It’s been a record hot summer this year, and every time the temperature reaches toward 90° I can faintly smell chlorine. As a child I was typically one of the first at the pool, waiting with my feet in the water for the lifeguards to blow their whistles and let the swimming begin. I associate hot weather with the smell of chlorinated water, and all this summer I’ve had a strong desire to get to a pool.

You walk in Barrington’s Aqualusion Water Park, part of the state-of-the-art Barrington Park District Fitness and Recreation Center located off North Hough Street at 235 Lions Street, eagerly with your sunglasses on and a towel over your shoulder. For general pool-play, Aqualusion opens at 12pm and stays open until 8pm. Residential swimmers pay $7 while children pay $5. Non-residentials pay $10 and $8, but those prices decrease after 6pm. Passes for the pool are also sold through the Park District office that shares a parking lot with Aqualusion.

After paying, its through the locker rooms and to the pool. The park has a two large locker rooms–men’s and women’s–that have changing areas, restrooms, and showers for every pool-goer’s use. Once outside, the first task is to find a place to drop your stuff. Surrounding the water are lawn-chairs, a private picnic area, and lawn space. This is always the most stressful part of the pool, but Aqualusion has so many options that it doesn’t take long to set in and get to the water!

The facility has three different pools to accommodate all ages. For the youngest of swimmers, the Zero-Depth Pool with a maximum depth of 2.5 feet and is equipped with a polar bear slide. The largest pool in the water park is the Activity Pool with depths from 2.5 to 5 feet. This pool features lap-lanes and two 160-foot fume slides. Finally, for those swimmers with the need for theatrics, the Deep Well Pool reaches down 12 feet and has two 10-foot drop slides as well as a one-meter diving board.

For the safety of the young ones, there is a ten minute break every hour. During this time, swimmers can take advantage of the volleyball courts, the jungle gyms, and the all day Concessions provided by Culver’s. And you can also feel comforted to know that one of the lifeguards is Barrington High School graduate Emily Fogle, state champion swimmer headed to nationals.  So swimming or not, Barrington’s Aqualusion is equipped for fun in the sun.

The Barrington Park District Fitness and Recreation Center is located at 235 Lions Street.  Call 847 – 381-0687 for pool schedule or visit them on the web at http://www.barringtonparkdistrict.org.

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