The Aquatics Center on Wilson Boulevard is the non-tourist swim option: a city-run pool complex, open since May 2002, next door to the Rec Center. When the Gulf is flying double reds or you just want to swim actual laps, this is where locals go — and a non-member day pass is $5, which also gets you into the Rec Center. That’s the whole pricing conversation.
The water
A Junior-Olympic pool for lap swimmers, an 11½-foot diving well with a one-meter board, a tube slide, and a separate 25-by-25 wading pool with spray and waterfall features for the little ones. Swim lessons and water aerobics run through the city, so on weekday mornings expect a lane or two of regulars who take it seriously.
Good to know
Hours shift by season — summer runs Monday through Friday 7 to 7 with weekend hours, winter tightens up and drops Sundays — so check the schedule before you drive over. Call (251) 974-SWIM with questions. For families, the math is hard to argue with: five dollars a head, lifeguarded water, no sand in the car afterward.