We had my daughter's birthday party here. It's the second time we have done this. What a great…read moreand easy party. All the kids love being at this pool. The remodel that was done about 5 years ago was a great upgrade. The pool is split into 3-4 sections, but they are not separated, so you still feel like you are at one pool. Something for everyone here.

Loved this pool. Took my son and nephews (10 yr - 13yr olds). I loved the lay-out, I could watch…read morethem from where I sat. They also had many food options compared to other pools. And a great price to get in. It wasn't overly crowded either. Hopefully it will be just as pleasant the next time I go.

As an adult learning to swim it's pretty daunting. I tried about 5 other places in the past trying…read moreto learn as an adult and never made any progress. I signed up for Foss with some determination and I'm happy to have graduated and am now able to swim! The teachers were great, personalized instruction for me, and even when there were subs (which was rare) I still learned a tip from every instructor I worked with. I was skeptical that only 30 minutes a week made a difference, but if you go consistently it really does. The water was always warm, and since adult classes are at less busy times there was always a good experience. Also everyone was so friendly and the front desk was great about communication and scheduling. Highly recommend!

My kids have taken lessons at Goldfish Evanston and the Glenview park district, and they've…read moreprogressed faster here. However, they are also older now, and we are more consistent in attendance, so those are also factors. Cost wise, it's about the same as Goldfish. At Goldfish Evanston, we had substitute teachers like 50% of the time, but at Foss it's more like 10%. For parents, you have the option to sit on deck (poolside) or outside the pool and observe via the large glass windows. You can also sign up for Family Swim, which means your family can reserve a lane for an hour, but they're currently only offering it on Friday evenings. This location opened in August 2024, so it's still new & clean. Love the location, and parking is easy. Lastly, Foss reinstated their makeup class policy, which is great! Send me a message if you'd like to use my referral code for a discount ($105 off your first enrollment).

Vernon Hills, I see you! I don't know that I've ever been to Vernon Hills, to be honest, and it…read morefelt Ike a trek! But it was a fun evening so it was definitely worth it. The aquatic center is clean and has a large pool, and two water slides!! One is actually a water tube. I want to come back to use the slides myself, hopefully Vernon Hills will have me! The village of Vernon Hills was hosting a comedy showcase at the Family Aquatic Center, which is why I came to town. They apparently do the comedy show annually and it was really enjoyable. It was a 21 and over, and a little blue for your kids so pay attention to any sort of age advisory there may be.

This pool offers so many things, its not that big but it does have a splash pad with slides! And a…read morelazy river!

Foss is a wonderful swim school! We signed our 3 year old up for the Level 1 Learn to Swim program…read more She had a hard time the first two days, and the instructors were very helpful and understanding. The Director (Mike) even helped out personally, and got our daughter in the water. He provided us some good tips to make it easier next time. It says a lot that the Director both gets in the water and makes rounds to make sure everything is going well. During the second class, another instructor (Gabby) also helped out. She actually got our daughter to participate. It was amazing! We ended up switching instructors because we found out that our daughter is more comfortable with females, and the entire Foss staff was very patient and accomodating. Everyone at Foss, from the front desk, to the instructors, to the Director were amazing. Ky, our new instructor is so great. Our first instructor was also great, we just switched because of our daughter's preferences. I'm sorry that I can't remember his name, but he also deserves recognition for being so patient. All of their instructors are great with kids. I would highly recommend this school, especially for younger kids learning to swim. It's a busy school, slots go fast, but they keep class sizes small. They have a play area for parents and siblings who are waiting. I have seen people sign multiple kids up for two classes that are one time slot after the other, since it's so hard to get two spots in one time slot. I think it's worth waiting in the waiting area, it's not that long. Others wait longer for two slots to open up at the same time. Either way, it's worth the wait. I'd recommend the first way, since swimming skills are important to learn sooner rather than later.

We've been bringing our kids here for years now. The teachers are all very friendly and…read moreknowledgeable about working with young ones in the water. The one thing that isn't ideal is being able to choose the teacher. We've found our kids just listen more and work better with specific instructors but unfortunately there is no way to guarantee that instructor each session.

Such a hidden gem. This is a members owned small club. It offers 2 swimming pools, (1 lap pool and…read more1 kiddie splash) many tennis courts, and small restaurant that serves hot food and snacks. They offer a super great summer camp for children. The groups are much smaller then park district and I love that they focus on tennis lessons and swim lessons vs the standard just letting the kids play all day, best part children stay on site. They offer crafts and other activities such as soccer. You can choose to have a hot lunch provided for the children or pack a sack lunch. Also and something I think is a HUGE bonus is that you can sign up for full weeks or just one particular day, so its very flexible around summer vacations. My kids are excited to start summer camp!!

