McCarren Park Pool

The renovation of the pool is still fresh and the facilities are great. McCarren Park pool is a great place to cool off in the summer.

First time experience absolutely amazing except for one employee man who wore boots and cleaned around the pool everyone was wearing sandals and he had the nerve to tell me to take them off and walk barefoot to the pool and I didn’t cus everyone else has water shoes and sandals on. other than that freaken amazing. Wish it had a eatery or a drink café cus my son and I were quit thirsty but otherwise great this will be my pool from now on.

Looks like a cool pool to hang out in. Did not come prepared to come in. I will next time. The location is 776 lorimer

If you read their website and prepare (e.g. you most bring a padlock to lock your things in a locker, you can’t wear anything on the deck once you’ve done so other than white and flip flops, you must take a quick shower before getting on the deck, and you can’t bring your cell phone on the deck-​you must lock it in your locker), this pool can be one of life’s greatest experiences. Its historic (was renovated in the last few years), incredibly big (Olympic size, I think) and gorgeous, and even on a busy, hot Sunday, I still had plenty of room to myself. Perfect temp-​cold but not too cold– and the lifeguards perfectly balance safety (they don’t let people get too rowdy, cannonball, etc.) with letting kids have fun. During the 3:00 — 4:00 break, I saw staff passing out free lunches to many of the kids that were there-​so wonderful! And did I mention it is FREE? Just incredible. Find out for yourself!

For a first time experience this place was great! It’s clean for a public pool. As long as you read up on the requirements, the staff shouldn’t hassle you. They were pretty courteous and friendly with me, although I was intimidated by the Unilocal reviews on here. CARRY A PADLOCK! I cannot stress this enough. It was the first thing they asked me. White shirts on deck only. I even got offered a free lunch.
I am inclined to believe that these people only get really cranky on days where their pool is at capacity. They seemed alright on a Tuesday evening when there weren’t too many people around. The lifeguards are super attentive too. They have a separate area for people who want to do laps. Did I also mention that this pool is free? With all that thrown in I’m not even sure what people are complaining about.

For a public pool in NYC, I’ve gotta really say this is definitely one of the better ones that I’ve been to. There aren’t hoards of bored children out for the summer running around making a ruckus or continuously splashing water into my face and there are even a few pool chairs, if you’re lucky enough to snag one.
There’s an area designated just for laps, which is great and there’s a pretty neat area to play volleyball, sand and all. They cater well to children and there’s even an area with water sprinklers for the kids to play in or if you’d just like to cool off without completely immersing yourself in water.
One thing to note is that the only showers they offer are outdoor ones in full eyesight of everyone in the pool, so don’t plan on taking one of those full nudey showers you may be accustomed to at other pools or gyms unless you want to be banned from the premises for life.
Everything else is pretty standard and I’ve yet to encounter any of the gross things that you’ll see floating around other pools (you know what I mean), so I’ll definitely be sure to return before the summer’s up.

LOVED THIS POOL!! Summer is here make sure you make your way to this pool it’s clean and they always have intermission to make sure the pool is clean, and there are always security guards and a like 4 different parks nearby great pool !

I like this pool a lot. Yes, the people who work there are rigid and there are lots of rules. They seem to truly enjoy the power that they have over you but they are not all unfriendly.
Sometimes the rules are arbitrary, one day it’s one thing and the next day it’s another. But some of the reviews below should convince you that you do actually need a lock and that no, you should not bring your phones or electronics out to the deck. I can only guess as to why they don’t want you to wear shorts or shirts in the pool unless they are white but I’ll take a wild guess that it has something to do with cleanliness.
If you follow the reasonable rules and ignore the autocratic behavior of the staff (try smiling at them and saying hello), and manage to get past the showers, enjoy the huge free, safe & clean pool that has been provided by tax dollars for your enjoyment. Go for a swim and relax. Have a free lunch if you qualify (it has never been offered to me) and lighten up.

