Hartke Pool

Hartke Pool is probably as old as I am, 51, but it has been maintained nicely through the years and been renovated and enhanced with a nice waterslide. Get there at 10, adults, and you'll have the pool all to yourself for a solid hour. Admission is reasonable, at $4 per person. In June the water is VERY cold, but with this heat, it matters in a positive way. There is a short "adults only" swim in the early afternoon, which is the best time to try out the waterslide. Arriving early allows you to grab one of the free, hard plastic lounge chairs and stake out a spot on the grass, where it's cooler. A summer day camp group comes over from Swonder Ice Rink daily for a few hours around lunchtime, but leaves by 1 or 2pm. Bring your SPF 50, there are no trees for shade. This pool may be a challenge for little ones and their parents, as popular as it is with tweens and teens. It's the closest, biggest, niceset pool on the East Side and, save for a need to improve the bathroom/locker room upkeep, has a great staff. GO soak your head.