Natatorium Pool and Hydrotube

The Natatorium was originally a covered pool, built in 1892 and fed by hot springs. It was one of the most elegant buildings in Boise and included a 125-​foot-​long pool, a dining room, clubrooms, a saloon, gymnasium, dance floors, card rooms, tearooms, and baths. Huge wooden truss arches, which were 80 feet in diameter, enclosed the whole interior. A mezzanine also ran around the entire pool.
The original Nat closed in the 1930s after steam rotted the wooden structure and it fell into disrepair. The current pool, wading pool and hydrotube are at the same location as the original.
In the fall, after school is back in session and the pools have closed, there is a one-​day See Spot Splash event, hosted by the Boise Parks & Recreation Department and the Idaho Humane Society.

The Natatorium is one of two public pools in Boise that have a wading pool for toddlers. Parents can bring their little ones Monday through Friday between 10 am and noon. Boise doesn’t really warm up until the afternoon but the time enables you to beat the heat and avoid the time when the risk of sunburn is greatest. Plus the wading pool is kept at a comfortable temperature.
Admission varies but I paid $ 6.50 for myself and two children.
The wading pool has a mushroom shaped water fountain and a couple of seal statues that «spit» water. It’s two feet in the deep end. One of my sons is a total water baby and the other is a land lover, but they both had a blast. It wasn’t particularly busy, and I was pleased to see how attentive parents were and how well behaved their children were. Hopefully that’s always the case.
I’ve heard that the wading pool at Ivy Wild is even better, and I look forward to taking my boys there soon.