The best part about this pool is that it's open all year (closed on Mondays) with the water temp at a consistent 78-80 degrees. This is one of several free public pools in Austin. I love it because it isn't as crazy busy as some of the other pools and it makes it easier to splash around and not worry about being on top of other people. The bathrooms are basic but clean. read more

It's one of the best pools in Austin - it's free and it's geothermally heated so it's pleasantly warm year round. A neighborhood treasure. Tip: park on the street and stay out of the tiny parking lot. read more

Been swimming here starting over the spring. My neighbor mentioned Big Stacy and it's relatively nearby my domain. I enjoy the length - with is greater than 25 meters (33 I believe). Usually keep 2 lanes open for laps and you can usually find a spot. Sometimes the bathrooms can get backed up with homeless as some do rely on that for showers. I have run into this a couple of times, not frequently. But overall I like the size of this pool and usually 2 lifeguards on duty. Sometimes if schedule changes or adjusts it's hard to find the right source that is always updated or accurate. Google's hours are not accurate, and neither is Yelp's. But overall it's still a free community pool and great place to cool down. read more

Overall the Best Public Pool in Austin. The only drawback is the Parkkng Lot, which is always crowded and layed out,so there are accidents due to the way people Park and Drive. read more

During winter months, it's great to have a swimming option that isn't Barton Springs chilly 68 degrees. Big Stacy stays around 80 degrees year round, which feels just right on a cooler day. There are lots of lap swimmers there. I don't swim laps as it strikes me as the perfect way to drain all joy out of being in the water. I just splash or paddle around, maybe do some stretches. When I was there the other day, after the official morning lap swim time, the whole pool was still divided into lanes. The lifeguard told me they often leave it like that if most people are still swimming laps. No worries--I took over one lane and did my thing, and no one seemed to care. There are bathrooms and showers--not elegant but serviceable. No lockers apparently. It's a small enough area that you're never out of sight of your stuff, and the onsite security guard probably gives pause to potential troublemakers. read more

I love this pool. it's always clean and quiet. it's our go-to pool in Austin! not a bunch of kids (thank God). Great nook of a pool

BEWARE *PEDOPHILES HERE* DO NOT GO HERE. The bathroom was disgusting. Homeless men hang out around the bathroom and asked one if my boys if he could "help" !!!!! This is the smallest amount of power I've seen go to peoples heads. The lifeguards, all of them, are on absolute power trips. It's comical. Extremely rude. I'm a nanny of 5 boys and we were told no splashing, to stop playing with our own floaties, I wasn't allowed to hold two kids at one time (even though neither of them could swim as they are 2 and 4) - I told the 4 year old to hop on my back and I'll piggy back while I hold the baby and the lifeguard whistled and said no so I asked why not - So he isn't allowed in the pool to have fun with his brothers? And the lifeguard responded "maybe if they weren't hogging the floats" ....I was STUNNED. I said "wow really? I have to hold him he can't swim and apparently I can't hold two - tell me again why is that?" And he stayed "just because, it's just a rule". Ridiculous!!! We were told only once no eating in the pool area - NO signs whatsoever, and yes I checked and double checked - so we complied put the food away. Then an elderly man came over again and said no food in the pool area to which I responded yes we are aware and he stared at me and said "well I can see in you bag here you have food" ( invasion of privacy much?!) and I said "sir it's not open and no one is eating, please step away from my bag" and he continued to lecture me about no eating AND no food within the gates. I asked for one of the boys (the one who couldn't be in the pool because I wasn't allowed to have two kids...in 3ft of water) and the lifeguard again came rushing back to lecture A FOUR YEAR OLD. There was also a child with special needs who was so sweet and my friendly boys were playing with diving rings with him and again everyone got lectured for "splashing". Absolutely ridiculous. No one is allowed to have fun at the pool except the PEDOPHILES by the bathroom. As soon and my boy came back and told me that the bathroom was not only covered in pee but that a man followed him and asked him if he could help - we left immediately. Sure let the pedophiles piss on the floor and leer at children but god forbid a child makes a playful splash. DISGUSTING ESTABLISHMENT and DISGUSTING STAFF. read more

Big Stacy Pool is closed on Mondays Duh! It even says that on the front gate. So I rode the bus all the way down there . I live by Walnut Creek pool but they want to charge five dollars . And there is a HEB right by there . Afterwards I go to in and out and have a hamburger with grilled onions so it tastes like a patty melt. read more

