Lompoc Aquatic Center Review - Santa Barbara County Public Pool
We drove 1 hour yesterday to specifically go to the Lompoc Aquatic Center to enjoy their two hours of recreation time that the City of Lompoc reserves for families and recreational play each day in the summer! The kids really had a great time!
It had waterslides on either end of the pool area. On the far end, the kids would have to be at least 48 inches to ride those waterslides. If they were not tall enough, they could go on the smaller ones on the opposite side. Even though it was a far drive, I felt that it was worth it since adult admission was only $5 and for youth is $4.50. So, the cost for me and two kids was only $14. My kids usually get tired of playing after awhile so I felt like two hours was enough water play!
It was busy day there when we came. It's a Friday during the summer break and the day after 4th of July. When I was doing my research on Google Maps, they said the place is only open on Saturday and Sundays but when I went to the City of Lompoc's official website, it stated that it's open every day for Recreational Swim from 1PM - 3PM during the summer until early August, except for 4th of July, of course. I'm glad I checked the City of Lompoc's official website for that info or I wouldn't have taken my kids there and missed out on some fun!
Sitting areas were limited there but I saw a mom brought her lawn chair and I thought that was smart. I just laid a towel on the ground and sat with our stuff while the kids had some play time. There was a shallower end there at the pool and they separated it with a rope to signify to the swimmers that the other side is the deeper end. On the shallow end, there were a lot of babies and toddlers with their parents. Typically, I would go in the pool for almost the entire time with my kids at other government-owned pools but it was so crowded and my kids are big enough to stand at both ends for this particular pool that I decided to just enter the pool when necessary to help my kids, which was very minimal. I was very impressed by the number of lifeguards that they had there! The lifeguards were very good about watching the kids and making sure that they followed the safety rules around the pool and down the waterslides.
Closer to my house, I've been to the Ravine Waterpark in Paso Robles (read my Ravine Waterpark Review) and Mustang Waterpark in Arroyo Grande (read my Mustang Waterpark Review) that are both located in San Luis Obispo County during the summer time for previous summers, but this Lompoc Aquatic Center in the next county over (in Santa Barbara County) is a great alternative for my kids. It's indoors, city-run and less intimidating than the water parks! I could find my kids across the way within a glance here. Even though it's only open for 2 hours a day for recreational swim, that's enough for us and it only costed $14 total for the 3 of us. It's definitely more centered for kids, especially with the water depth being shallow on pretty much half of the recreation pool. My kids enjoyed it so much that they want to come back to the Lompoc Aquatic Center again this the summer and maybe we could invite some good friends along, too!
Address of City of Lompoc's Aquatic Center: 207 W College Ave, Lompoc, CA 93436Tips:
- Even though the Lompoc Aquatic Center is indoors, the ceilings are see-through so the sun does shine through and I still applied sunscreen on my kids. I typically buy the mineral sunscreen that is made for sensitive skin because my older son breaks out in hives with the regular sunscreens.
- My kids usually prefer to swim with goggles because the chlorine in the pool can sometimes irritate their eyes and they like to see under water. Don't forget to bring those kids googles if it gives them more courage!
- Bring dry clothes to change into after they are done with the pool. I think having kids sit in the car in their wet swim clothes with just a towel while driving home is uncomfortable for kids and can make them grumpy. Taking the extra time to pack their dry clothes is a game changer! I usually have my kids pick their set of dry clothes and then I just put them in the same tote bag that I put their snacks in.
- My kids always get super hungry after a couple of hours in the pool, even if they ate right before they went into the pool. I usually throw the following snacks into my bag for public pool days: Goldfish crackers, Ritz crackers, potato chips, granola bars and bananas. At the Lompoc Aquatic Center, I carried the snacks in my tote bag and I just had them sit out of the pool next to me against the wall so that the crumbs don't fall into the water.
- If you're looking for a place that is a true waterpark that both adults and kids can enjoy, there is a waterpark in Arroyo Grande called Mustang Waterpark and another waterpark more north called Ravine Waterpark in Paso Robles. Both places have waterslides but the Ravine Waterpark is definitely bigger than Mustang Waterpark. I've rented cabanas at both of these waterpark before. Read my reviews for both places.
In : For Kids
Tags: lompoc aquatic center review things to do for kids in lompoc vandenberg things to do california santa barbara community pools
Originally from San Diego, California, I'm a San Diego State University alumna, veteran's wife and mom of two kids who were born two years apart. After living on the East Coast for 6 years, we now reside in San Luis Obispo County and here, the exploration continues.
@sanluisobispomom