Pool News

7 cool new Dallas-Fort Worth pools and water features for summer 2024

The Ritz-Carlton pool is open to hotel guests only.

Ritz-Carlton

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.

Bowie House pool 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.

mermaid Le Meridien 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.

Opportunity Knox

Opulent new $1,000-per-night hotel has opened for bookings in Dallas

Photo courtesy of Auberge

The Drawing Room at The Knox, Auberge Collection.

A new luxury hotel near Dallas' Katy Trail is one step closer to welcoming its first guests: The Knox, Auberge Collection has opened reservations for stays beginning January 29, 2027.

A night there won't come cheap. Rates will start at $1,000 per night for a standard room and $15,000 per night for the 3,000-square-foot Manse Suite, making it Dallas' most expensive hotel, edging out The Ritz-Carlton, Dallas and The Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek. (To wit: A Google search for "The most expensive hotel in Dallas" already brings up the not-yet-opened The Knox as the top result.)

Having broken ground in 2023, the hotel at 4555 Travis St. is part of the buzzy Knox Street development, a mixed-use project reshaping the neighborhood near Knox-Henderson with new retail, residences, restaurants, and gathering spaces.

The Knox-Auberge Collection The Knox will have 140 "character-rich" guest rooms and suites.Photo courtesy of Auberge

The property is intended to serve as the development's hospitality centerpiece, bringing a luxury hotel, multiple restaurants, a wellness center, and event venues to one of Dallas' established shopping and dining districts, the release notes.

“The Knox marks an exciting new chapter in Auberge Collection’s growth as we bring our distinctive approach to hospitality to the world’s most dynamic cities,” said Christian Clerc, president and CEO of Auberge Collection, in a statement.

The Knox will have 140 "character-rich" guest rooms and suites and 48 private residences, the release says. Interiors are designed by Martin Brudnizki Design Studio, with Chad Dorsey Design handling the adjoining private residences.

Guest rooms will feature custom furnishings, curated art, and marble bathrooms. The largest suite, The Manse, will have a private fitness area, wellness room, bar, media room, and separate living and dining areas.

Another signature suite, the Promenade Suite, will feature a 2,100-square-foot terrace with dining and lounge areas, an indoor bar, and a large living room. Guests also will be able to request skincare and recovery devices for in-room use.

The hotel will offer two- and three-bedroom residences designed for longer stays, with kitchens and indoor-outdoor living areas. Options include the two-bedroom Abbott House and Hester House and the three-bedroom Hyland House.

The Knox, Auberge Collection Drink and dine in luxury.Photo courtesy of Auberge

Dining will include a signature restaurant serving American classics, a European-style restaurant and salon with indoor and outdoor seating, an evening cocktail lounge, and poolside dining with lighter fare. A private dining room called the Trophy Room will be tucked inside the signature restaurant.

The hotel's Wellbeing by Auberge spa will offer skin treatments, advanced therapies, and thermal bathing experiences. The property also will have event spaces for weddings, meetings, and private gatherings, including the Colonnade Room, a ballroom with floor-to-ceiling windows and a wraparound terrace.

Additional event spaces on the third floor will include the Waldon Room, a lounge for smaller gatherings; Margay and Barlow, two meeting rooms with private terraces; and the Kestrel Room, which will have tented ceilings.

The hotel's location along the Katy Trail gives guests direct access to the 3.5-mile walking, running, and biking path, the release notes. Knox Street's restaurants, boutiques, and other neighborhood businesses are also nearby.

The Knox is being developed through a partnership involving BDT & MSD Partners, Trammell Crow Company, the owners of Highland Park Village, and The Retail Connection. It joins Auberge Collection, which operates 39 hotels, resorts, safaris, and residences.

“From the beginning, our vision for The Knox was to create a place that feels distinctly Dallas and becomes a meaningful part of the Knox Street neighborhood,” says Sabrina Gleizer of BDT & MSD Partners in the release. “Auberge has been an incredible partner in bringing that vision to life, with a shared commitment to thoughtful design, highly personal hospitality and a strong sense of place."

katy trail knox district knox street luxury luxury hotel hotels