You can’t describe summertime in Gainesville. You have to experience it – the 98- degree temperatures, 110 percent humidity, mosquitoes the size of cockroaches and sweat stains galore. It’s a time when even a brief walk to class leaves you with a swamp in your pants.
So how can you beat the heat in one of the few cities in Florida that doesn’t have a beach? Lucky for us beach-a-holics, Gainesville apartments have tried to ease our ocean withdrawals with some awesome pools. But which ones are the best? Which ones will let you get your tan on, and which ones might leave you feeling high and dry?
Let’s start with the Estates. It’s legendary for its insane pool parties, which bring in thousands of students for free beer, vodka and other swag. But what if you want to go to the pool on a day when there aren’t droves of people invading the poolside? Well there’s good news: It’s still the most lenient on letting people drink around the pool and allowing guests to stay without a resident around, according to former resident Mike Hughes, 22, a music performance major.
“Even when there aren’t pool parties, there are still plenty of kids lying out with drinks,” Hughes said. “And I’ve never seen anyone get kicked out for lying out without a resident right next to them.” Gainesville Place is another pool haven, with a pool for partying and even another pool for reading and relaxing. But obviously we’re here to talk about their party pool, which includes a waterfall, volleyball net and basketball hoop. It’s also one of the most lax complexes on allowing visitors to stay without a guest.
“People that aren’t with residents never get kicked out,” resident Darlos Sandoval, 20, a UF junior, said. “The only hard thing, maybe, is getting in without the key card.”
Sandoval also raved about the in-pool waterfall, which he said seems to be his friend’s favorite feature about the pool, except, of course, for their flexible drinking rules. Next up, Campus Lodge, which according to the apartment’s website, houses Gainesville’s largest play-action pool.
According to resident Hailee Mertz, 22, a former music major, hanging out without a resident and drinking poolside aren’t big problems. Mertz also gave brownie points for how clean the pool is, telling me that they even have “... someone come out every morning to take care of trash and to fix the chairs.” Hidden Lake is also a semi-celebrity among local pools, complete with foosball and ping pong tables. They are extremely laid back about drinking, but beware of glass bottles.
“Drinking by the pool actually isn’t the problem, but they don’t like glass in the pool. So if you’re drinking out of a glass bottle, they might make you throw it away,” said Jason Haynes, a 19-year-old philosophy major.
As far as going without a resident, Haynes gave another warning.
“They do ask if you’re a resident at the pool, but as long as you have someone with you that lives there it should all be gravy. They don’t really have a limit, to my knowledge, as to how many guests you can bring.”
Last but not least, the farther away but still fantastic Cabana Beach pool. This baby has an entire beach next to the pool deck and might be the closest thing to a Gainesville has to a real beach. Keeping up with the relaxed beach atmosphere, drinking is always allowed poolside. Be wary of the pool parties though, which resident Sean Saley, 20, said are notorious for being too rowdy.
“Cops shouldn’t have to show up every time because of fights, but I guess that’s what happens when more than half the people that go to the parties aren’t even students.”
So if you’re picking which pool you’ll be gracing with your presence, check out this chart to make sure the pool your picking meets all of your criteria for pool heaven.
