Today is one of the days that it is just hot out. All I can think about is eating popsicles and swimming in the pool. Earlier I wrote about South Florida A to Z and included the Venetian pool in the line up, but it is definitely worthy of a feature especially on a hot day like today.

Located in Coral Gables, the Venetian Pool is a historic landmark filled with 820,000 gallons of fresh spring water. It was built sporting Venetian-style architecture and features waterfalls, caves and grottos. It also has a 3-story observation tower. This pool used to be a quarry pit, but through the help of George Merrick, the Dade County Commissioner of the time, the city of Coral Gables including the Venetian Pool was transformed into a visitor’s attraction.

It started off with locals swimming in the pool, local dancers entertaining guests poolside and tourist visiting to see what this beauty was all about. Today its grown and over 100,000 visitors a year come to check it out. Every day, its 800.000 gallons of water are replenished to maintain the clear water the Venetian pool is famous for. One might think that this is a waste would be surprised and happy to find out that the water is recycled through a natural ground filtration system.

The pool is open year round, but the hours change slightly from season to season.

From now until August 12th the following hours are in effect:

Monday – Friday 11:00am – 7:30pm

Saturday – Sunday 10:00am – 4:30pm

The cost to get in is $10/day (non-residents of Coral Gables) and $4.50 (residents of Coral Gables) for adults. For children under 12, it’s $6.50 for non-residents and $3.50 for residents.

The Venetian Pool is located at:

2701 De Soto Blvd

Coral Gables, FL 33134

(305) 460-5306

Photo Credit [How Stuff Works]

Post from: The South Florida Traveler