Places to swim in East Lansing
Residents from many different cites come to the East Lansing Family Aquatic Center to enjoy the great weather Monday, May 28, 2012. Memorial weekend marked the center’s opening for the summer season. Adam Toolin/The State News
As the temperature continues to rise, staying cool is on many students’ minds.
For students not living in an apartment complex with a pool, hot summer days can be miserable.
Here are a few locations in the Lansing area to cool down and swim on hot summer days:
Lake Lansing Park South, in Haslett, Mich., on Lake Lansing
Lake Lansing Park South is a convenient and cheap way to spend a hot summer day, and it’s only about a 10-minute drive from East Lansing. The park opens 30 minutes before sunrise, and parking is accessible at 8 a.m., with closing time a half hour after sunset. Entrance to Lake Lansing Park South is free, but there is a vehicle fee of $3 for Ingham County residents and $5 for nonresidents.
This fee is enforced every day except Wednesdays and one hour before the Band Shell concert Friday nights. The sandy beach is the perfect place to relax on a hot day, and you also can enjoy the snack bar, playground, sand volleyball courts, picnic area, horseshoe pits and boat rental.
East Lansing Family Aquatic Center, 6400 Abbot Road
The outdoor East Lansing Family Aquatic Center is an enjoyable place where you can cool down on hot days. The center includes a body water slide, tube water slide, splash park, diving board and drop slide. There is also a sand area, deck for sunbathing and a concession stand to enjoy if you just feel like relaxing. The center is open until Sept. 3. Daily admission for East Lansing residents is $6 and $9 for nonresidents, and after 5 p.m., the cost is $5 for residents and $8 for nonresidents.
Parkwood YMCA, 2306 Haslett Road
If you are looking for an indoor pool to relax by this summer, it costs $15 for adults to use the pool at the Parkwood YMCA as a guest. From 3:30 to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday and 6:30 to 8:45 p.m. Friday-Sunday, with an additional time of 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, the pool is half lap and half family swim. The pool will be open this summer until August 29, and a full schedule can be found by following at the Lansing YMCA’s website.
Hannah Community Center, 819 Abbot Road
The Hannah Community Center is another indoor, cheap pool in East Lansing to enjoy this summer. From 3 to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday, the pool at the Hannah Community Center offers open and lap swimming, and family swim on Saturdays and from 6 to 7 p.m. on Fridays. The pool will be closed on Sundays in July and August.
The community center also features water slides, which are only available during family swim times. The pool will be open until Sept. 2. A schedule of times can be found on the Hannah Community Center’s website. Everyone is welcome to the center, and the adult daily price is $5 for East Lansing residents and $6 for nonresidents.
Hawk Island County Park, in Lansing
Hawk Island County Park is located in south Lansing on Cavanaugh Road, between Pennsylvania Avenue and Aurelius Road. The park is open from 6 a.m. until 30 minutes after sunset until August 14. The Splash Pad also is open 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. until Labor Day weekend for no cost. Hawk Island’s beach and Splash Pad are only open when there are lifeguards available and the weather permits.
Hawk Island offers swimming, picnicking, hiking and boat rental to guests. There are also areas to play volleyball and horseshoes with friends. If you can’t drive to the park, CATA’s route 18 bus takes you to the park. The 18 bus takes this route on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, until Sept. 2, departing every 30 minutes. The route runs from 11:45 a.m. to 7:10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and from 9:45 a.m. to 5:10 p.m. on Sundays. You can find the bus schedule by visiting the Hawk Island website. If you decide to drive to Hawk Island, the parking fee per vehicle is $3 for Ingham County residents and $5 for nonresidents every day except Wednesdays.
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