ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — It may be chilly now, but summer will be here soon enough. Unfortunately, not every public swimming pool will be coming with it.
Following catastrophic damages from Hurricane Helene, Asheville Parks & Recreation has announced in a press release that the public swimming pool at Recreation Park, located just outside the Western North Carolina Nature Center in east Asheville, will not be opening this summer.
The announcement means that just one public pool will be available to the Asheville community this summer: the swimming pool at Dr. Wesley Grant Sr. Southside Community Center in west Asheville.
“While the full extent of Helene’s damage is still coming into focus, we do know that Recreation Park’s pool suffered major structural damage and the park itself is inaccessible as the bridge and roads were destroyed,” said APR director D. Tyrell McGirt in the release. “We are working to provide as many alternatives as possible, but wanted to share this information early so families and community members can make a plan for warm weather that is still months away.”
One way that APR plans to support the demand for aquatic recreation this summer is to open the Southside Community Center pool for longer hours.
The 2025 season hours will be 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Monday to Friday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday and noon to 7 p.m. on Sunday. The pool will open on weekends beginning May 24 before expanding to full operating hours on June 7.
As far as other aquatic destinations go, Splasheville, the free, public splash pad in downtown Asheville, plans to reopen by mid-April. Buncombe County Parks & Recreation operates five public swimming pools including Cane Creek, Erwin, Hominy Valley, North Buncombe and Owen, all of which will open seven days a week on June 11. Admission at each is $3 a day.
According to the press release, APR is looking to collaborate with other organizations to provide public swim spots this summer. If your organization is interested in partnering with APR, contact McGirt at dtmcgirt@ashevillenc.gov or (828) 259-5808.
