If you are looking for a place to escape the hot temperatures, local pools are opening as soon as this weekend.
Franklin’s pool kicks off the swimming season with its opening at 11 a.m. Saturday.
Greenwood’s Freedom Springs Aquatics Park, Edinburgh’s community pool and Perry Park pool in Indianapolis all open one week later.
Franklin’s pool is opening the weekend before Memorial Day, as it has in the past few years, Parks and Recreation Director Chip Orner said.
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Click here to purchase photos from this galleryHe is hoping to cash in on excitement by opening the pool a week earlier than the traditional start of summer. Because most local children will go back to school in early August, opening earlier in May helps offset the lower attendance in August, said Orner.
“It has actually been very successful for us,” he said.
Swimmers at local pools won’t notice huge changes to operations or any new features. All of the local pools offer water slides, kids’ play areas and a general pool that may be used for lap swimming. Freedom Springs also features a lazy river, where swimmers can float in the water sitting in tubes.
Freedom Springs is starting its third season as an option for county residents and is adding other options for more people to take advantage of the facilities.
New this year is the “fit card,” where people who want to get into the pool earlier than opening hours can do so to exercise, Greenwood Parks and Recreation Department Director Rob Taggart said.
The park’s lap pool will be open and people can do aqua walking in the lazy river.
Officials have not set a price for the card yet, but residents had asked for a program that would allow them to use the lap pool and facilities for lap swimming, Taggart said.
And the park is continuing adult-themed evenings where adults age 21 and older can sip on wine or drink a beer while floating down the park’s lazy river at three special events. “Caddyshack” will play, and Mallow Run Winery and Oaken Barrel will sell alcoholic beverages during those designated evenings.
Franklin pool will host multiple community events including dive-in movies and other features, such as discounts for dads on Father’s Day and grandparents on Grandparent’s Day and a National Night Out event that promotes partnerships between the police and community.
The pool also is offering discounted pool tickets to small businesses so they can pass out pool passes to customers and clients. And readers enrolled in the Johnson County Public Library’s summer reading program can win a pool party at the Franklin pool for their family and friends.
The past four summers have been fraught with storms and rain that have forced the closure of the Franklin pool dozens of times in a season. Orner has looked for ways to try to offset the closings, he said.
“We are trying to drive more people to the facilities so they come back,” he said.
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Get ready for local pools to open this weekend. Here’s a guide for everything you need to know about pool hours and rates.
Franklin Family Aquatic Center
Location: 396 Branigin Boulevard, Franklin
Hours: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.
Opens: The pool opens for the season on Saturday and Sunday and then reopens daily from May 27 to Aug. 13.
Daily admission: Adult $5; Child/Senior $4; Military $4
Freedom Springs Greenwood Aquatics Park
Location: Freedom Park, 850 Stop 18 Road, Greenwood
Hours: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday, open until 10 p.m. on Thursday nights; noon to 6 p.m. Sunday
Opens: May 27
Daily admission: Resident adult $8; Resident child/senior $6; Military $6; Non-resident adult $10; Non-resident child/senior $8; Season passes $65 for residents and $85 for non-resident
Edinburgh Aquatic Center
Location: 220 Harrell Drive, Edinburgh
Hours: Noon to 6 p.m. seven days a week
Opens: May 27
Daily admission: Resident $2; Non-resident $4
Perry Park Aquatics Center
Location: Perry Park, 451 E. Stop 11 Road, Indianapolis
Hours: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday, open until 8 p.m. on Wednesdays and Saturdays; noon until 6 p.m. Sundays
Opens: May 27
Weekday
Adults: $5
Children: $4
Weekend
Adults: $6
Children: $5
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