Here’s where to take the kids for open swim, family swim, and lots of fun indoor pool playtime
It’s that time of year, parents. The time where we all crave a little bit of sunshine and a much needed break. When you need places to play on a rainy day, take the kids to a nearby spot to go indoor swimming, Seattle families. Better yet, take them to pools that are tricked out with resort-like amenities. With everything from lazy rivers, surf machines and twisty slides, these indoor swimming pools offer the coolest water play in town. Dive in to find your new favorite family swim spot.
Swimming Pools with Serious Perks
1. Snohomish Aquatic Center
The Snohomish Aquatic Center is your one-stop destination for family fun. This enormous indoor facility boasts a giant corkscrew water slide, lazy river, spray area, and FlowRider surf machine so your kids can hang ten year-round. The best part? The water here is kept at a toasty 84-86 degrees. Not only is it heaven getting in, but it feels so nice you may never want to get out. Looking for something a bit warmer? The warm water pool is even toastier at 102 degrees.
516 Maple Ave.
Snohomish, WA
Online: snohomishaquatic.com
2. Mountlake Terrace Pool
There’s a good reason the Mountlake Terrace Pool is a favorite birthday party spot. Where else can your little ones take a trip to "Toddler Island," float along a lazy river, or splash in a shallow end filled with geysers and built-in spray toys? No need to wait for a birthday party though—just go during one of their recreation or leisure pool and river swim times. During recreation swim, the leisure pool, lazy river, and main pool are all open, and they include amenities like flotation devices, water toys, life jackets, and basketball hoops.
5303 228th St. S.W.
Mountlake Terrace, WA
Online: cityofmlt.com
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3. Lynnwood Recreation Center & Pool
If you need a reason to head north, the Lynnwood Recreation Center & Pool is it. This super popular spot includes two big water slides, sprayers, a lazy river, inner tubes, a water playground, spray fountains, and a family hot tub. Plus, there's a lap pool and a warm-water therapy pool. Little ones will especially love "Beach Swim" when the shallow play area is open with a water depth of up to two feet. If you're thinking this place sounds a lot like Great Wolf Lodge, but a lot closer and a lot cheaper...you're absolutely right.
18900 44th Ave. W.
Lynnwood, WA
Online: lynnwoodwa.gov
4. McMenamins Anderson School Pool
Take your little fish for a dip in The North Shore Lagoon, McMenamins Anderson School's on-site pool. Once it's time for your swim session, you can splish and splash around the tiki-themed pool before changing into street gear to grab some delish eats at the restaurant upstairs. We love that the pool has plenty of shallow play areas where even the most timid toddlers can test the waters with ease.
18603 N.E. Bothell Way
Bothell, WA
Online: mcmenamins.com
5. Federal Way Community Center Pool
Families who live south of the city have long loved the Federal Way Community Center Pool, with its lazy river, toddler waterslide, and shallow area that makes splashing and playing a possibility for kids, no matter what their age. The leisure pool is getting a new slide and play structure and should be reopened by the end of December (check their social media for updates!).
876 S. 333rd St.
Federal Way, WA
Online: itallhappenshere.org
6. People’s Pool
Little water bugs looking for a place to splash around on a cold or rainy day can find tons of fun at the People's Pool in Tacoma. This awesome pool is home to Tacoma’s first indoor splash pad, loaded with ground sprayers galore and plenty of run-around room for big imaginations to roam free. This is just one of the reasons it has quickly become the go-to indoor pool for South Sound families. The unique L-shaped design that divides the pool into three distinct sections—a shallow area, a current channel, and a lap lane area, that transforms into two basketball courts and a water-walk play area during open swim sessions—is a hit among parents and kids alike.
1602 S. Martin Luther King Jr. Way
Tacoma, WA
Online: metroparkstacoma.org
7. Bainbridge Island Aquatic Center
For families on Bainbridge Island or Seattle families looking for a fun island adventure, the Bainbridge Aquatic Center is loaded with pool perks that are worth the ferry ride. Built in 2001, the pool includes a 180-foot water slide, lazy river, sloped beach entry, tot pool, water features, a toddler frog slide, diving boards, and four 25-yard lap lanes. The facility also boasts a spa and steam and sauna rooms.
8521 Madison Ave.
Bainbridge Island, WA
Online: biaquatics.org
Go Beyond Lap Swim at These Indoor Public Pools
8. Seattle Parks and Recreation Pools
Seattle Parks and Recreation pools are currently offering public swim time, where at least a portion of the pool is open for all ages, and family swim time, where families can play, often with flotation devices, and pool toys. Others, like the Ballard Pool, Madison Pool, and Meadowbrook Pool have Pool Playland times, where only the shallow end is open for cautious swimmers, tots, and babies. The special features of some of the city pools are pretty cool too. Rope swings and diving boards make a public swim session special for big kids. And the lazy river, waterslide, and spray and play park at Rainier Beach Community Center Pool add a bit of a thrill to your typical swim session.
Online: seattle.gov
9. Bellevue Aquatic Center
This one-of-a-kind aquatic center was built for therapy and rehabilitation but is available for public open swim. The Bellevue Aquatic Center has two pools with six lap lanes, a diving tank, a 10-foot slide, and a 5-foot mini slide for little tadpoles. The Warm Springs pool has a wheelchair ramp and average waters temps of 92 degrees. Now, that’s what we’re talking about on a cold winter’s day. Bring the kids for Family Swim at either pool.
601 143rd Ave. N.E.
Bellevue, WA
Online: parks.bellevuewa.gov
10. Wave Aquatics
Splash down at one of two Wave Aquatics pools on the Eastside. Whether you head to the Redmond location or the Juanita Beach Aquatic Center in Kirkland, you and the kids can dive into the fun during Family Swim. Register in advance to enjoy both the shallow and deep ends of the pool (lane markers shouldn't be a problem as they're usually moved). Keep the kids busy with diving boards, kickboards, and fins, or bring your own noodles and dive toys from home.
Redmond Pool
17535 N.E. 104th St.
Redmond, WA
Juanita Aquatics Center
10601 N.E. 132nd St.
Kirkland, WA
Online: waveaquatics.org
11. Mary Wayte Pool
On Mercer Island, the Mary Wayte Swimming Pool offers family swim, lap swim, and swim lessons. The pool's schedule changes seasonally with the school year and competitive seasons, so it’s a good idea to check the schedule before you go. We love that Family Swim is offered daily at this pool, and there are evening hours too, so you can wear out the kids, hit the showers, and change them into jammies before heading home. Reservations are needed for any swim session.
8815 S.E. 40th
Mercer Island, WA
Online: mercerislandpool.com
12. Julius Boehm Pool
Another easy option for Eastside families is the Julius Boehm Pool where you'll find Recreation Swim hours. It's a chance for families to frolic in the shallow end of the pool, where it's just three to four feet deep. Family passes are available online or at the front desk.
50 S.E. Clark St.
Issaquah, WA
Online: ci.issaquah.wa.us
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13. Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center
Known as the venue of the 1990 Seattle Goodwill Games, the Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center (WKCAC) is a 2,500-seat facility that hosts a number of competitive swimming events annually. It has been the site of the Olympic Trials, top national and international competitions, and the Pacific Northwest's premiere events. But in addition to prestigious swimming and diving programs, WKCAC is currently open to the public for recreational swimming and lessons.
650 S.W. Campus Dr.
Federal Way, WA
Online: kingcounty.gov
