Where to Beat the Tallahassee Summer Heat

By Scott Drew on July 16, 2015

Anyone who has spent any time in Tallahassee over the summer knows of the horrendous heat that is endured. Landlocked with no ocean breeze to relieve us of the hot air, Tallahassee’s heat remains stagnant, only getting hotter as the summer progresses. Too much heat can drive a person mad, but luckily Tallahassee has plenty of places to cool off.

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To start, Tallahassee’s Parks and Recreation department works with seven different aquatic facilities all throughout the city. These seven facilities offer all sorts of water activities including lane swimming, pool basketball, or even pool parties. That is right. I said pool parties. There is an event that moves from local pool to local pool known as the “Splash and Jam” that provides food, music, and aquatic entertainment for the whole family.  The best part is that it is totally free. The seven pools associated with Parks and Recreation are Wade Wehunt Pool (907 Myers Park Drive), Forestmeadows Pool (4750 N. Meridian Road), Robinson-Trueblood Pool (1115 Dade Street), Walker-Ford Pool (2301 Pasco Street), Levy Pool (625 W. Tharpe Street), and Jack McLean Aquatics Center (700 Paul Russell Road). Don’t know how to swim? Don’t worry because all of these facilities have weekly swimming lessons to help you learn.

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For a more relaxed and mature atmosphere, the pool at the Four Points Hotel is the place to go. The Four Points Hotel located on Tennessee Street has recently opened their pool up tothe Tallahassee community through various memberships. The options include month-to-month memberships for two guests for the price of $50, three-month memberships for two guests for $125, and six-month memberships for two guests for $200.

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Pool members get a 10% off discount on food and beverage at the hotel’s restaurant, Juicy Blue, and at the pool bar, Aqua. There is also Happy hour every day from 4 pm -7 pm. There will also be exclusive members only events to attend throughout the summer and fall; along with special weekend or weekday deals. The pool will be available from 11am – 11pm daily and there is a $10 fee for any additional guests.

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If you are looking for something a little more in nature, the FSU Reservation, or “the Rez,” would be a good choice. There you can enjoy the feeling of sand beneath your feet and a refreshing dip in a body of water without ever having to leave Tallahassee. Also, have a good time out on the surface of the water with one of the many rentals they have available there, ranging from inner tubes to kayaks and more.  If you just want to get out of the sun, the woods located on the Reservation are shaded by its canopy. In the woods is a fun obstacle course that entertains and challenges any person that attempts it. If the fake beach doesn’t cut it, Tallahassee is only a 40-minute drive from Wakulla Beach. Wakulla Beach is great because, no matter what time of the year, it never seems to be packed with people. This allows for a nice and relaxing day at the beach with friends without having to deal with obnoxious beach goers and fighting over a spot on the beach.

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If you want to stay close to campus, Florida State University has a couple of very nice facilities that are great to either get an aquatic workout in or just relax in. The more popular choice among students seems to be the pool at the Leach gym. Entrance into the pool is free for students with FSU ID cards. Once in, students have many options to choose from, including lap swimming, diving off of one of the diving boards, water basketball, or one of the spa treatments. The Leach Pool is a 16-lane by 25-yard indoor swimming facility. Lanes are available to Leach patrons for lap swimming at all times, unless closed for staff training or a special pool event.

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A less populated and more professional pool run by FSU is the Morcom Aquatics Center located next to the Don Veller Seminole Golf Course. The main pool features up to 30 practice lanes and maintains a temperature of 80 degrees, which sure feels good after being in the hundred-degree weather of Tallahassee. There is also a second pool specifically for diving. This pool has two one-meter and two three-meter springboards as well as one,three, five, seven-and-a-half and 10 meter platforms.  The platforms are 10 feet wide making them the widest in the nation.  The diving pool is kept temperature controlled at 82 degrees and also features a compression bubble used to soften a divers impact during entry while practicing platform dives.  Divers will also be able to practice their dives using the dry land equipment, which includes two springboards attached to an intricate rope and pulley system and a trampoline. In order to maintain the quality of their facility and equipment, the Morcom Aquatics Center does charge entrance fees, but they are so cheap that it is reasonable. A day pass for FSU students with valid FSU IDs costs $2 and the general public admission cost is only $4. The Morcom Aquatics Center also provides the option to purchase passes that permit either fifteen or thirty visits at discounted prices.

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