Swam there twice so far. It's a lovely outside community pool that is free! They are checking people in to limit the number of swimmers for COVID safety so you might have to wait. The temp of the water was warmer than most pools but not too hot to get some solid laps in. read more

Big Stacy Pool is probably my most favorite location in all of Austin. It usually isn't ever crowded, plenty of space for your towel, for you to swim, AND you can bring food in and chomp on a sandwich in between laps. It's naturally warm and it's clean and fresh and lovely. I take everyone that comes and visits me to this pool and they love it. read more

Hands down, a major factor and contributor as to why I choose to live in 78704. First of all, here is a pool that is ran by the city that is open YEAR around. It's clean, it's never super crowded (unless it's 110 degrees outside) and you always run into someone you know. Sure, you might find your fair share of bums enjoying the freeness of the pool and a clean shower, but hey, it's a public pool so they get the same rights we do. And did I mention it is FREE?! My favorite time to go is actually right before they close, or in the winter when most people don't even dare to step outside to go for a walk. Usually you can get a lane to yourself, have a nice uninturupted swim and enjoy the WARM water. (Yes, the water is warm in the winter...supposedly it is spring water that is pumped in..?) Avoid first thing in the morning...that is usually when the hard-core workout crew comes in. Also, look ahead for the swim team schedule in the summer, I believe they take over most of the pool in the early summer afternoons.... read more

Stacy is awesome! The regular morning lap swimmers are usually quite friendly and happy to get you in the pool and swimming. Many of them are also willing to share their knowledge of better technique and stronger workouts. During the busier times, it's always exciting to circle in a lane with five or six swimmers - especially, if they're all faster swimmers! That day presents a great opportunity for a serious workout. The morning shift lifeguards are good folks who are all willing to help swimmers needing assistance with issues ranging from the parking lot to stroke questions. A quick tip for swimming in the morning at Stacy Pool: two swimmers in a lane (to include the unmarked free-swim side) = splitting the lane three (or more) swimmers in a lane = circling in the lane If you're going to get into a lane, please ask or in some verifiable way, let the other swimmer or swimmers know that you are getting in -- otherwise, you're presenting a serious safety risk to yourself and the others. -- The regulars swimmers as well as the lifeguards have been known to stop the movement of the pool to scold - even severely scold - breaches of good pool etiquette! This is good stuff. The pool itself is usually too warm for lap swimming - through our short winter and long summer. (Although, that hasn't kept me from swimming the daily laps there for the last four years.) The pool is very crowded (with lap swimmers) during the summer mornings - especially when the swim team and the swim lessons start up in late May/early June. Parking is questionable at best during the busy times. (Be careful in the lot! On more than one occasion, I've gotten a good chuckle from watching someone back his car too far and roll down the hill towards the creek!) There are plenty of homeless types hanging around the pool using the free shower facilities. This makes for many colorful memories! If you need to shower after your swim, allow some extra time for the hobo who will be in there for at least fifteen minutes - starting when he notices your presence in the bath house. Stacy Pool has a great vibe and some of the coolest folks I've met swim here! The spirit of this place is great! read more

When my friend, an Austin local, suggested "Deep Eddy" and "Big Stacy" as the two pools to check out in Austin, I thought he was joking. It sounded a little like awful high school nicknames. Or maybe a few titles for bad porn. But alas, Big Stacy (I guess that's what the locals call it?) is a cool, clean pool with a few lanes for laps, and a nice, small grassy area to sunbathe. I wouldn't exactly call it a tourist attraction--it's nothing more than a pool with lanes--but it's a great place to cool down from the intense Texas heat. I love that this is free, clean, and a chill spot to hang with friends on a sunny afternoon. I went on a weekday around 2, so I can't attest to how crowded it gets on other days, but there were maybe 10 people here at most when I went. So ample space for swimming / lounging. read more

