cool Pool activities including games and fitness classes.
There is one Cool Pool in each NYC borough, except in Manhattan, where there are two.
- Claremont Pool in the Bronx
- Commodore Barry Pool in Brooklyn
- Dry Dock Pool in Manhattan
- Wagner Pool in Manhattan
- Liberty Pool in Queens
- Tottenville Pool on Staten Island
One of NYC’s new Cool Pools
FREE outdoor pools in Manhattan
FREE outdoor pools in Brooklyn
FREE outdoor pools in Queens
FREE outdoor pools in Bronx and Staten Island
Some cool pool stats –
53: The number of NYC city pools
900: The number of lifeguards
1.7 million: The number of users last summer
16 million: The total number of gallons in all the pools
Size: The pools range from the 40-by-20-foot pool in Manhattan’s Tompkins Square Park to the mammoth Astoria Pool overlooking the East River, largest in the system at 330 feet by 165 feet and was designed to accommodate 3,000 swimmers.
It was one of 11 Olympic-size pools the city opened in 1936 under NYC’s first parks commissioner, the legendary builder Robert Moses, with financing from the federal Works Progress Administration.
Whichever FREE pool you choose, they all have the same rules:
Pool Hours
Outdoor pool hours are open daily through Sunday, September 8, 2019, from 11am to 7pm, with a break for pool cleaning and lifeguard lunch break between 3pm and 4pm.
What to Wear
You’ll need to have a swimsuit to enter the pool area, and show it upon arrival, before you change.
Men’s shorts used as swim trunks must have a lining.
Feel the need to cover up from the sun? Throw on a plain white shirt or white hat and you’re set. Only white shirts and hats are permitted. Shirts with colors on them are not permitted.
Information for Parents
Thinking of bringing floaties? It’s safer to leave them at home and just stay in the shallow end of the pool until everyone learns to swim. Want to venture deeper? Try free swimming classes.
Babies or toddlers are required to wear swim diapers. Strollers are permitted in pool areas, but you are responsible for watching it yourself, so bring it at your own risk.
What to Bring
Yes, there are lockers to keep your valuables safe.
Locks are required to enter. Luggage locks are not accepted..
What Not to Bring
Leave food, glass bottles, electronic devices, and newspapers at home. Unbound periodicals tend to blow around and create litter, food can be messy to clean up after, and there’s too much water around to make sure your electronics stay safe.
Just to be on the safe side, the NYC Parks Dept. also recommends leaving valuables like jewelry and credit cards at home.
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