All the aquatics facilities in Park Ridge have their own character. Hinkley, at least sometimes, is…read morethe quiet, calm pool. We stopped by on a Thursday afternoon and the lap swim was still taking place for a few more minutes. But when the family swim started about 10 minutes after we got here, there were only a dozen or so families here and I liked that. Since we usually go to the splash pads or wading pool, I'm not sure my daughter has been in an actual full-sized pool; I was glad it wasn't packed and she could just monkey crawl along the edge, or have me hold her and drift through the pool. This seems to be a pool of choice for lap swimmers and seniors, which added to the quiet atmosphere. I think it might be the least used pool in town but for the flick and float nights. There doesn't seem to be much "here" for young people except for the zip line they installed this year. The facilities are good, with showers and changing stalls. There's a baby changing station, always helpful. They also have a wall of lockers here, but you'll need to bring your own lock to use them. I do wish they had one of those wringers for swimwear or some other sort of water extractor. But that's a minor detail. The staff were all friendly.

Pool is a wonderful opportunity for seniors to enjoy some exercise and fellowship. Some…read moreimprovements may be with allowing seniors early entry. Parking is an issue. Need a additional time.

I love that instructors pay close attention to the needs of each student. Personally speaking, my…read moredaughter has Down Syndrome, and each instructor she has worked with has made sure to treat her with the same acceptance and respect while still attending to her special needs. Big Blue is a very special place and it's awesome to watch the instructors at work! The way they interact and get through kids, even the tough ones, it's like watching magic. I'm proud to have been part of this "family" since they opened their doors in Hoffman :) PS: And in response to the bad reviews because that's how much I love this place: 1. If you didn't get a call back, you can easily go online and sign up for classes. You're missing out dismissing them for a phone call. A one star review just for not getting a call back is pretty harsh. 2. The facility is far from being dirty. Time will tell but it just opened its doors a year and a half ago. I've been taking my daughter since then. I'm a bit of a germ phobe myself and I never once felt it was not clean. If you're afraid of something getting stolen from the cubby, don't bring it in. You're there for a half hour with your child. If it's a wallet/ purse, just carry it with you (you're either watching your child, sitting or in the changing room with your child for no more than 10-15 min.). You could also leave it in the car. It's not that big of a deal.

My daughters took a swimming classes for about more than 3 months. They liked instructors and…read moreplace, but wished more than 30 minutes. Place is decent, not cleanest, classes are overcrowded to only for 30 minutes. Kids are waiting to get turn to swimming about more than half of their time. 3-4 kids per classes only 30 minutes not enough to learn!!! They cancel a classes but they always offer makeup classes.

I wasn't 100% sure about starting my daughter in swim lessons as young as we did (6 months), but I…read morealso didn't want her to lose her love of water by becoming afraid of being splashed in the face or some other random water fear that happens with some children. I also wanted to ensure she's a strong swimmer as early as possible, because let's face it, accidents happen and kids do fall into pools, no matter how careful you are. My daughter has officially successfully completed Backfloat Baby 1 and started Backfloat Baby 2 about two weeks ago. We were SO SO lucky to have Christine for our first instructor, and I really hope we are able to have her again for a future class. She put my anxiety at ease, and handled my daughter so well (can you imagine how hard it is to get a 6 month old who loves to lick pool water to actually close her mouth long enough to be submerged under water for 4 seconds?!) I've also seen her with some of the more rambunctious older kids, and she has the patience of an angel. I really hope my daughter comes to trust our new instructor as much as she did Christine so that we can have a successful Backfloat Baby 2 class and continue on our swim journey. All of the employees here are so sweet, and I'm so glad that we chose FOSS for our daughter.

Our daughter has been going here for about a year now. Shes 5. They really push her (in a good…read moreloving way) and I feel super confident she will be swimming well by summer. One year ago my daughter would scream if her face got wet, now she puts her head under no problem and can completely float on her back on her own and is learning how to swim. She makes progress every week. If we can only afford one class each week, this would be the one we would never miss. They keep moving her up into better classes (even in the middle of the semester) to keep her growing. Very happy with this school. Teachers are awesome too!!!