We had a group meeting the other day to discuss topics we could blog on, and I volunteered for The Top 5 Public swimming facilities in town. I thought, this will be cool. Maybe I could swim at a couple of local places. Maybe take some photos or video. Problem is, Texarkana does NOT have any public swimming pools!

We did have a really nice pool at Spring Lake Park, but Larry shut it down so he could build an awesome baseball field for a team we don't have. I learned how to swim in that pool and thousands of other people around here did too. You can still swim at Spring Lake Park, but if they catch you swimming in the duck pond, you will be fined a large sum of money.

At one time we had "Crystal Springs Beach" outside of Maud Texas. Not sure what happened there... bad management or what, but it's been shut down for a few years. It was really cool back in the day, with water slides, paddle boats, and of course, the Zip-Line. I would love to go there again, if only to fish. You know some of those fish are HUGE now.

You could go out to Wright Patman, some call it Texarkana Lake, but I call it Wright Patman. The problem with swimming at the lake is... well, do you remember how when the water tastes and smells so bad they say, "the lake turned over". I'm not really sure how that works, but I don't want to be swimming along and just up and flip over.

We have Millwood Lake outside of Ashdown, and Millwood Lake has some really huge alligators... so there's that.

loading...

There are some really great "not local" places to swim and cool off... there is our favorite, Beaver's Bend Recreation area in Broken Bow, Oklahoma. We LOVE canoeing the Lower Mountain Fork River, and there are quite a few float trip outfitters there in Broken Bow along the river that can fix you up with a canoe or kayak, transportation, and a whole lot of fun. If it's your first time, I recommend the 4 mile trip. See what you think, and then do a 10 mile trip, (about 6 hours). This river is great for both beginners, and experienced paddlers.

As far as waterparks, there's Splash Kingdom in Shreveport,with water slides, wave pools, and loads of fun for Kids and Adults. Be sure to enter for a family 4 pack of tickets in the Eagle VIP Rewards Club.  Then there's Arlington, Texas for Hurricane Harbor, the biggest and best water park within 200 miles of Texarkana... OR... you can just do what I do...

Our local Rotary Club is proposing a new "Splash Park" to the Texarkana Texas City Council. The "Splash Park" would be located at Spring Lake Park.

Here's a rendering of what it would look like...

loading...

We'll keep you posted!

More From Eagle 106.3