Plenty of people have extolled the virtues of Philadelphia’s public pool system, so I’m going to spare you the gushing but know that I am one of its numerous fans.
With that said, the one thing that drives me nuts every summer is that the Department of Parks & Recreation never posts the daily pool schedules on their website. There’s nothing worse than after a long hot day to roll up to a pool solo and discover it’s Family Swim time (which is parents and children only).
Trying to locate this information on a park location’s social presence or website is a crapshoot. You’ll be more likely to discover an inactive Facebook page, touting programs from the golden years of social media. Le sigh. This year, to add insult to injury, Parks & Rec has only announced the first set of pools to open—instead of the full schedule for all, as the previous administration has done.
The only way to get this information is to go to the pool itself, where they will hand you a flyer. While I love print media, it seems like a major failing of our city’s communications infrastructure thatsuch a basic and completely essential piece of information does not wind up on the Park Finder.
So here is my attempt to bridge a gap in information with a small but sweet Airtable. It covers the following:
- Opening date of the pool
- Daily swim schedule, if available
- Overview of its unique features
- A link to its official PPR record with complete location information.
That’s it! Select a card to view its full record and a larger image of the schedule. Maybe when the pools start to close, you can come back here for the closing date.
And yes, I am fully aware the schedule images aren’t accessible—which is why PPR should rethink how this information gets presented to the public. (Making sure an online schedule met accessibility standards would be pretty nice 👀)
If you have information for a pool, please consider submitting an update.
It wasn’t a lot of work to put this together and it is still very much a work-in-progress. I am noticing with this little project is that is perhaps new to 2024, some pool locations are offering “Sensory Swim” hours, which are geared toward neurodivergent folks and offer a calmer swim. (Not sure what “calmer” means—less crowded? No splashing? No whistles?—we’re all about to find out together.)
Enjoy our pools! They are one of the greatest things in this city, and they are for all of us.
Disclaimer
The information provided here is intended as a general service to the community and is unoffical. Please note that I am not an employee of the City of Philadelphia, and I cannot guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or timeliness of the information presented. Due to the nature of crowdsourcing, information may be outdated, incorrect, or incomplete. I assume no responsibility or liability for any errors, omissions, or discrepancies in the information provided.
For the most accurate and up-to-date information regarding local public pools, including schedules, closures, and safety guidelines, I strongly recommend that you contact your local public pool directly. Official updates and announcements from the City of Philadelphia or relevant authorities should be considered the most reliable sources.