This summer, you won’t have to hand over a couple bucks to swim at pools in New York state parks — including two in New York City.
The state is waiving entry fees for swimming pools at state parks across New York for the rest of the season, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced on Tuesday. It’s all part of a new “Get Offline, Get Outside” campaign meant to encourage kids to play outdoors, she said.
That means it’ll be free to swim at Roberto Clemente State Park in the Bronx and Denny Farrell Riverbank State Park in Manhattan this year. Both the indoor and outdoor pools at Riverbank are included, according to Hochul’s office.
Usually, the fee is $2 for adults and $1 for kids at the two parks. The outdoor pool at Roberto Clemente is already open, and the one at Riverbank opens on July 4. Both will remain open – and free – through Labor Day.
“We wanted to make it easier and more affordable for our families, so many of which are struggling,” Hochul said Tuesday at Riverbank.
Entry fees will be waived at swimming pools at 14 state parks in New York, though parking fees will still apply, according to the governor’s office. That includes Jones Beach’s West Bathhouse Pool as well as a handful in the Hudson Valley, including those at FDR, Bear Mountain, High Tor and Rockland Lake state parks.
New York City-owned pools, meanwhile, already are free, though city and state pools have been hampered by a nationwide lifeguard shortage.