One of the strangest life events happened at this pool and I am still confused about it till this day... In 5th grade, I was swimming at the pool with my best friend at the time and his family. When we were leaving, I could not find my shirt, so I went to the bathroom stall where I changed into my swim suit and I saw it on the floor.... The only problem was that there was log of human shit laying on top of my white T-Shirt... This was very puzzling for me to see being in 5th grade... Obviously it was a problem considering it was my only T shirt I had so it made it difficult considering we might need to go to another public place after we left, but rather then thinking about this problem, I had to analyze how this went down and it's very humerus to think about the process in which the terd sandwich culprit had to go through to follow through on his mischievous plot.... First of all, this is a public bathroom, and there had to be other people in the bathroom when he bent his ass over my shirt while spreading his butt cheeks and letting his WW2 like projectile shit bomb all over my shirt.... Did it make noise? Did anyone see the shit from under the stall not going in the toilet? Did he use my shirt to wipe his ass when he was finished? Was it a little kid that didn't know where re bathroom was? What was going through his head when he decided to hover his ass over my shirt and let a hurricane Katrina like shit storm tear into my unsuspecting shirt(by the way, it had a skydiver on it, and it was a pretty cool short). Has this man done this to other shirts or unforgiving objects left in the bathroom? So many unanswered questions.... Although this incident happened in 2001, it still puzzles me till this day... I am not upset about it, in fact I think it might be one of the most funny and memorable events in my life... That bring be to the reason of this post... WHO LAUNCHED THE GRENADE BOMB TERD ON MY SHIRT??????? If you or anyone you know have any information on this mystery, I would really like to know... Hell, I'd possibly want to be his friend, he's probably a very funny guy!! Description of the T-Shirt: -White -Blue letters going vertical down the right hand front side -sky diver over lapping the letters mid shirt Note: para shoot not fully opened That is about it! Please respond back to this post with any information on the mysterious shirt shit prankster of Stacy pool. And also note to never leave your shirt in a public restroom. As far as the pool goes... It's alright, a little crowded, there's several better public pools out there that you don't run the risk of getting your shirt shitted on. Thanks for you help!!!!!! -West Budreau read more

When I think of municipal pools I typically think of the overly chlorinated, slightly dirty, loud, and hectic scenes spent at many a swimming pool party from my childhood. Not entirely the case here at Big Stacy Pool. We walked into the pool (without having to pay an entrance fee-love the free) and found a spot on the small but not yet crowded lawn. We were there early, so we got to enjoy some quiet before noon time hit and in came the kiddies. Today the pool was half swimming lanes, half free-play. In the mornings, it's all swim lanes. After baking for a bit, we hit the water to cool off. I was expecting frigid waters a la Barton Springs but was pleasantly surpised. The water was juuuuust right! And it's only slightly chlorinated so no red eyes, either. My only complaint is that the surrounding trees block a lot of the sun on the small lawn. So, if you're looking to get a tan, get there early, and head to the North side of the lawn where the sun seems to shine most. read more

It doesn't get much better than a FREE pool close to my house where I can swim laps or just float around and play YEAR ROUND and always the perfect temp. The parking lot tends to get a bit crowded but there is ample street parking. My boyfriend and I are not pro swimmers at all but started swimming laps here regularly and the fellow lap swimmers are very gracious and willing to share their lanes with newbies. I heart you, Big Stacy Pool! read more

I used to go to Stacy Pool all the time when I was in graduate school and my schedule permitted swimming at 10 AM. It's open year round, admission is free, it's heated by a natural spring, and it has a long history (built by the WPA in 1930s). But now that I have a day job, it's almost impossible to go there. If you get caught there in the early hours of the morning, the pool's monopolized by lap swimmers. I always feel like I'm getting in their way, somehow unable to match their quasi-olympic capabilities. The lifeguards will also secretly make fun of you if you are a poor swimmer. Trying to park there during peak hours is a headache. Weekends are overrun by kiddos. Eh, but what the hell. It's free, and the water's warm. read more

It's a free pool so I'm not gonna complain. Sunday hours have changed. I don't know what time it opens but they close at 7PM on Sundays now, not 8PM like the website. But then again it's free. There are two spaces for parking, so if you don't find a spot off of E Live Oak, drive around the corner. Maybe it's for another place, but it seemed to me additional parking. The water is rather warm. There were three lanes for lap swimming. I was able to share with another swimmer. There are lockers, so bring a lock. It fits a smaller duffel bag. There were two bathrooms and a shower room but one stall that works. Again, it's FREE. read more

Behold the wonder of Austin's only heated pool. Liek Barton Springs and Deep Eddy it is fed by groundwater. Unlike the two aforementioned pools, the water comes from 2000 feet belwo the surface where geothermal heat keeps the tempearture a balmy 78 degrees year round. Earth science in action. Crowds: Not bad, all friendly folks Depth: 3-8 feet Showers: only 1 per changing room, but very private. Eye candy: No one who turned my head per say except my gilrfriend. Cost: FREE!! Grassy area: Not a lot of grass read more

