The summer may be waning but temperatures will be rising around the Bay Area for Labor Day weekend. Instead of road-tripping to the beach, stay cool and splash it out at one of the Bay Area’s impressive aquatic complexes. From Morgan Hill to El Cerrito, you’ll find both Olympic-sized lap pools and zero-depth wading areas with everything kids and adults could ask for — slides, geysers, and cabanas. Yes, you can leave the sand toys at home.
San Ramon Olympic Pool & Aquatic Center
A public pool worth the drive? Yes. Even if you don’t live in the East Bay, you should consider making the trip. Your family will thank you. This massive outdoor water complex has a giant splash pad with multiple whimsical shooting water features and an Olympic-sized pool with diving boards and a fantastic twisty blue slide, plus a smaller sized pool for tubing and kick-boarding. The shaded areas and covered tables are ideal for picnicking, and there are enough daily recreational swim hours to avoid shoulder-to-shoulder splashing.
9900 Broadmoor Drive, San Ramon. See daily schedule.
Silliman Family Aquatic Center
Too hot to be outdoors? Take shelter in this giant, 32,000-square-foot indoor water park off Highway 880 at Mowry Avenue. It features a combination of large pools, a lazy river, open lap pool, children’s activity pool, a 15-person warm-water spa, and — wait for it — reservable cabanas on the pool deck.
6800 Mowry Ave., Newark. More info.
El Cerrito Swim Center
Kids play in the pool at the El Cerrito Swim Center. Even though you won’t need them in the summer, the locker room’s heated floors are just one of the perks of this fabulous outdoor pool complex. There are three main areas to know about: a splash pad, a shallow pool with fountain for tiny tot splashing, and a large pool.
7007 Moeser Lane, El Cerrito; More info.
Morgan Hill Aquatics Center
This outdoor water park is one of the best in the South Bay. First, it offers picturesque scenery with shaded grassy areas and large palm trees lining its perimeter. Now for the water fun: two large water slides, a competition pool with diving boards, a recreation pool with water playground, spray ground with cascading fountains and shooting geysers, warm water instructional pool. Did we mention the poolside cabana rentals and limbo contests? The facility is open year round for lap swim and water fitness classes.
16200 Condit Road, Morgan Hill; Check daily schedule.
Robert Livermore Aquatic Center
Triple-digit temperatures are all too common in Livermore, so it is fitting that the city’s pool is spectacular. It’s actually more like a late summer hangout. There’s a deck and grassy area with plenty of beach chairs plus two pools: A zero-depth pool with an interactive play structure, waterfalls, water cannons and a spiral water slide as well as a large 13-lane lap pool that is open year round.
4444 East Ave., Livermore. More info.
Rinconada Pool
Two words: Water bicycles. This Palo Alto wading pool offers Aqua-duck water bicycles that squirt water, which sounds like hours of fun to us. There are also lemon drop geysers, a circular waterfall, a small slide and a zero depth beach-inspired area ideal for infants to get their splash on. In Rinconada’s 14-lane lap pool, you’ll find two diving boards and summer lap sessions from early morning to evening. Family recreation swim is open all day (9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.) in the wading pool, which means you can park it here with the little ones until dinner. Extra perk: 48 wallet-sized lockers for storing valuables at no extra charge. Finally, no more random splashes on your cell phone.
777 Embarcadero Road, Palo Alto. More info.