Ok so I have read all the pretty funny reviews from disgruntled patrons and while I will admit allot of what is being said it true I feel I must speak up for the good. So myself and my kids have pretty much spent every day at the pool, we avoid weekends as too busy. The 1^st day was a bit if a shock, «don’t do this, go here!, shower now! Your not wet enough! You get the picture. But having read allot of news from what went down a few years ago I wasn’t surprised about the zero tolerance. Now we have swam there, my kids have had swim lessons and I joined up for the lap swim (ALL FREE!) and I find the staff really nice, helpful and they have done a great job when you consider some of the attitude they have to put up with. I have seen parents literally go crazy at a guard who stopped a tot who was headed for
Deep water and held on to her until some time later her parents could be arsed to wonder where their little precious had gone. I applaud you all! Thanks and look forward to next year! Oh and did I mention it’s flippin free and your kids get FREE lunch you ungrateful stuck up lot!

Dear McCarren Pool Employees,
You work at a f*cking pool, not the Pentagon. Relax.
Sincerely,
Everyone

It nice, clean and free, what are you expect more? The line are long but it moving fast, give it 15 or 20 minutes when the high peek, it is not a big deal at all.
A lot of police officers stay around just in case people cause trouble, I don’t mind a bit, feel more comfortable to know that if there trouble, we have help.

Great and refreshing place for a hot day.
It is open every day during summer time.

It’s free, it’s open daily during the summer, it’s large and can accommodate a lot of people!
I really cannot say anything more. It’s a great place to have close by during summer.
There is a designated part for the kids, there is a general area and there are some tracks for people who want to swim.
All you need to get in is a towel, a swimming suit and a padlock.
Enjoy!

NYC public pools are pretty strict. You must have a lock and present it to enter, you must show a bathing suit. If you wear a t-​shirt in the pool it must be white. You can bring a towel, a book and water out to the pool and that is it. Thinking about sneaking your iPhone out? NO WAY, they make you shake out your towel to check and bark at you to shower before you enter the pool. They do not eff around.
It can get crowded and loud, with whistles blowing non stop and life guards yelling at kids. No jumping! No diving! Kids have to be carried in front of you, they can’t hang on to your back! No swimming! Ok ok, the last part is allowed.
I can see why people are afraid of public pools, but in spite of all of the above I love it. It’s great to walk across the park and get a tan without looking like the half naked hipsters in out of context bathing suits in the actual park. If you come early enough you might even get a chair.
I like to be near the water and take a dip when I get too hot.
Be warned, the pool closes in the middle of the day so you have to leave and come back, which is kind of a drag.

I guess with the hoopla of «mischief» over the past few years there has been a tradeoff. You won’t be shanked by a twelve year old but you’ll have to deal with the fun police who ensure that no fun is allowed. STOP SMILING!
I came here opening day this year and luckily the word had not traveled far. It was pretty dead on a super hot day. Upon arrival I forgot to bring my lock. YOU MUST HAVE A LOCK AND A BATHING SUIT. Luckily there is a man willing to profit from your mistake right outside the door. If there is an opportunity to make money in this city, people will find it. However I needed a new lock so it worked out nicely.
Once inside I was presented with a free lunch, which you must eat before you head in any further but if you’re crazy and slick you can smuggle it in. Mmmmmm free school bagged lunch. Chocolate milk, string cheese and a mystery meat sandwich. Sweet!
You head in and first meet the fun police who start getting more anal than a prostate exam. «Sir you can’t meet back up with your friends here» says the no fun officer. «I didn’t pick here, I was pointing elsewhere and why are you listing to our conversation?» I change quickly and was then told I could not wear a hat to the pool area. I suppose they thought I could smuggle a knife under my hat. Foolish move on their part, my bald shinny head can give a massive face destroying headbutt. I’m not going to do that when I’m wearing a fedora.
You see large groups of adolescence which remind me of the young kids from «City of God» (Great movie. Highly recommend if you’ve never seen it). Basically these kids are having fun in their delinquent ways and if you keep to yourself or befriend them you have nothing to worry about.
Bring a towel to lay down on the concrete. Take a dive in the pool, hopefully it won’t be packed. Play a great game of beach volley ball. Your feet will hurt from the hot sand and shards of glass but it’s all worth the fun. This is one spot the fun police don’t worry about. Head back to the pool to cool off, but don’t you dare do anything that even resembles like you jumped in. If so you’ll be reprimanded and scorned in front of everyone.
When it’s time to shut down shop, the fun police blow horns, whistles and start nagging you to leave. The kids all start jumping in to piss them off and while they deal with them I catch an extra ten minutes of sun. Just put those headphones in and turn the dial up, you’ll be fine. Well no not really, exposure to the sun can lead to skin cancer and you’re definitely damaging your ears blasting that music. But you’re in the moment, live while you can. McCarren Park is a great place to do it!

