Crystal Lake Pool Review: Sharon
We moved to Haddon Township from Fishtown 4 years ago and learned about Crystal Lake pool last year. Growing up in the city left me a little leary of what a “town pool” could be. As a kid in Fishtown, we had the swimmo which I believe is still open, but the Crystal Lake pool could easily be considered a mini splash park in comparison. The entire pool area is situated in a nicely shaded /landscaped area of town and includes the pools, a snack bar, bathrooms, first aid office, a covered pavilion and a playground which is a major plus which my son Evan, who is 3, loves. The pool area has a very large adult pool with several lap lanes, a shallow wading pool that is fenced in and a splash pool with zero entry at a depth less than 2 feet. There are some scattered umbrellas provided along the grass as well as lounge chairs around the pool/s. If you are lucky to get there early or later in the day you can snag a good spot and possibly some shade on the grass.
We hadn’t considered any other local pools as this one is so close to us and very reasonably priced. We decided against a membership this year, as we were not sure how often we would go, however I find myself there quite often this summer and really enjoy it. We chose to just pay as we go which is only $5 per person (resident price) and our son is 3, so he is still free. If you have little ones under 4 you may also consider the individual membership for both parents which is only $70 each, as opposed to the family membership which is $240. Based on this years’ experience so far, I am sure we will be purchasing the membership next year.
We often go in the late afternoon around 4 or 5 which I find to be a great time, it’s not so crowded and the sun isn’t as strong. My son loves the splash pool which has two large mushroom shaped sprayer/fountains along with several other low sprayers scattered around the pool. Although it is shallow and he can play safely, I still put his puddle jumper swimmy on so he can play more freely with the other kids and give me a bit more peace of mind. I think I may be considered a “helicopter mom” so I am usually just steps behind him. However, he seems to prefer playing with the other kids instead of me for some reason, on those occasions I can actually sit along the side of the pool and watch as he has fun. Parking is also a plus, there are always spots up and down the street in front of and across the street from the pool. On a more crowded day, we have walked within a blocks distance and on a great day, we were just steps from the entrance.
There are so many great things about the pool that I love and I highly recommend it, however, there are a few things I wish were a bit bitter.
There is a bathroom, with several showers and a changing area, but there is not an actual baby changing station. Also, the bathroom itself could use a good cleaning. While I appreciate that there is a snack bar, it is super convenient, relatively inexpensive and has awesome ice cream sandwiches according to my son, I do wish there were some healthier options there. It also closes at 6 pm sharp. On a side note however, you can order a pizza/sandwiches from a local pizza shop and have it delivered there. I do wish that they would allow younger kids in the big pool. My son loves swimming around with his swimmies on in deeper pools and I would really like to work with him to teach him to swim, however it’s not possible when you are limited just to the splash /wading pool. Fortunate for us, my sisters both have pools so we do have other options, but if you are interested in taking your little one into the deep pool, this may not be the pool for you.
I would definitely give the Crystal Lake pool my thumbs up and definitely recommend joining/visiting. The people are super nice, the park/pool itself are very clean and it is overall a great experience for me and my family.
