Splash, Slide, and Swim at the Hamilton Pool in Novato

It's still summer vacation for a couple more weeks, so get in your summer activities while you can. Almost everyone loves going to the pool, and one of our favorite Marin public pools is the one in Novato's Hamilton neighborhood.

My kids love Hamilton Pool especially for the shallow kids' pool with its play stucture, water slide, and water sprayers. It's a blast for kids of all ages. There's also a larger more traditional pool for more serious swimming and water play. The remodeled and renovated Hamilton Pool opened in spring of 2010 after a long construction process. We used to go to the old pool, which was left over from the old air force base and dated from the 1930s. The new pool and the surrounding facilities are a real improvement on the somewhat dilapidated old ones. The whole area is clean, modern, well kept up, and definitely worth a visit.

You'll also find a large grassy area on the hill behind the pool that's perfect for spreading out your beach towels and picnic blankets. There are also plenty of picnic tables, some with charcoal grills, so bring your lunch and hang out for the whole day if you want. There's another grassy area on the other side of the pool with some picnic tables and large shade structures (spots in the shade here get claimed pretty quickly, so get here early if you want to stake out a shady spot).

This season, the Hamilton Pool is open through September 28, 2012. Daily drop-in admission for Novato residents is $4 for youth ages 1–15 and $5 for adults 16 and over (with photo identification). Non-resident admission is $7 for youth and $9 for adults.

The Hamilton Pool is located at 203 El Bonito Drive in Novato's Hamilton area. To get there, take Highway 101 to the Ignacio Boulevard/Bel Marin Keys Boulevard exit. Go to the east side of the freeway and take Nave Drive south to Main Gate Road. Follow Main Gate Road to South Palm Drive, then turn right on Hamilton Parkway. Turn right on San Pablo Avenue, and turn left at the traffic circle onto Sunset Drive. Follow Sunset and turn left onto El Bonito Drive.

The Hamilton Pool also offers swim classes, summer camps, party rentals, and more. For more information, call (415) 485-3344 or visit their website.