The first true municipal pool in the country opened in Boston’s Roxbury neighborhood in 1868. The pool was supposed to be a place where serious business would occur — a public health facility where the city’s working-class could literally scrub the dirt off their bodies.
But Boston’s rambunctious youth had different plans. Kids overran the pool, accounting for 97 percent of attendees. Their wild antics helped define public pools as pleasure centers, not health clinics.
Madison and surrounding communities have embraced that spirit with many public water amenities. There are more community pools, water slides and splash parks than ever before.
So when the mercury climbs, here’s the what-what on the wet-wet.
POOLS
Season starts June 8
Goodman Pool, 325 W. Olin Ave., Madison
Goodman Pool, built in 2006, is relatively new among local community pools. Goodman is actually two conjoined pools, and the whole facility can accommodate 1,000 pool-goers. On one side is a zero-depth entrance with fountain sprayers and other play fun, including two water slides. The smaller side pool has eight lap lanes and diving boards.
On dry land, the pool has concessions, a sandy play area, plenty of shady cabanas, even WiFi. Look out for special events, too. Goodman Pool has hosted food cart nights and even lets dogs take over the pool for a day — at the end of the season.
Madison officials debated building a municipal pool for 60 years before it become a reality. Maybe it didn’t need to be a six-decade wait, but Goodman is a real gem.
Monona Community Pool, 1013 Nichols Road, Monona
Monona describes its pool as the “pearl of the city.” The city’s first pool was built in 1963. Its current 300,000-gallon pool, on the same site, has a water slide and two diving boards. There’s also a wading pool and a concession stand.
Sun Prairie Family Aquatic Center, 920 Linnerud Drive, Sun Prairie
Sun Prairie has also had a municipal pool for decades (its first pool was built in 1958). The Family Aquatic Center is loaded with pool activities. There’s a 210-foot slide, an 18-foot drop slide, two kiddie slides, a water basketball hoop and water spray features in the shallow end.
The Walter R. Bauman Aquatic Center, 2400 Park Lawn Place, Middleton
Middleton rebuilt its community pool in 1998, making it one of the largest in the area.The pool also has two waterslides that run 134 feet, interactive “water play equipment” like fountains and dumping buckets as well as a separate diving well. There’s a sand playground, too.
Goodman Aquatic Center, 7762 County PD, Verona
Philanthropists Irwin and Robert Goodman were instrumental in helping Madison build its first community pool. But it’s the second aquatic center supported by the local jewelers. In 2002, the Goodman Aquatic Center was built on the Jewish Community Campus in Verona. This pool is kept clean not with chlorine but a salt water generator. Solar panels also help heat the pool. It’s smaller than other area pools but the setting — serene, surrounded by trees — is worth the tradeoff.
Blue Mound State Park, 4350 Mounds Park Road, Blue Mounds
Located 30 minutes west of Madison, Blue Mound State Park is the only state park with a pool. The L-shaped pool was opened in 1972, built to remedy the lack of swimming opportunities in the area. It was remodeled in 2015 and now includes a splash park on the grounds. Note: There is no lifeguard at this pool and kids under 16 need to be accompanied by an adult at all times.
SPLASH PARKS
Season starts on Memorial Day
There used to be a time that when temperatures soared, neighbors would set up sprinklers or open up fire hydrants for kids to run through to keep cool. That idea is fancied up with splash parks (sometimes called splash pads or spray parks) with lots of leaping fountains, spraying umbrellas and dumping bucket-style interactive water features. You can’t do cannonballs at splash parks. But they’re especially well suited for smaller children. And they are a fun (and free) alternative to a pool.
One special shout-out: The farm-themed splash pad at Fitchburg’s McKee Farms Park is really something. It features water sprays that look like a tractor, windmill and various barnyard animals.
Cypress Spray Park, 902 Magnolia Lane
Splash Park at Elver Park, 1250 McKenna Blvd.
Splash Park at Reindahl Park, 1818 Portage Road
Splash pad at McKee Farms Park, 2930 Chapel Valley Road in Fitchburg
Splash pad at Lakeview Park, 6300 Mendota Ave. in Middleton
Splash pad at Conservancy Commons Park, 6822 Yellowwood Lane in DeForest
BEACHES
Season starts on June 8
Madison boasts more public beaches per 100,000 residents than any other city in the country, according to The Trust for Public Land. Unfortunately, bacteria and toxic algae blooms still plague our lakes, especially during the hottest stretches of summer. But these natural aquatic centers still offer great summer fun when conditions are right. Public Health Madison & Dane County monitors 16 local beaches. It’s best to check the agency’s website before taking a dip and never a bad idea to take a shower after a day in the lake. These are the beaches that will have lifeguards on duty.
Lake Mendota
Spring Harbor Park, 1918 Norman Way, Lifeguards on weekends from 12:30-4:30 pm
Tenney Park, 1300 Sherman Ave., Lifeguards daily from 11 am-7 pm
Warner Park, 1101 Woodward Drive, Lifeguards on weekends from 12:30-4:30 pm
Lake Monona
B.B. Clarke Beach Park, 835 Spaight St., Lifeguards daily from 11 am-7 pm, Open Memorial Day weekend
Bernie’s Beach Park, 901 Gilson St., Lifeguards on weekends from 12:30-4:30 pm
Esther Beach Park, 2802 Waunona Way, Lifeguards on weekends from 12:30-4:30 pm
Olbrich Park, 3330 Atwood Ave., Lifeguards daily from 11 am-7 pm
Lake Wingra
Vilas Park, 1339 Vilas Park Drive, Lifeguards daily 11 am-7 pm, Open Memorial Day weekend.
