Pools and splash pads across Cleveland will begin operating this weekend.

During last week’s Municipal Services & Properties Committee meeting, Director of Parks and Recreation Alexandria Nichols fielded questions from members of Cleveland City Council about plans for the city’s pools this summer. Here are answers to some of the questions. 

What are the City of Cleveland pool hours for the summer?

Outdoor pools will open on Saturday, June 6. They will be open seven days a week from noon to 7 p.m. Indoor pools are expected to be open two to three days a week as staffing allows. (Pools sometimes close because of low staffing or mechanical issues.)

Nichols noted that last year when the pools were closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, some residents were using them even though no active lifeguards were on duty. She believes that opening the pools seven days a week will help address that specific safety concern.

Is there a cost to swim at the City of Cleveland pools?

No. All visitors must sign in prior to entering, regardless of whether they are swimming or not. 

How many lifeguards will be on duty at Cleveland pools this summer?

Eighty lifeguards have gone through the training and are ready to go for the summer. This is up slightly from the 68 trained lifeguards from 2025. Each pool is expected to have three active lifeguards per location this year. The city would need 160 lifeguards to operate at full capacity, Nichols said.

The city is still recruiting for lifeguards. The starting pay is just over $17.50 an hour. Applications for the summer are closed, but registration for fall and winter training classes is open. To apply or find more information, click here.

There are 80 trained lifeguards that will be working at the pools this summer.
There are 80 trained lifeguards that will be working at the pools this summer. Credit: City of Cleveland Photo Bureau

How long are the swim sessions at the City of Cleveland pools?

Sessions are 45 minutes each, with a 15-minute rest period every hour. In a change from last year, the pools will no longer close from 4 to 5 p.m., thanks to an increase in staffing.

Can outside food and beverages be brought into the City of Cleveland pools?

There are no concession stands in the pools. It is recommended that people bring water in travel containers or plastic bottles because no glass is permitted by the pools. Outside food is allowed, but officials ask that people do not have food delivered to the pool.

What’s the minimum age to attend the City of Cleveland pools without adult supervision?

Children under the age of 10 must be accompanied by an adult or caretaker over the age of 16.

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Want to go swimming?

Ward 1 (Lee-Harvard, Lee-Seville, Union-Miles, Mt. Pleasant)

  • Kerruish Park, 17218 Tarkington Ave. (outdoor pool)
  • Arthur Johnston Park, 4583 E. 144th St. (splash pad)
  • Glendale Park, 3825 E. 149th St. (outdoor pool/splash pad)
  • Frederick Douglass Recreation Center, 15401 Miles Ave. (indoor pool) 
  • JoAnn Park, 3951 E. 183rd St. (splash pad)

Ward 2 (Mt. Pleasant, Union-Miles, Mill Creek Falls)

  • Dove Park, E. 102nd & Nelson (splash pad)
  • Warsaw Park, E. 66th St & Warsaw Ave. (outdoor pool)
  • Oleatha Wilson Park, E. 110th St. between Harvard Ave. & Miles Ave. (splash pad)
  • Earle B. Turner Recreation Center, 11300 Miles Ave.  (indoor pool)

Ward 3 (Mt. Pleasant, Buckeye-Shaker Square, Broadway-Slavic Village)

  • Luke Easter Park, 3090 Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. (outdoor pool)
  • Alexander Hamilton Recreation Center, 13200 Kinsman Rd.  (indoor pool) 

Ward 4 (Old Brooklyn)

  • Loew Park, 4741 W. 32nd St. (outdoor pool)

Ward 5 (Central, Kinsman, Downtown, Industrial Valley)

  • James Bell Pool, 2280 E. 71st St. (outdoor pool)

Ward 6 (Fairfax, Larchmere, Little Italy, Woodland Hills, Buckeye-Shaker, University Circle)

  • Woodland Recreation Center, 9206 Woodland Ave. (outdoor pool)
  • Gassaway Pool, 2306 E. 100th St. (outdoor pool)

Ward 7 (Downtown Lakefront, Ohio City, Tremont, The Flats, Detroit-Shoreway)

  • Greenwood Park, 2219 W. 40th St. (outdoor pool)
  • Lincoln Park, 1200 Starkweather Ave.  (outdoor pool)
  • Fairview Park, W. 38th St. & Franklin Blvd. (splash pad)
  • Michael Zone, 6301 Lorain Ave.  (splash pad)
  • Clark Field, W. 11th, north of Clark (splash pad)

Ward 8 (Asia Town, Hough, St. Clair, Downtown, Glenville, Midtown)

  • League Park, 6601 Lexington Ave. (splash pad)
  • E.J. Kovacic, 6250 St. Clair Ave.  (splash pad)

Ward 9 (Glenville, Forest Hills, University Circle, Collinwood-Nottingham)

  • Shirley Chisholm Park, E. 115th St. & Moulton (splash pad)
  • Glenview Park, E. 110th St. north of St. Clair (splash pad)
  • Walter A. Burks Playground, Grantwood Ave. & Parkview Dr. (splash pad)
  • Cory Recreation Center, 10510 Drexel Ave. (indoor pool)
  • Glenville Recreation Center, 680 E. 113th St.  (indoor pool)

Ward 10 (North Shore Collinwood, South Collinwood, Waterloo Arts District, Euclid-Green)

  • Groton Park, Groton Rd. & Malden Rd. (splash pad)
  • Neff Pool, E. 193rd St. & Bella Dr. (outdoor pool)
  • Duggan Park, Avalon Rd. & Olympia Rd. (outdoor pool)
  • Mark Tromba Park, 16411 Mandalay Ave. (outdoor pool/splash pad)
  • Collinwood Recreation Center, 16300 Lakeshore Blvd. (indoor pool)

Ward 11 (Cudell, Edgewater, Detroit-Shoreway, West Boulevard, Brookside, Old Brooklyn)

  • Lake Park, 1352 W. 85th St.  (outdoor pool)
  • Mercedes Cotner, W. 95th St., south of Denison (splash pad)
  • Sunrise Pool, 3521 W. 95th St. (outdoor pool)
  • Estabrook Recreation Center, 4125 Fulton Rd. (indoor pool)

Ward 12 (Edgewater, Cudell, West Boulevard, Jefferson)

  • Halloran Park, 3550 W. 117th St. (outdoor pool/splash pad)
  • Cudell Recreation Center, 1910 West Blvd. (indoor pool)

Ward 13 (Jefferson, Bellaire-Puritas, Puritas-Longmead, Rockport)

  • Emery Park, W. 130th St, south of 1-71 (splash pad)
  • Crossburn Park, west of W. 130th St. & Crossborn Ave. (splash pad)

Ward 14 (Clark-Fulton, Brooklyn Centre, Stockyards, Tremont, Cuyahoga Valley)

  • Herman Park, W. 60th St. & Herman (splash pad)
  • Meyer Park, 3266 W. 30th St. (outdoor pool/splash pad)
  • Roberto Clemente, W. 38th & Seymour Ave. (splash pad)

Ward 15 (West Park, Kamm’s Corner)

  • Impett Park, 3207 W. 153rd St. (outdoor pool)

Community Reporter (he/him)
I work to gain the trust of Cleveland residents through direct community engagement and storytelling. My goal is to amplify and celebrate the residents and stakeholders who contribute to the success of city neighborhoods. I’m hoping to erase the negative stigma that has been cast on some neighborhoods throughout the years.