There are 18 city and nine county public pools in the area. We are going to all of them so we give you a glimpse of what each one is like.
Which ones have shade? Which ones have grass? Do they have slides but only allow certain ages to go on them? We will do the legwork, so you don't have to.
Palo Verde Pool
Palo Verde Pool is on the north side of Palo Verde Park at 355 S. Mann Ave — south of Broadway between Wilmot and Kolb. It is open seasonally.
Pools: The three-pool complex features a 25-meter main pool which ranges from three to five feet deep, a 12-foot-deep diving pool and a one-and-a-half foot wading pool.
You either have to jump in or ease in from one of the ladders. No steps or beach entry.
Hours: Recreational swim is from 1 to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and non to 6 p.m. Saturday.
Features: There are two diving boards at the diving pool. One is a high dive. A fun game among neighborhood kids is to jump from the high dive to see if they can get the lifeguard wet. They do, of course. He or she is always drenched.
Shade: There's a shade structure with a picnic table underneath near the main pool. Pro tip: It is super bright because of the white concrete deck. Sunglasses are a must.
Seating: Metal benches along the brick portions of the fence. The wall provides shade, depending on what time you are there.
Facilities: There are boys and girls showers and bathrooms.
Condition: Bathrooms could be updated, but they were clean and working on our visit. The bottom of the pool was kinda dirty on our visit. The wading pool isn't currently open because of lack of staff, according to one of the lifeguards.
Family time: The pool offers family swim time from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, where you just pay $2 for each adult. Kids get in free.
Kids call: "It's fun and I like how it's warm. I like the high dive. It kind of makes a bigger splash" says my son Noah Pittenger who is 9. "But, what I don't like about it is it's dirty."
Bonus: If you're sitting on the benches on the north side of the main pool, you'll have a nice view of the grassy fields of the park. It's pretty. Who doesn't love pretty?