The line is intense.
The clientele is public.
Go in the AM.
The pool is huge and if you can love being in water then you’ll deal with the riff raff.

This pool RULES. There were some kinks last summer for sure but McCarren got it together this year! Yes, they’re strict but that’s because people don’t know how to act. I appreciate their diligence to make sure we can all have a good/​safe time. And I do think the staff is pretty respectful and try to convey the rules in a fun way.
The pool itself is huge, clean, gorgeous and the water is literally the most perfect temperature I’ve ever felt in a pool. And it’s free!

Mama Mia,
Papa Pia,
Baby’s got the diarrhea!
Mama said it wouldn’t hurt,
So Daddy ate it for dessert!
Some toilets are clean,
Some carry disease.
I poo standing up,
‘Cause I have no knees.-written by anonymous pool pooper!
Chaos and poo at the pool. articles.nydailynews.com/2012−07−17/news/32 717 906₁_​pepper-​spray-​police-​use-​spray-​cops
Besides the poop, fights, and arrests and being pepper sprayed by NYPD it sounds like a country club!

Went at 430 yesterday (Tuesday, Summer) and was completely surprised at what a great place this was. I expected crowded, dirty, and obnoxious but left pretty excited. There was no line when we showed up so no waiting is always a good thing. We had planned ahead for the trip by reading all the rules online so we weren’t surprised when they asked to see our lock before entering. (Pretty sure there was someone right outside of the place trying to sell locks… what a great biz idea! Ha!) The changing area was pretty big and relatively clean. Bathrooms were less desirable but I didn’t really expect to find a spa-​style facility. The pool was HUGE and even though there were a bunch of people in it, we were still able to float around and casually swim without always feeling like we were going to run into others. Overall a great experience and will def be back.
Things to remember when going:
1. You must have your own lock or you wont be able to get in.
2. Do not bring a bunch of crap with you… only the necessities. The lockers are pretty big but chairs, toys, umbrellas and all that are not allowed.
3. If you plan on wearing clothing over your bathing suit, it has to be white and it can’t be more than a tshirt and a pair of shorts. It HAS to be white.
4. Bring your own towel and sunscreen and whatever else you need. There is no concession at which to buy these things.
Have fun!

McCarren Pool is one of the wonderful FREE things to do in the city when it is hot as a mother outside and you need to cool down.
But, make sure you bring a LOCK or you will be turned away. Also, I would recommend flip flops, especially when you need to go to the bathroom. All I could think about was the floor being wet with everyone trekking around urine everywhere. Ew, gross.
The pool is huge and probably can accommodate 1500+ people! During the weekdays, there is lap swim but of course, there are no rules or lane dividers. It is basically sheer utter chaos. There will be people clearly lap swimming and then some old lady will be floating through all the lanes belly up. Go figure right?
But despite all the shortcomings, it is a wonderful pool. I mean, seriously, it is free and nothing beats that. My tax dollars hard at work to provide me fun in the sun. I’m all for social programs!
There are lots of cops and securities here, so be prepared to be treated like an inmate, but besides that, it’s all good!
No food or drinks allowed (except water). You can’t bring cell phones on deck. Only your towel, sunscreen and maybe a book. No bags allowed on deck. They are very strict about this. Also note, the pool is CLOSED from 3−4pm everyday.