Dallas has a pretty skyline, two bustling airports, scads of restaurants, and the Grassy Knoll. But one thing it does not have is a swimmable body of water. (Sorry, White Rock Lake.)
Maybe that's why DFW is such a prime target for water-based venues.
We go crazy for water parks, lagoons, and those splash pad-style water fountains like the one at Klyde Warren Park where jets of water shoot up from the sidewalk. No hotel in its right mind opens without a pool (luckily, some open to the public with a daily pass, and passes for many local hotels can be found on ResortPass).
Here are seven places across Dallas and Fort Worth offering new ways to take a dip in 2024, plus a big kahuna opening later this summer:
Bowie House - 3700 Camp Bowie Blvd., Fort Worth
Auberge Resorts Collection hotel which opened in December just debuted Whinny's, the restaurant on its tree-lined pool terrace with snacks, salads, ice cream sandwiches, and frozen drinks. The menu features a creative Mediterranean-styled array of mezes and mains including Wagyu sirloin steak, crispy halloumi cheese, and desserts such as a baklava sundae, plus cocktails, both frozen and the-rocks. It's open from 11 am-7 pm to both hotel guests plus the public, via $100-per-day "Wellness" passes, available Monday-Thursday, that allow non-hotel-guests access to the pool, steam room, and sauna. Call 855-683-4092.
Pool at Bowie HouseBowie House
Le Méridien Dallas, The Stoneleigh - 2927 Maple Ave., Dallas
Le Meridien has reopened its pool for the summer season with a gimmicky new addition: Mermaid Victoria, a costumed mermaid offering the opportunity for Instagram-worthy moments. She'll be at The Stoneleigh pool on the following Sundays, from 12:30-1:30 pm: June 16 and 30; July 7 and 28; August 18; and September 1. The pool is open to the public with day passes that range from $25 on a weekday to $350 for a cabana for six. For access to the mermaid experience and pool space, reserve your Resort Pass online.
Le Meridien mermaidLe Meridien
Loews Arlington Hotel - 888 Nolan Ryan Expwy., Arlington
This 21-story resort opened in Februrary 2024 with 888 rooms, five restaurants & lounges, and a serious pool offering, open to hotel guests only. It includes two pools, a "a man-made sandy beach," cabanas, fire pits, splash pad, and a water slide. It's the newest Loews property in Arlington, joining its smaller sibling Live! By Loews which opened in 2019. Live! has an infinity pool but guests can get access to Loews Arlington's more glorious pool complex via skybridge. Since it's not open to the public, you'll need to book a night at the hotel; rates start at $265.
North Texas Jellystone Park Camp-Resort - 2301 S Burleson Blvd., Burleson
Camping facility is part of the Warner Brothers Yogi Bears national chain and the Burleson location was recently selected once again as one of the top campgrounds in the U.S. by
USA Today. They just debuted two new pools, one indoor and one outdoor. The indoor pool is 40x70 feet, but the outdoor pool is a behemoth: 100x200 feet, nearly twice the size of an Olympic-size pool. It's a "zero-entry" pool, meaning it has a sloping entrance, and is 3.5 feet deep, with a swim-up smoothie bar. Day passes are $22 during the summer. Tent camping starts at $65 a night, and cabins start at $191 per night.
Ritz-Carlton Dallas, Las Colinas - 4150 N. MacArthur Blvd., Irving
Former Four Seasons in Las Colinas re-opened as a Ritz-Carlton, following a $55 million-dollar renovation that included a transformed resort pool experience that opened on May 23. The picturesque pool that flows through the resort is basically the same pool that flowed through the property when it was the Four Seasons; however, they've added lush greenery, lush enough to earn status as a Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary, plus private cabanas, expanded pool deck seating, umbrella-shaded daybeds, and poolside food & beverage service. The pool experience is not open to the public; room rates start at $450 a night.
Girl floating in poolCourtesy photo
Sheraton Fort Worth Downtown - 1701 Commerce St., Fort Worth
This 403-room hotel recently got a $500 million upgrade that includes upgraded rooms and event spaces, plus a 200-seat restaurant — with design and amenities that reflect Sheraton’s new signature experience being implemented worldwide. The upgrade extended to their indoor swimming pool, which got a new pool system, better lighting, new furniture, and new bathrooms. It's not open to the public, but if you really gotta see every new pool, rates start at $185 a night.
Waco Surf - 5347 Old Mexia Rd., Waco
One of the largest inland surfing and aquatic sports facilities in the U.S., Waco Surf opened in its current form in 2022, with a pool, slides, a beach, a lazy river, and a 2-plus acre lagoon with manufactured waves that draws surfers from around the world. They just opened for summer 2024 on May 11 with a new feature dubbed "The Keg": a barrel wave boasting an extra-long "tube section" (when the water rolls into a curve that allows surfers to extend the length of their ride). Afternoon passes start at $19 for a basic beach pass, while beginner surf lessons begin at $139. Book online.
COMING SOON
WorldSprings - 3240 Plano Pkwy., The Colony - opening summer 2024
First outdoor mineral hot springs and spa experience of its kind in Texas and the largest in the U.S. (preceded only by its sister location, Iron Mountain Hot Springs in Glenwood Springs, Colorado) is coming to The Colony this summer. Spread over 10 acres in Grandscape, WorldSprings Dallas is inspired by nature’s spas and the curative effects of mineral-rich water. Year-round, guests will be able to explore 46 outdoor soaking pools, including cold-plunge pools, Finnish saunas, a spa, an eatery and bar, and more. Current ETA is June.
S'mores cooked over a fire are a must-have treat, regardless of how hot it is outside.Photo courtesy of Hipcamp