It’s been a hot summer and the best way to cool off from the hot Raleigh heat is by hitting the pools! Most recently, we spent a lot of time at Optimist Pool while Ashley had preschool level 1 swimming lessons. I was on the fence about whether I felt she could handle lessons by herself (without me in the water), but ultimately I decided to go for it since she’s finished other preschool and recreational activities on her own. And, my decision proved to be the right one…she barely even looked back at me when the first class began. On this particular pool trip we stayed after swimming lessons to swim in the baby pool and have a picnic.
Optimist Pool is in North Raleigh at 5900 Whittier Dr. The main pool is a covered year-round Olympic-size pool with depths from 3’6″ to 5’6″ with several lap lanes and wide step entrances at both ends of the pool. Ashley’s swimming lessons were mostly held in the shallower end of the pool on the wide steps with a few trips with life jackets on to the deeper end. The instructor was super personable and even made time to chat with the parents after each class about each child’s progress. The main pool building also contains several chairs and bleachers surrounding the pool and a small lounge area separated by glass. The bathroom facilities were very nice with updated showers, lockers and bathroom areas.
The large baby pool and diving well areas are located outside and run on a seasonal availability. The baby pool area is fenced in with a large rectangular pool with depths from 10″ to 18″ in the middle. There are several deck chairs, a little grass seating, and a portable tent for some added shade. Various floats and pool toys are allowed in the baby pool area. Claire thoroughly enjoyed swimming in her shady float while Ashley continuously threw her body into the water. The diving well features low and high diving boards with deck chairs and bleacher seating on the pool deck. There are several picnic tables located between the outside and indoor pool areas. With a toddler and a baby I found it most helpful to bring the single BOB stroller inside the pool area, which helped contain Claire and also provided more storage for all our crap.
By the way, I’m writing this post from my sister’s house in VA. I’ve brought the girls down here for a few days to help house sit and take care of her dogs while my sister and bro-in-law await for baby Ava to be born…I’m so excited I could bust!
Resources:
- The City of Raleigh has great small group swimming lessons, but if you’re looking for some private lessons check out what my friend Elaine, a former collegiate swimmer, has to offer at Miss Elaine’s Swim Lessons.
- For more information about the other facilities at Optimist, read my previous posts.
- For more information about other pool reviews, read my previous posts.
- Visit the City of Raleigh website for more information about pool hours of operation.
Thumbs up: City of Raleigh swimming lessons, large baby pool area, clean bathrooms, helpful lifeguards/superb swimming instructor (Kenny), seating options
Thumbs down: nothing to report
We turned right heading south onto the Neuse River Trail and we shortly came upon the 11.5 mile marker and a large bridge that crossed the Neuse River. It had rained a lot in Raleigh over the weeks leading up to Memorial Day weekend, so the water levels were still pretty high and the river was flowing fast, which made for great toddler conversations.
The run home felt much shorter with several less stops than the way out. When we arrived back into Buffaloe Road Park, we followed signs to the athletic park instead of to the aquatic center. With this option, we ran along the northern perimeter of the park and got to witness the massiveness of the baseball fields. When we got back to our car, we were pooped! Ashley made a final pit stop in the restroom facilities near the closed playground and then we headed out for some well deserved lunch. I look forward to taking the girls back to the park later this summer when the playground surface is finished.
All of the play areas at this park are situated on the rubberized surface, but unfortunately there isn’t any natural shade, so on warm days like this one the heat was beating down on us and we couldn’t even put Claire down to play. Ashley seemed pretty worn out from the weekend so she spent most of her time swinging.
After some playground time we busted out our princess kite in the nearby open space. We had the park to ourselves this morning which proved to be crucial when giving a 3-year old a kite – she ran all over the place instructing her kite to “C’mon on, kite!” It was super cute watching her fly the kite, until she ran into some small, unnecessary stumps located in the middle of the open space.
So, for our hike we headed out to the 
So we set off and hiked for a mile until we came to the creek. Before heading across the bridge we walked down some steep rocks and had a snack along the creek’s edge near the remnants of the old mill wall. According to an information board near the parking lot, Company Mill was built in 1810 by Anderson Page and was used for grinding wheat and corn. It was also a popular spot to have fish fries, weddings, and social gatherings before being washed away by a flood in the 1930s. There are several flat spots below the old wall and near the water that are great for stopping. A friendly photographer took our picture for us and then warned us of some water snakes he saw (luckily we didn’t see any). After our snack we headed across the bridge and turned right to join the few crowds on the large rocks near the opposite side of the creek bank. Ashley loved scooting down to the water and got tickled when I told her she could take her shoes and socks off and soak her piggies in the water. This child was in heaven! And, after a short while later we hiked the one mile route back to our car. She was pretty exhausted for the last half of the hike home, but stayed in good spirits and finished on her own…I was so proud of her!
MacDonald Woods Park has playground areas for the 2-5 and 5-12 age groups with two swings for both groups. The 5-12 age playground is rather large with several ladders and slides, monkey bars, and climbing wall with rope. The loop-shaped ladder was by far a challenging favorite for this duo. The younger playground is very small with only 2 slides, steps and a platform ladder. There are a few bouncy rides and a small low-to-the-ground structure for early walkers. A small elevated sandbox is located between the two playground areas. But, by far, the best feature of this park is the merry-go-round. Yes, that’s right…they have a merry-go-round! Go Cary! Of all the parks we’ve been to this was a first so you can imagine the confusion when the girls first saw it. Having never been on a merry-go-round they watched several groups of people get on and off before getting on with a group of toddler girls. These sweet maniacs quickly caught on as to why you hold on to the bars but also moved into more challenging feats such as dangling their feet over the edge. That proved to be rather anxiety-ridden for us but they had fun and no one went flying off the thing, so it was a success!
The bigger kid playground is any young climber’s dream. There are huge spider web ropes that connect to the playground along with a sideways rock wall. The playground also has several monkey bars, slides, twisty ladders, climbing stepping stones and more!
Next, we passed by several picnic tables and open spaces on our way to the grassy walking trail. The trail follows along the stream and then crosses into the lowland forest and piedmont prairie areas. Near the piedmont prairie area is a building that overlooks the pond that is made for bird watching. The kids had a great time looking for birds and playing in the building. After we arrived back at the beginning of the trail (about 1/2 mile total) we visited the Green Building, which is used mostly for educational programs but also has restrooms and a back deck great for picnics. Since we didn’t pack a picnic we continued to explore the grounds and settled in the Nature Neighborhood Garden. The garden features NC native plants, dry stream beds for collecting run-off water, a koi pond and more. Claire and I enjoyed some quiet time on the benches under the pavilion before heading out.
