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Outdoor Pools in the Ann Arbor Area - Girl wearing goggles holding on to the edge of the pool.

The Best Ann Arbor Outdoor Pools to Visit in 2024

/ By / family, outdoor, Parks, sports, swimming

Summer and the outdoor swim season is almost over. Find the best Ann Arbor pools that you can visit today and all summer long. The only public pool open before Memorial Day is Fuller Park which opens for the season in mid-May. With school now starting before Labor Day, pools are cutting their hours the last week or two of school.

Table Of Contents
  1. Outdoor Pools – Ann Arbor & Through Washtenaw County
  2. Membership Only Outdoor Pools
  3. Other Places to Get Wet

Outdoor Pools – Ann Arbor & Through Washtenaw County

The Ann Arbor public pools below are open to the general public with a daily admission option. Many of these public swimming pools also offer multiple visit passes and season passes.

In 2022 my daughter worked as a lifeguard at two of the Ann Arbor City Pools. She noted that Buhr Park tends to be less crowded than Vets. If you want a quieter pool, we suggest Buhr Park. Note: This may have been especially true with the tot pool at Buhr closed in 2022.

Buhr Park Pool

Buhr Park Pool is one component of Buhr Park. The park also has a small playground, outdoor ice rink (in the winter), sports fields, tennis courts, and Cobblestone Farm. Buhr Park Pool offers a separate zero-entry tot pool with spray features and water toys.

The Buhr Park Pool hours shift for 2024. They now open at noon on Mondays-Fridays, but close at 7p on Monday-Thursday. Weekend hours remain from 1-8p, but add a new tot splash to Sunday.

Ann Arbor Buhr Park Pool

Check out more details in our Wednesday Activity Review of Buhr Park Pool.

At a Glance

Address: 2751 Packard Rd
Summer Hours: Monday-Thursday noon-7p, Fridays noon-8p, Weekends 1-8p
Weekdays While AAPS in session: Monday-Friday 4-8p
Season: May 25-September 2
Price: $6/ages 18-54, $5/Youth & Seniors

Ann ArborBuhr Park Pool Tot Splash

Fuller Park Pool

Fuller Park Pool is part of the City of Ann Arbor’s Fuller Park Complex. Fuller Park Pool has a water slide that looks really cool from the road. In addition to the pool, Fuller Park includes sports fields and a wooden play structure.

A few years ago my daughter asked to do a Playground Profile on Fuller Park. After arriving at the park in mid-May, I discovered her real motivation was to try the water slide. Check out our Review of Fuller Park Pool.

The waterslide only opens at 1p during summer hours and may be subject to lifeguard staffing.

Ann Arbor Fuller Park Pool & Survival Flight Helicopter

At a Glance

Address: 1519 Fuller Rd, Ann Arbor
Hours: Lap Swim Only 7a-opening
General Swim: Weekdays – 11a-7:30p. Weekends & Holidays – 11a-8p
Modified General Swim Hours: Weekdays 4-7:30p, Weekends 11a-8p
Season: May 12-September 15 – modified operation while AAPS is in session
Price: $6/ages 18-54, $5/Youth & Seniors

Ann Arbor Fuller Park Pool - Slide

Veterans Memorial Park Pool

Veterans Memorial (Vets) Pool is located at 2150 Jackson Ave. Vets Pool offers a water slide and a zero-entry kids area with water spray areas.

Don’t miss our Veterans Park Playground Profile. As a toddler and preschooler, my daughter took swim lessons at Veterans Pool, but we never visited for Open Swim. She finally went for the first time in summer 2021 and helped write our Activity Review.

The Waterslide is open during Open Swim except it closes on Tuesdays at 6p and Thursdays at 5p.

For 2024, they have expanded Tot Splash to every weekday from 10a-1p. They have also added Family Swim Areas from 10a-1p on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. They don’t specify what the Family Swim Area is.

Ann Arbor Pools - Veterans Pool Main Pool Area

At a Glance

Address: 2150 Jackson Ave, Ann Arbor
Hours: Monday-Friday 1-8p Lap Swim only, noon-1p, Weekends & Holidays 10a-8p.
Tot Splash: 10a-1p Weekdays
Modified Hours: While AAPS is in session- Weekdays 4-8p,
Season: May 25-August 25
Price: $6/ages 18-54, $5/Youth & Senior

Ann Arbor Pools - Veterans Pool Tot Area

Rutherford Pool

Delayed Opening

They passed inspection May 30th and opened that evening.

Rutherford Pool is located in Ypsilanti’s Recreation Park.

Rutherford Pool originally opened in 1973 by the City of Ypsilanti. The Friends of Rutherford Pool took over upkeep and management in the early 2000s. The pool temporarily closed after the 2011 season. After fundraising over $1 million in grants and donations, the pool was rebuilt and opened again for the 2014 season.

The bathhouse was renovated for 2020. It includes new family changing rooms, a gender-neutral bathroom, and changes in the concession area and entrance.

At a Glance

Address: 975 Congress St, Ypsilanti
General Schedule:
noon-1p Tot Splash (T, Th, & weekends)
1-4:50p Open Swim (Kids 4′ and above do not need an adult)
5-6p Tot Splash (T, Th & weekends)
6-8p Family Swim (All kids need an adult)
see website for more details
Season: May 30-September 2
Modified hours while school is in session
Pricing: Adults: $5
Youth (1-4:450p): $4
Youth (6-8p): $3
Tot Splash: $2.50 (Age 4 & under, no older siblings)
Seniors (55+): $4
5 visit Punch Cards & Season Passes Available

Membership Only Outdoor Pools

In addition to the public pools, Ann Arbor has some outdoor pools available to members. These pools offer yearly memberships which often include more than the pool.

Other Places to Get Wet

Of course pools are just one of the ways to get wet around Ann Arbor. Our Places to Get Wet article combines all of the different ways to get wet.

Places to Get Wet Near Ann Arbor

Places to Get Wet Near Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor area Pools, Water Parks, and Splash Pads are returning to operation in 2021. They are phasing in their operations as local restrictions are lifted. All of the locations...

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Water Parks and Spray Grounds

There are also several water parks near Ann Arbor. Of the water parks, Rolling Hills Water Park in Ypsilanti Township offers the most swimming options. They have a shallow pool and a wave pool.

Check out our article on Water Parks.

Splash the Day Away at an Ann Arbor Water Park

Your water-loving, adventure seeking kids will have a blast at these Ann Arbor Water Parks. These parks feature large water slides, spray playgrounds, lazy rivers, wave pools, and so much...

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Lakes, Rivers, and Creeks

In addition to swimming in a pool, there are several lakes and rivers in and near Ann Arbor that are great for summer swimming.

Check out the lake beaches within an hour of Ann Arbor

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There are also many local parks that are good for splashing with creeks, rivers, and ponds.

Ann Arbor Parks for Splashing

While there are plenty of great pool options in and around Ann Arbor, warm temperatures can happen before they open for the summer or after they close. Fortunately, there are...

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