The place to Cool Off in Alexandria: Pools, Splash Pads & Shady Retreats

When the August humidity settles in, Alexandria presents no scarcity of how to chill down — from lap swimming pools and family-friendly wading spots to free spray fountains and shaded nature preserves the place the temperature appears to drop the second you step underneath the cover. With the warmest weeks of the 12 months nonetheless upon us, this is your information to staying cool, no matter sort of reduction you are after.

Take a dip: the town’s out of doors swimming pools

Alexandria runs a handful of seasonal out of doors swimming pools; just a few standouts beneath, with the total roster and present hours on the town’s website.

Old Town Pool

1609 Cameron St.

The household favourite: an eight-lane lap pool with a diving nicely, a shallow coaching pool, a tot playground, and a picnic space — sufficient to make a day of it.

Memorial Pool at Charles Houston

901 Wythe St.

A beach-style, zero-depth entry and built-in spray options make this the gentlest choice for little ones simply getting comfy within the water.

Warwick Pool

3301 Landover St.

A six-lane pool with an accessible ramp entry and a gradual zero-to-five-foot depth — a strong neighborhood spot for a swim.

Great Waves Waterpark at Cameron Run

4001 Eisenhower Ave.

For a full day of splashing, this regional waterpark brings slides, a wave pool, and mini golf — the closest factor to a seashore day with out leaving city.

For the entire listing of metropolis swimming pools — together with Chinquapin’s aquatics facility — plus hours, charges, and season-pass particulars, see the City of Alexandria aquatics page. (Our personal information to the place to go swimming this summer season has extra, too.)

Splash & spray: free enjoyable for teenagers

No pool go required — simply deliver a towel.

Potomac Yard Park Interactive Fountain

2501 Potomac Ave.

Three dozen water jets — together with laminar arcs and nighttime lighting — make this free fountain a magnet for teenagers on a sizzling day. Easy, breezy, and no admission.

Our Special Harbor Sprayground

Lee District Park, 6601 Telegraph Road

A totally accessible, Chesapeake Bay-themed splash pad designed so youngsters of all skills can play collectively (water footwear required). One of essentially the most inclusive water-play spots within the area.

Shady retreats: cool with out the water

Sometimes the easiest way to beat the warmth is a deep patch of shade and a slower tempo.

Winkler Botanical Preserve

Near the Mark Center, West End

A 44-acre pocket of forest, streams, and a small waterfall hidden in the midst of the town — shaded trails that really feel a world away from the pavement and a number of other levels cooler for it.

Green Spring Gardens

4603 Green Spring Road

Demonstration gardens, wooded paths, and a historic home make this a leafy, restful escape — beautiful for a shaded stroll when the solar is at its worst.

Huntley Meadows Park

3701 Lockheed Blvd.

A shaded boardwalk winds by means of wetland and forest at this wildlife haven simply south of the town — deliver binoculars and let the tree cover do the cooling.

A couple of issues to know

The metropolis’s out of doors swimming pools run on a seasonal calendar and may replenish on the most well liked days, so test hours and go choices earlier than you head over. The free spray spots are first-come, first-served and standard with households, and the shaded preserves are at their finest early within the day. However you cool off, there’s nonetheless summer season left to get pleasure from — go discover some shade or a splash whereas it lasts.