Summer Road Trip: Swimming Landmarks to Visit
It is finally summer again, which means that many of us have started to travel or will go on trips soon. If you do not want to be pulled from swim life for too long, here are a few swimming landmarks to view some swim history.
International Swimming Hall of Fame
Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
The International Swimming Hall of Fame functions as a history museum, hall of fame and aquatics facility. The Hall of Fame includes ancient and modern art, water polo history, women’s swimming history, the original Olympic flag from Antwerp 1920, and a section celebrating notable Hall of Famers.
Although the museum is currently under renovation, the East wing of the museum is partially open and there is a virtual tour available online with all exhibits. The renovation will include a multitude of amenities including a new museum, FINA compliant pool, diving pool, bleachers, and a 27-meter diving tower.
Olympic and Paralympic Museum
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Visitors can view the career and personal highlights of Olympic and Paralympic Hall of Famers such as Janet Evans, Mark Spitz, Gary Hall Jr., Erin Popovich, and more. There are also Paralympic and Olympic medals dating back to the 1896 Games, the 1980 Miracle on Ice scoreboard, and other memorabilia. All exhibits within the museum have accessible media, audio descriptions, open captioning, American Sign Language, and ramps.
POOL: A Social history of Segregation Exhibit
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
POOL is a museum exhibition telling the history and connection of pool segregation to modern water safety issues affecting the Black community. Swimming champions such as Maritza Correia McClendon, Cullen Jones, Sabir Muhammad and Simone Manuel, alongside activists and experts, are featured voices within the museum. The exhibitions include history and scholarship alongside art displays to give a multimedia look at why Black children and teenagers are about six times more likely to drown in a pool than their white counterparts. Admission is free until September 30th, so definitely check out this exhibition while in Philly.
McAuley Aquatics Center
Atlanta, Georgia
Host of the aquatics events for the 1996 Paralympic and Olympic Games, this indoor venue is now a place for teams to practice, swim lessons, lifeguard classes and scuba classes. The venue witnessed iconic swims such as Janet Evans’ last career races, Amy Van Dyken’s four gold medals, the 50 free duel between Alexander Popov and Gary Hall Jr., and Trischa Zorn’s eight medal run. Only a mile and a half from Centennial Olympic Park, this is a good place to escape the humidity while exploring the ’96 Olympics.
LA84/John C. Argue Swim Stadium
Los Angeles, California
Constructed for the 1932 Olympics, the aquatics center hosted competition for the diving, swimming, water polo, and the aquatics portion of the modern pentathlon. Now the facility is owned by the City of Los Angeles. Alongside being a fun place to swim, there are also gym facilities, a fitness center, weight room, meeting spaces, and computer lab.
Fantastic article. Great writer!