Here Are 8 Free Outdoor Pools to Visit in Harlem and Washington Heights Before Summer Ends

The new Gottesman Pool at the Davis Center in Central Park.

The summer heat isn't over yet.

Luckily, the city's free outdoor pools remain open for the season through Sunday, September 7.

In Harlem and Washington Heights there are a total of eight free outdoor pools run by the NYC Parks Department.

General swim hours are from 11am to 7pm, including a break for cleaning between 3pm and 4pm.

Here's where to find them all, from south to north:

1. Thomas Jefferson Pool

East Harlem E 112th St and First Ave

One of uptown's three Olympic-size pools funded by the Works Progress Administration (WPA), it first opened in June of 1936—and is still going strong.

2. Gottesman Pool at the Davis Center

Central Harlem Davis Center in Central Park, 110th St and Lenox Ave

After years of construction, the pool in Central Park is back open as part of the new Davis Center, complete with a beautiful new public building tucked into the landscape.

3. Wagner Pool

East Harlem E 124th St near First Ave

This intermediate pool was transformed into a Cool Pool in 2019, complete with bright new paint, outdoor furniture and umbrellas.

Wagner Pool in East Harlem

4. Marcus Garvey Pool

Central Harlem 124th St and Fifth Ave

Perched on a slope in the middle of the park, this intermediate-size pool feels pleasantly removed from the busy urban grid.

5. Sheltering Arms Pool

West Harlem W 129th St and Amsterdam Ave

This intermediate pool was the first in Upper Manhattan to get the Cool Pool treatment in 2018, including colorful new paint and furniture.

6. Abe Lincoln Pool

East Harlem Fifth Ave and E 135th St

This small wading pool—it's 40' x 20' x 3'—sits next to a renovated playground.

7. Jackie Robinson Pool

Central Harlem Bradhurst Ave and W 146th St

Nestled at the base of hilly, tree-filled Jackie Robinson Park, this Olympic-size WPA pool offers more shade than most.

8. Highbridge Pool

Washington Heights Amsterdam Ave and W 173rd St

This huge WPA-funded pool became famous in 2021 after appearing in a musical number in Lin-Manuel Miranda's "In the Heights."

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