Get ready to splash and dive! I'm excited to share the best places to swim in Siouxland, water safety tips, and where to find swim lessons in the Sioux City area! Swimming can be one of the best forms of exercise, along with tons of fun, and it's important to make sure you and your family are ready to be safe in the water!
Water safety in Siouxland
I had the chance to chat with Kristin Rager, a mom of 4 kids and certified Infant Swim Resource Instructor, about pool safety for kids and I was really impressed. This isn't a sponsored post--her message is just important enough that I wanted to share it.
One of Rager's kids nearly drowned as a toddler when Rager turned away for a second to put sunscreen on her then-preschooler. When Rager looked back, her 18-month-old daughter was gone. She ran to the water, terrified, and dove in to rescue her daughter immediately. Rager got to her daughter in time and she's a happy, healthy kid (and a great swimmer) now. But the incident gave Rager a passion for making sure no family has to go through what she did, or worse. Since that time, she trained as an ISR instructor and is now an expert on water safety for kids. I'm so excited to join forces with her to help keep Siouxland families safe in pools, and I asked for her top tips for families. She had some great advice for parents specifically, and for anyone who live near a pool or natural body of water. Here's some of what she had to say:
- Parents:
- Always keep eyes on your kids when there's water around--don't assume someone else is watching your kids. If you don't see your kids, look in or near the water first!
- Sign your kids up for high quality swim lessons of your choice. Kristin is obviously a huge proponent of ISR and recommends it for any child 6 months or older, and there are lots of other great options for swim lessons too.
- Always put kids in coast guard approved life jackets in natural bodies of water like rivers and lakes.
- Learn child CPR so you're ready if a rescue becomes necessary
- People who live near a pool, lake, river, or other body of water:
- Make sure your pool has an alarm on it
- Place safety locks high on exterior doors leading to pools, rivers, lakes, or other water and make sure there are no pet doors leading to water that a kid could go through
- Make sure your pool (not just the property or the yard in general) has a fence and/or a pool cover on it
Pools in Sioux City, South Sioux City, and North Sioux City
Once your family is ready to go swim safely, there are lots of great places to swim in and around Sioux City, and I'm excited to share them with you! I recommend checking with the individual place you're going for the latest info, as I might not always see changes right away to update here!
- Four Seasons Health Club
- 1600 7th Street, Sioux City, IA
- Indoor pool
- Memberships required and rates vary.
- For more information, visit the Four Seasons Health Club website
- Lewis Park and Pool
- 1621 Sioux Trail, Sioux City, IA
- Outdoor pool, open to the public daily from 1 to 6pm
- Open for the 2025 summer from June 7th through August 10th, 2025.
- Daily rates are $3 per child and $4 per adult
- Hosts free Friday night swims several times each summer, plus swim parties and more arranged by Sioux City Parks & Rec
- For more information, visit the Sioux City Parks and Rec Aquatics page
- Lief Erickson Park and Pool
- 31st & Court Street, Sioux City, IA
- Outdoor pool, open to the public from 1 to 6pm
- 2025 dates open are from June 7th through August 10th
- Daily rates are $4 per child and $5 per adult.
- Hosts swim lessons, free Friday night swims several times each summer, swim parties, and more, arranged by Sioux City Parks & Rec
- For more information, visit the Sioux City Parks and Rec Aquatics page
- Riverside Park and Pool
- 1201 Riverside Boulevard, Sioux City, IA
- Outdoor pool & water slide, open to the public from 1 to 7pm.
- 2025 dates open are from June 7th through August 10th, and on May 31st and June 1st.
- Daily rates are $4 per child and $5 per adult.
- hosts swim lessons, free Friday night swims several times each summer, swim parties, and more arranged by Sioux City Parks & Rec
- For more information, visit the Sioux City Parks and Rec Aquatics page
- Norm Waitt Sr. YMCA & South Sioux City Aquaplex
- 601 Riverview Drive, South Sioux City, NE
- Indoor and outdoor pools and water slides
- Hosts Swim lessons and special events
- Memberships and daily passes available, and prices vary
- For more information, visit the Norm Waitt Sr. YMCA website
- Sioux City Country Club
- 4001 Jackson Street, Sioux City, IA
- Outdoor pool open for the 2025 season from Memorial Day to Labor Day weekends.