I didn't like it much when I went to swim there today - it was VERY crowded, some swimmers were selfish and wouldn't "circle swim", instead expecting a crowd of 5-10 others to wait while they split the lane with someone else and swam two lengths at a time, stopping to rest for a few minutes in between. I found this pathetic. On the plus side, there were some nice people there and the pool itself is fairly nice and decently clean. The water was too warm for me, but most people would probably find it suitable. I know I am biased because this was my first time going there and I'm an experienced swimmer, but I was really surprised at the number of positive reviews on here and felt obligated to chime in. I probably won't be returning to Stacy. I wish that Deep Eddy pool was still open this winter and not closed for renovations. Other better lap swimming pools include the Northwest Municipal Park pool and Balcones Park pool, both of which are closed for the season. read more

I discovered this pool once Barton Springs raised their rates this year, and despite the warmer temps in this pool, have never looked back. I've been swimming laps there this summer and they're open from 6-8 in the morning and then the lanes decrease to two lanes for the remainder of the day, until 8. My only complaint is they're not open early on Saturday and Sunday mornings. I'd love to go for an early swim on the weekends! Weekends 12-8. Closed Mondays. Free. read more

This is actually a pretty fantastic little pool. There are three lap lanes that can support two swimmers, so 6 people could be lap swimming at any given time. The rest of the pool is open area. If you don't like lots of kids, maybe this isn't for you though. There are a decent amount of families here. That aside, the pool is clean and the temperature is perfect. Unexpected side note: if you have Time Warner Cable, there's actually a free hotspot you can access wifi from here. read more

We stumbled upon Big Stacey's pool because Barton Springs pool was closed for cleaning. There was roughly 15-20 ppl at any given time of our 2.5 hr visit. The red ants are viscous!!!! If they had chairs ,tables, or any type of seating other than the 3 hard benches it'd be worthy of a 5 star review. There are 4 lap lanes, a deep end, and a shallow end. Water was extremely cold, but refreshing on a hot Texas day. The pool is free and open to the public so you really can't beat it. Other than a few shady characters that had came by to use the bathroom for their daily shower rather than being there to use the pool it was a very enjoyable day! read more

Parking sucks during the summer but thankfully I mainly go here when the weather is below 60...so November until February or March. The pool is heated by a hot water spring fed well which during the winter keeps the water around 80. They turn the heat off around mid march and once it becomes hot outside, the water becomes like bath water. It is very possible to sweat during the summer. There is also a large homeless population that uses the free showers and they tend to loiter. I haven't had any issues but I have heard of people who have. Its a great place to go to when the sane people are keeping warm but once it warms up, I say try Deep Eddy or Barton Springs. read more

Big Stacy Pool is great. There is even an automatic chair to lift disabled people in and out of the pool. The water is wonderful. It has a natural soft, spring fed feeling to it. It is not over dosed with clorene. It is just a beautiful place to swim and it is always open. Oh yea, it is FREE! read more

I imagine on a hot summer day this pool is a nightmare of bodies and heat. It is warmed by an underground spring so can get very warm i was told. This time of year it is around 79-80. There were a lot of kids, and young parents. It has been here since the 40's. Best part.... it's FREE. Warm shower after a swim; who could ask for more? Great Travis Heights area. read more

Big Stacy is FREE... Yahooooo, i dont know that there is a municipal swimming 3 min away from my place. AWESOME. the temp was just perfect, my eyes didnt turn like zombie, clean, little much grass area. Parking will be pain if it is busy for sure, be ready for that beside that i loved it. read more

Big Stacy Pool - Swimming Pools Near Me - Austin, Texas

This pool is the number one reason why it would be difficult to move away from this neighborhood. Having a warm lap pool available all year round is awesome. The pool is clean, warm, and in the early mornings the entire pool is setup for lanes. Generally this is just a great pool to get your workout in at. read more

The water is too warm for cool summer swim. The dressing rooms and bathrooms are clean. But there is always a lot of using bad language and we have had lots of beach towels token read more

I just moved here from Los Angeles, where it's still only about 65 degrees. After 12 days straight of temps over 100 I was ready for a swim. Barton Springs is closed on Thursdays from 9-7 for cleaning, so what to do? I found Stacy Neighborhood Pool on Yelp, threw on a swimsuit and headed down Oltorf. What a treat! A free public pool, not super chlorine-y, and not crowded. My husband sat in the shade and read. I waded and swam and enjoyed the warm, yet refreshing water. I'll be back, probably later this week. read more

