Pools and Swimming Resources

Cambridge residents have year-round access to City-owned pools. In addition to overseeing the management and operation of War Memorial Recreation Center pools and Gold Star Pool, Cambridge Recreation supports a variety of swimming lessons and aquatics programs for children, youth, and adults.

War Memorial Recreation Center Pools (1640 Cambridge St.)

Two ADA-compliant indoor pools open to Cambridge residents year-round.
Staffed by certified Life Guards.
Open for Family Swim and Adult Lap Swim multiple times throughout the week. (View Pool Schedule)
Offers a variety of swim programming for children, youth, and adults. Programs include instructional swimming classes for toddlers through middle schoolers, swim instruction and aqua aerobics for adults, and more.
- Swim programs are offered 4 times a year. For registration information, visit the War Memorial Recreation Center's webpage.
Home to Cambridge Synchro, which offers synchronized swimming instruction to beginners and novices, and Cambridge Sea Dawgs, a competitive swim team for Cambridge residents age 5-18.

Gold Star Pool (123 Berkshire St.)

Two ADA-compliant outdoor pools open to Cambridge residents during the summer
Staffed by certified Life Guards.
Offers swim instruction to local summer camps during morning hours, Monday - Friday
Open to the public for public free swim 7 days a week during afternoon and evening hours

FAQs

What kinds of swimming programs are offered by the City?

The War Memorial Recreation Center opens registration for swim programs 4 times a year (March, June, September, December). Registration is completed through Recreation's online registration system, RecTrac.

There is strong demand for swimming programs (especially children's swimming lessons) and programs fill up quickly after registration opens. We recommend that you create a RecTrac account and make sure your account information is up to date prior to registration opening.

Children's Swim Classes

Toddler/Preschool (ages 18 months to 4.5)
Preschool Referral (ages 3.5 to 7)
Level 1: Water Exploration (ages 5 to12)
Level 2: Primary Skills (ages 5 to 12)
Level 3: Stroke Development (ages 5 to 13)
Level 4: Stroke Refinement (ages 5 to 14)
Level 5 and 6: Skill Proficiency and Endurance Training (ages 5 to 14)

Swim Teams/ Training:

Beginner Synchronized Swimming (ages 8 to 11)
Novice Synchronized Swimming (ages 8-13)
Intermediate Synchronized Swimming (ages 9-16)
Sea Dawgs Competitve Swim Team (ages 6-17)
Jr. Sea Dawgs Competitve Swim Team (ages 9-11)
Special Olympics training (ages 8 years and older)

Adult Swim Classes

Level 1
Level 2
Aqua Aerobics (Deep water)
Masters Swim Program

To view program descriptions, log into RecTrac.

Are there other pools in Cambridge where I can swim?

Veterans Memorial Pool, located at 719 Memorial Drive, is operated by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR). The pool is open during the summer season and free for Massachusetts residents. View the Veterans Memorial Pool webpage for more information.

How does Cambridge Recreation support swim safety?

Language below pulled from a 2022 email about summer swim engagement. Can we add information about year-round War Memorial engagement?

During the summer, Cambridge Recreation's aquatics staff provide swim lessons to local summer camps every weekday at Gold Star Pool. This includes instruction to the Department of Human Service Programs' summer programs, which serve more than 50% low-income families and more than 67% young people of color. On average, more than 750 Cambridge children receive swim instruction from Recreation staff each summer. Gold Star Pool also hosts the following programs:

Adaptive Physical Education Program offers swim instruction and aquatic orientation for 45 students with disabilities ages 5-12
Safety Where it Matters (S.W.I.M), for youth ages 14-18, is a Mayor's Summer Youth Employment Program (MSYEP) work and learning site that trains swimmers of all levels and abilities to become lifeguard certified.
Swim Recovery Program, a collaboration with Cambridge Public Schools, targets young people in Cambridge who missed swimming lessons lessons during the pandemic in strengthening their swimming skills. This program prioritizes youth from low-income households.

Add information about certified lifeguards and staff training?

Where else can I sign up for swimming lessons?

List local resources? YMCA? CPS?