Philadelphia outdoor public pools have started reopening for the summer. Pool hours vary based on available staffing, but all open pools offer public swim from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. daily, according to the Philadelphia Parks & Rec. Additional public swim hours vary by site.

Here’s the opening schedule for West Philadelphia based pools. More pools are expected to open in the following few weeks. We’ll update this list when we have more information. This week’s full opening schedule is available here. Also, check with your neighborhood pool for more information here.

Week of July 1

Tuesday, July 2

• Tustin Pool – 5901-29 W. Columbia Ave., 19151.

Week of June 24

Thursday, June 27

• Butch Ellis Pool (39th & Olive) – 700 N. 39th St., 19104
• Lee Pool – 4328 Haverford Ave., 19104

Week of June 17

Tuesday, June 18

• Christy Pool – 728 S. 55th St., 19143

Friday, June 21

• Shepard Pool – 5700 Haverford Ave., 19131

Note: Kelly Pool (4231 Lansdowne Dr.) was expected to reopen on Monday but experienced a technical issue. It is now expected to open later in the week of June 17.

Starting today, Philadelphia Parks and Rec will begin opening outdoor public pools on a rolling schedule. All of Parks & Rec’s 61 pools will open this summer. Pool schedules will vary based on available staffing. The first pool will open today in West Philly’s Mill Creek neighborhood – an official pool opening ceremony, coinciding with Tiffany Fletcher Recreation Center (former Mill Creek) renaming ceremony, will take place at noon at 4700 Brown Street.

Here’s the opening schedules for other West Philly pools:

Friday, June 16:

Kelly Pool — 4231 Lansdowne Dr., 19131

Wednesday, June 21:

Johnny Sample (Cobbs Creek) Pool — 280 Cobbs Creek Pkwy., 19139

Continue Reading

Kelly Pool is opening June 23 (Facebook photo).

The Philadelphia Department of Parks & Rec has released a schedule for the start of the 2022 public outdoor pool season. This year, the city will open 50 out of 63 operating outdoor pools, 10 more than last summer. It has been reported that Philadelphia is experiencing a lifeguard shortage. Pools will begin opening tomorrow, June 21.

Here’s the schedule for West Philly pools and O’Connor pool in Center City West:

Tuesday, June 21

• Mill Creek (743 N. 48th St., 19139) Continue Reading

Photo by Joseph O’Connor

With less than three months remaining until the opening of the 2022 pool season remaining, dozens of folks in West Philadelphia can secure a great summer job. Each summer, Philadelphia Parks & Recreation trains and hires 400+ lifeguards to safely staff the City’s free public pools. The City is now actively recruiting at pools across Philadelphia, and is looking to hire 57 lifeguards from West Philly to make sure pools like Kingsessing and Tustin are ready for a summer of fun.

Parks & Rec operates dozens of outdoor pools each summer, which open from mid-to-late June through mid-to-late August.

Lifeguards typically work 35 hours per week and the position pays a competitive wage of $15.25 to $17.24 an hour. Free training and swim lessons are available to anyone interested in building the skills to get certified to work as a lifeguard this summer. Red Cross certification classes are free for anyone ages 16-24 who commit to working at a City pool. The Red Cross lifeguard certification course fee is $110 for all other candidates. Continue Reading

John B. Kelly pool is opening July 6th.

Summer is here, and Philadelphia residents will finally get a chance to cool off in public pools after a two-year break (all pools were closed last summer because of COVID). Please note that not all pools will reopen this summer – the City’s Parks and Rec Department has announced that only about 70 percent will reopen due to a shortage of lifeguards, the problem also brought on by the pandemic.

Pools will begin reopening this week. Check out the reopening schedule for some public pools and spraygrounds located in West and Southwest Philadelphia: Continue Reading

Kelly Pool in West Fairmount Park is opening this Wednesday.

Just in time for hot weather setting in, Philadelphia Parks & Recreation is kicking off the 2019 pool season in the city. Over 70 outdoor city pools are open for recreation during the summer. Check with your neighborhood pool for days and times of open swim, family swim, adult swim, and swimming lessons. Please use this new online tool on the Parks & Rec website to find a pool near you.

We have also compiled information on what pools are opening this week in West, Southwest Philly and Center City West (stay tuned for updates).  Continue Reading