Its a great neighbourhood pool. They have 3 dedicated lanes for swinners and each lance has to be shared by 2 swimmners. They also have an open area which is great for family & kids. I've visited only once and was there at 3 pm on a thursday afternoon, to my suprise this place busy. The life guard did mention that the place gets busy during evenings and weekends. Its a great place for people who like to actually swim but you have to figure out a time when its not busy. read more

The pool itself was clean the one time that I went. It also wasn't very crowded, so that's a plus. The pool size is medium sized with lap lanes, a free swim area, and it gets deeper the farther down you go. There is usually one life guard on duty. I saw a couple of sketchy (homeless?) individuals on the outer perimeters of the pool but they never actually got in the pool while I was there. My biggest gripe is the reliability of the pool times. The second time I went, a couple of hours after the pool's opening hours, the pool was locked. I was very disappointed and went to Deep Eddy instead which turned out to be great. Please open your pool when you say that you will open it or else you end up wasting people's time. I saw a dude walk there and had to walk all the way back. read more

Fairly new to Austin and my complex doesn't have a pool. My family enjoyed their time there. We will definitely be back!

My husband and I started training for our first triathlon about a month ago, and our neighborhood pool is still too cold for lap swimming. We tried it and got out all dizzy and crazy... so we decided to switch to Big Stacy Pool. Big Stacy is magically fed by a naturally warm spring, so it makes the water bearable before other pools. We go and swim laps. There are a lot of serious athletes there that are kind of fun to watch- you pick up tricks of the trade from them. People are polite and will share lanes, or if all the lanes are full, you can get up against the side and people are polite and will give you room, which is sweet. read more

Gotten much better!! The lifeguards work hard to keep the place clean & the homeless population has dwindled so no one is bathing in the pool!! read more

I love swimming laps here! The environment is peaceful, with lots of nice shade trees, and the regulars are usually pretty cool about sharing lanes on busy days. The downside is the chlorine-- there is *way* too much of it. If I forget my goggles, my eyes burn for about 24 hours after swimming. You'll also want to bring a swim cap to keep your hair from frying. Thank you, Austin, for this awesome, free place to swim! read more

This is a review based on what it was like many years ago. Here's some history for any interested folks. I had the great fortune to lifeguard there for one summer way back in the 1970's when it was just a "draw and fill" pool. I lived a few blocks away on Fairlawn, and had the afternoon shift, which lasted until closing time. I had to open the drain to empty the pool while I cleaned the stone bathrooms and washed off the decks. It emptied pretty quickly and when my cleaning was finished, I had to turn the "fill valve" with a big steel key a specific number of times for the pool to be just about filled by the start of the next day's lifeguard shift. As best I recall it was closed on Monday, but I still had to come there Monday to turn on the fill valve.. Back in those days, because it was a freshwater pool, there was no addition of chlorine or other chemicals. The other lifeguard worked there all year, taking the only shift during the "off-season" when a big plastic curtain was set up to block a little of the cold wind, and the fresh underground hot water was used to help keep at least the shallow end (where the inlet was) somewhat warm. It was always "invigorating" to swim shallow-to-deep and feel the cold water there before coming quickly back to the warmth of the shallow! Years later I saw that the city had installed big tanks (chlorine ?) there and maybe had stopped the daily emptying of all that water? Plus, they improved the bathrooms, maybe installed heating lamps on walls? Seemed to make sense that with the ebb and flow of drought conditions, Austin had enacted a water-conservation measure. I couldn't verify those changes just now, so maybe I'm wrong about the daily empty/refill routine. I moved out of Austin some years later but occasionally pine for those Austin hippie days and Travis Heights neighborhood, and that wonderful pool. It was a great place despite the occasional problems like other reviewers have mentioned. I wonder how long that one "permanent lifeguard" stayed at that full-time job? Bill read more

Pretty good public swimming pool with standard 25 meter lap. It is one of the few public pools that open in October.

Most of the time the pool is great but for some reason only one lifeguard is on duty and the other three are MIA and they have the deep end closed. Not sure what the deal is read more

Stacy Pool makes me happy. It's heated via a natural spring, and it's not over-chlorinated. It's also FREE and I can walk there from my house. If you want to swim laps, it's probably easier to go in the morning because in the p.m. there are only two lanes devoted to lap swimming and some kiddo with a noodle might get in your lane. Good times. read more