← THE REGISTER / SOUTH FLORIDA / MIAMI-DADE COUNTY
Venetian Pool
Coral Gables, Miami-Dade County
GEOLOGICAL ANOMALY
8STRANGENESS
OUT OF TEN
OUT OF TEN
WHAT IT IS
A public swimming pool carved out of a coral rock quarry in 1924, filled from an aquifer and drained every night in summer.
The developer George Merrick had a hole in the ground where the stone for Coral Gables had come from, so he turned it into a lagoon with caves, waterfalls, a Venetian bridge, and two observation towers. It holds 820,000 gallons, is fed by artesian wells, and in the warm months the whole pool is emptied overnight and refilled with fresh spring water. Esther Williams and Johnny Weissmuller both performed here. It is on the National Register, and it is still just the neighbourhood pool.
HOW IT SCORES
Rarity9/10
Is there anywhere else like it?
Backstory10/10
How did this come to be?
Disrepair4/10
What is holding it together?
Commitment8/10
How far do they take the bit?
NEARBY
BEFORE YOU DRIVE
- ENTRY FEE
- $21 non-resident
- HOURS
- Tue–Sun, seasonal hours
- BEST TIME
- Weekday morning in summer. It closes for the coldest months.
- HOW LONG
- 2 hours
- PARKING
- Free lot across the street
- PAYMENT
- Cards accepted
- ACCESS
- Steps and ladders into the water
DETAILS COMPILED FROM PUBLISHED SOURCES. FEES CHANGE. CALL AHEAD.