circleJoss has been off school since last Tuesday, so we have 4 days off school and a 3 day weekend, and we've had some fun. We even got to visit a new pool for us, the Kneenhouse Aquatic Facility in Broken Arrow. See below for details.
Nienhaus Aquatic Facility
Now that I'm more used to driving to Buenos Aires, I was happy to finally visit the Nienhaus Aquatic Facility. Broken Arrow posted photos of the facility on social media the other day and they were so beautiful I just had to make the drive. If you don't want to drive on the highway like I do, it's a long but easy drive once you turn off at 51st Street. Just keep on going and you'll get there 🙂
Amenities
The facility consists of one large pool, one wading pool for children ages 6 and under, and an aqua play system (basically a play area with water play elements). The large pool never gets deeper than 6 feet, with only one roped-off slide section. The main part of the pool is 4 feet 6 inches. Additionally, it has a 0 inch gently sloping entrance, so the majority of the pool is much shallower than that.
It's a great place for families who aren't strong swimmers, but it was quite busy when we visited. Joss was a little disappointed that there was no diving board. There are however 4 slides suitable for people over 48 inches. They were all a bit too high and fast for Joss, but I did try sliding down one of the bigger slides and it was great fun. It's gentle and a bit fast but not too bad.
I didn't take any photos of the splash pad or wading pool but it looked really nice from afar!
Jos' favorite part was getting out of the water and lounging in the hot sun. The pool is lined with lounge chairs, and even though it was a busy day we had no trouble finding a free chair. There were plenty of shaded areas near the concession stand.
Concessions
You can't bring in food or drinks, but there is a concession stand with reasonably priced items – Joss chose the pretzels and pickles and they were delicious.
Sorry the photos aren't great!
Lifeguard
I was very impressed with how well trained the lifeguards were. I think there were 4 lifeguards in the main pool. There were 2 at each slide area, one watching the deep part of the pool and one watching the shallow part. At one point something seemed to happen and the 3 nearest lifeguards started whistling. A 4th lifeguard rushed to the scene with a first aid kit and another was on scene with a stretcher. Once they arrived on scene everything seemed ok. But they definitely knew what was going on and responded very quickly so that was good.
Prices and opening hours
Admission to the Nienhuis Aquatic Facility and the other two BA Parks pools is just $5 per person over the age of 3. Children 2 and under are free.
business hours:
- Monday: 12pm – 8pm
- Tuesday to Wednesday: 1:30pm to 8pm
- Thursday: 12pm – 6pm
- Friday and Saturday: 12pm to 8pm
- Sunday: 12pm – 5pm
Nienhuis Park
Nienhaus Park is huge so we didn't explore it all. There is a large community center, sports courts, and a skate park just north of the pool. If you like skateboarding, scooters, BMX, or roller skating, this looks like a great place to be.
A sweet snack on the way home
We were heading home from BA down 51st St and had to stop at Andy's Frozen Custard on 51st St and Yale St. It's my favorite post-swim treat. I especially recommend the Blueberry Chocolate Concrete. There is an Andy's in BA as well, but this one was on our way home.
