This is some propitious timing: Lee Harvey's Dive In, a new outdoor bar outfitted with built-in swimming pool, has arrived in the Cedars neighborhood, next door to its sibling and beloved dive bar Lee Harvey's.
This urban oasis opened on June 18, in a corner lot at 1315 Beaumont St. that's been empty for nearly 20 years. At a time when the forecast is three digits indefinitely, it surely feels like a godsend.
The Dive In is centered on an expansive 30-by-60-foot pool, surrounded by container bars, lounge chairs, umbrellas, and cabanas. It boasts a charming retro vibe, with a prototypical '50s color scheme of aqua — the color of its logo rendered in a handwritten-style cursive font — and red, which surfaces on the cheerful red-and-white-striped canvas curtains that set off each cabana.
Lee Harvey's owner Seth Smith was an early settler in Dallas' Cedars District, just south of downtown, when he opened Lee Harvey's there in 2003. It's won acclaim for its super-relaxed atmosphere and its massive front yard patio, rife with picnic benches and strings of festive lights. He's been visioning the idea of having another outdoor-driven concept featuring a pool since at least 2014.
"We've been playing around with the idea for years, and went back and forth with the city, but finally got it done," Smith says. "It gets so hot in the summers, and our summer crowd at Lee Harvey's atrophies a little bit. We're hoping there'll be a synergistic effect between the two."
The pool is open daily from 11 am-10 pm; it's kid-friendly until 5 pm, when it switches to 21 and up, with DJs on Friday and Saturday nights.
Patrons can book a day pass — $15 for adults, $5 for 12 and under — or buy a season membership: $350 for singles, or $500 for a "family" pass allowing two adults and children under 12. The season pass also affords access to the cabanas, which are not open to day-pass holders.
There's a plan down the road to serve a dedicated menu of bites such as truffle popcorn, shrimp cocktail, hot dogs, pulled pork sliders, and chicken & beef skewers. For now, the kitchen is serving chicken club wraps and you can always order food from Lee Harvey's next door. The bar is definitely open, with a full menu of poolside cocktails.
