Hidden in the heart of Coral Gables, Florida is a place that captured my heart a few years ago. Kenin took me to the Venetian Pool for my birthday a few years back and it is a place that I return to every time we are in town.
The Venetian Pool was created in 1923 from an old coral rock quarry. The pool was designed by architect Phineas Paist and completed in the spring of 1924. When the Venetian Pool was opened to the public it went by the name “Venetian Casino”.
In its early days, the “Venetian Casino”, was quite a destination for the high society people of the day. Movie stars appeared here to entertain large crowds. The pool was also a site for orchestra concerts. The pool would be emptied and the orchestra would then perform on the pool floor. Many years later in 2001, this scene would be duplicated as a concert was held on the pool floor to commemorate the City of Coral Gables’ 75th birthday.
The pool occupies a shallow quarry displacing some 820,000 US gallons of fresh water daily from artesian wells, making it the largest freshwater pool in the United States.
There are beautiful caves that was carved out of the rock quarry that you can swim into. As short as I am (5’2), I can stand in the caves. :)
The pool gets up to 8 feet in depth, so to get to the magical waterfall, you need to be a strong swimmer. There are more shallow areas that you can just hang out in and still get a great view.
The pool has lifeguards on duty and clean changing rooms and showers.
There is even a little beach if you want to lay out and get some sun.
There is a kiddie area that is roped off for little swimmers. Children under 3 years of age are not permitted in the pool. The fresh water system is filtered nightly to keep bacteria out and keep the water as clean as possible so kiddies must be potty trained to swim here.
Head on over to the Venetian Pools and make sure to bring your sunscreen and some towels. It is sure to be a day of fun in the Florida sun!
I have a lot of vague memories of this pool from when I was little. So fun to see it come up here and you all cover it! I love that it looks exactly the same as it did a whole lot of years ago. Thank you for the blast from the past!
Dorian, great to see that you read our blog :D Glad you enjoyed our post. You should take a day off and go spend it by the Pool!
Oh, what a cool place!
Oh wow. That pool looks so spacious. I’ll go there one of these days.
Wow! The pool looks gorgeous and I love the idea of swimming through the caves! What a fun idea!
That looks beautiful! The only thing missing is this dog swimming with the people. Bummer that it does not look dog friendly, I will have to send Mom on her own sometime!
Hi Lauren, I’m new to your site and really enjoying reading about your travel adventures, I look forward to following along in the future! I especially enjoyed this post on Venetian Pool as my husband and I used to swim there all the time when we were kids! Such fond memories reading your review of the pool and seeing these beautiful pictures. Happy Travels!
Barbara, It’s funny, I was with my husband for over 10 years before he took me here. I never knew it existed and he went to the Pool as a kid and completely forgot it was there. Now I make it a point to go back every time i’m in town. :) Glad we could stir up some nostalgia in you!
This pool looks huge! The caves look like they offer some nice privacy. I can see why you go every time you’re in the area.
I wanted to go there last year, but kids under 3 aren’t permitted, so I’m going to go this year :)
Wow. I went to UM and yet have never even heard of this pool!
That’s funny, the U is only a stone’s throw away! It’s just North of there by the Biltmore Hotel and Alhambra Golf Course :-)
Oh wow! I’m a Cane, too! Yes, I used to take my nieces and nephew all the time. It’s close to the Biltmore. Get back and go if you can! :)
Those caves remind me of the playboy grotto, not that I’ve ever been heh.
LOL I have been to the Playboy grotto and I promise they are nothing like the grotto. ;)
As a Miami native, it’s great to see a shout-out to the Venetian Pool – the only pool on the National Register of Historic Places! I live far away now, but look forward to taking my husband and bonus daughters there soon! :)
Dang, that sure looks like fun! I’d like to go try that out. Especially right now! I’m freezing my freaking nuts off!