Santa Monica Swim Center

At 16th and Pico, there is a facility that caters to the community called the Santa Monica Swim Center. The Swim Center provides a wide selection of programs all year long, such as swim instruction, fitness classes, lifeguard training, and unique community events. Several user groups for teams are also hosted there. The City of Santa Monica owns and runs the swim center. The upper sun deck and spacious, light-filled community meeting room of the swim center offer a breathtaking view of both the fitness and splash pools. Only during the weekends' recreational swim hours are party rentals allowed. On Saturdays and Sundays, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

This Santa Monica public pool is about a mile from the beach, but in the soul-crushing ocean-bound traffic, that distance can seem like an eternity. Thankfully, this spotless, upbeat, brilliantly tiled, and moderately chlorinated pair of open-air pools offers a practical option. Recreational swimming is mostly restricted to the smaller splash pool throughout most of the year, although on weekends and in the summer it also includes the fitness pool. Wannabe divers will have to wait till the fitness pool is open because the recreational pool is only shallow.

Location: 2225 16th St., Los Angeles
Website: www.smgov.net/aquatics
Phone: 310-458-8700
Price: Adults $9, children $4, seniors and students $4.50; Santa Monica residents free
Opening hours: Saturday and Sundays from 10:00am - 5:00pm.
Google rating: 4.7/5.0