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Best Public Pools In Metro Detroit

Boy on swimming pool ladder
(istockphoto)

It's a luxury to have your own personal swimming pool. Many of us cannot afford the thousands of dollars it costs to have pools added to our homes and many of us live in apartments and condos where swimming pools are unavailable altogether. But things can get very hot over a Motown summer and you're going to need a place to cool off. Here are some great public swimming pools to help you and you friends and family stay cool when the sun starts to scorch the earth.

Fuller Park Outdoor Pool & Waterslide
1519 Fuller Road
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
(734) 794-6236
www.a2gov.org

Located just off of the University of Michigan's medical campus, and right near beautiful Huron River, is the Fuller Park Outdoor Pool & Waterslide. Owned and operated by the city of Ann Arbor, this pool is open to the public and offers a ton of awesome amenities that are designed to keep everyone happy, from the young to the old. Youth and senior rates are $4 for admittance and adults are $5, but the cost is plenty worth it. This location features a large waterslide, a seven-lane pool for athletes and serious swimmers, a 50-meter lap pool, a shallow area with ramp access for the old and young alike and a 12-foot-deep diving area, as well.

Belle Isle Waterslide Park
8109 E. Jefferson
Detroit, MI 48214
(313) 331-7760
www.belleisleconservancy.org

Now under state management and officially a state park, this island is located adjacent to the heart of downtown Detroit and is nestled on the Detroit River. As the crown jewel of Detroit's public park system, this island truly has something for everyone, especially children. Along the wide, sandy beaches sits a nest of waterslides that empty right into the Detroit River with small wading pool. And with plenty of nature to go around, you won't miss a single amazing aspect of the spectacular changing seasons here in Michigan as you watch the river flow with the little ones. Best of all, admission to the park and the waterslide are free to everyone. Not to mention, you simply cannot beat the skyline view of this waterpark.

Buhr Park Outdoor Pool
2751 Packard Road
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
(734) 794-6230
www.a2gov.org

Buhr Park in Ann Arbor may be best known as the huge outdoor ice arena in the winters, but in the summers and fall, Buhr Park sheds its skin and transforms into one of the area's best outdoor pools and play parks. This massive pool features a six-lane, 25-yard swimming area, with a diving well, and a zero-foot entrance for young children and older folks. Entrance is free for kids under three, with prices ranging from $3-$5 for the rest. This park also has a number of toys for young ones to play with and a large picnic area for when you're ready to take a break from the water.

Related: Best Parks In Detroit

Lake Erie Metropark Wave Pool
32481 W. Jefferson Road
Brownstown, MI 48173
(734) 379-5020
www.michigan.org

If it's a little more action that you seek, then perhaps taking a trip down to Brownstown to the Lake Erie Metropark Wave Pool is exactly what you need. Featuring one of the area's largest wave pools, this Metropark only charges $5 per car for admission, which gets you into the park itself and access to all of the other amenities it has to offer. There is an additional fee of between $4-$7 per person to access the water park, though it is quite worth it. After 5 p.m., the admission is discounted. This is an easy place to spend a whole summer day.

Family Aquatic Center at Chandler Park
12600 Chandler Park Drive
Detroit, MI 48213
(313) 822-7665
www.michigan.org

If you're looking to stay within the confines of the Motor City, check out the Family Aquatic Center at Chandler Park in Detroit. Children will love the massive open-area pool and play area, while teens and adults will enjoy the two massive outdoor waterslides that twist and turn repeatedly. The Family Aquatic Center also boasts its own wave pool and plenty of shady areas for a picnic for the whole family. This pool is open from Memorial Day to Labor Day and prices vary, but are certainly cheap.

Related: Best Hotels For Weddings In Detroit

Michael Ferro is freelance writer and a graduate of Michigan State University where he majored in Creative Writing and received the Jim Cash Creative Writing Award. Born and bred in Detroit, he currently resides in Ypsilanti Township. Additional writing can be found at Examiner.com.
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