- Group and individual swim lessons available.
- Membership required, with several different options available.
- For more information, visit the Sioux City Country Club website.
Other Siouxland Area Pools
- Sergeant Bluff Pool
- 910 Topaz Boulevard, Sergeant Bluff, IA
- Opens for summer 2025 on May 26th, 2025.
- Admission $5 for summer 2025.
- Pool passes, pool rental, lessons, and more available
- Hosts fun events like "Float & Flick" movies you can watch from the water!
- For more info, visit the Sergeant Bluff Pool website.
- LeMars YMCA
- 241 12th Street, LeMars, IA
- Indoor and outdoor pools
- Outdoor pool opens for summer 2025 on Saturday May 24th, 2025
- Memberships and day passes available, prices vary.
- For more information, visit the LeMars YMCA website.
- Haskell Swimming Pool
- 325 Miller Boulevard, Moville, IA
- Outdoor pool and waterslide
- Daily and season passes available
- For more information, visit the City of Moville website.
- Ponca State Park
- 88090 Spur 26 East, Ponca, NE
- Outdoor pool with waterslide, & splash pad features, in a beautiful state park setting near the Missouri River
- Daily and annual passes available
- For more information, visit the Ponca State Park website
- Prentis Plunge
- Vermillion, SD
- Outdoor pool, water slides, lazy river, kids area, waterlily float area, and much more
- Opening for 2025 season tentatively on Tuesday, May 27th (pushed back from earlier plan due to cold weather forecast for Memorial Day weekend)
- Daily passes and memberships available
- For more information, visit the Prentis Plunge section of the City of Vermillion's website
- Dakota Dunes Country Club
- 960 Dakota Dunes Boulevard, Dakota Dunes, SD
- Two outdoor pools, one for lap swimming and one for kids
- Outdoor pools open for summer 2025 from May 30th through September 5th
- Several different membership options to suit different families' needs
- For more information, visit the Dakota Dunes Country Club website.
- Elk Point Community Swimming Pool
- 207 Truman Lane, Elk Point, SD
- Outdoor Pool open for summer 2025 beginning May 24th
- Daily and season passes and punch cards available
- For more information, visit the City of Elk Point website.
Swim Lessons in Siouxland
It's important for everyone who can to learn to swim not just for fun, but for safety! After all, we live in a city not just full of fun pools but also divided by the Missouri, Big Sioux, and Floyd Rivers as well as Perry Creek and with plenty of other nearby streams, creeks, ponds, and lakes. And we want to make sure that everyone, especially kids, are ready to be safe in and around Siouxland's fun bodies of water.
Some of the places where your family can take swim lessons include:
- Sioux City Parks & Rec
- Norm Waitt Sr. YMCA
- Infant Swim Resource
- Remember Kristin with the great suggestions above? She started offering lessons in the Sioux City area in May 2021!
- Infant Swim Resource is a unique sensory-motor based program that teaches not just babies, but anyone from about ages 6 months to 6+ years old how to survive in the water by teaching them the habit of turning to float! Kristin offers lessons for anyone who is ages 6 months and older and sitting independently. Because it is designed to work even for babies who are pre-verbal, it can also be a great option for kids of any age who are not verbal. I asked specifically about my son with special needs, and it turns out Kristin is a former teacher and loves teaching all kids to swim, including those with special needs, whether physical or cognitive.
- The unique approach of ISR includes very short (like 10 minutes!) daily lessons on Mon-Fri for about 6 weeks--research shows this builds muscle memory and leads to great success with kids!
- You can get more info or sign up with her by emailing her at K.Rager@InfantSwim.com (and don't let the "infant" part scare you off! It's a great program for any age!) She is so knowledgeable, and if you're on the fence, I definitely encourage you to reach out to her to find out more.
Looking for even more aquatic fun in Siouxland? Check out my post about Sioux City Splash Pads and my post about Siouxland Splash Waterpark opening in 2025!
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