I do 5 days a week and week against the lazy river! It's a good workout for a senior! The best part it's $110 for the year! This is an amazing price for the benefits!!!!! Please consider this! The staff are very friendly and helpful! The facility is clean and great! I recommend it wholeheartedly! read more

Not enough parking for people with disabilities. I pay for an annual pass and the entire parking lot is full all day. If I could walk a block, I would be happy to do so. I really think they need valet parking or only allow the paying members to park in there. I can see from other reviews that the city doesn't care. Don't waste your money for therapy. You won't be able to use it unless early in their morning. Very sad, it's a great facility. read more

This was, truly, one of the worst experiences I've ever had with a business. I'll just start off by saying this isn't a "disability card" or a "toddler" card being thrown down. My whole family was treated exceptionally rudely and without compassion or understanding. My niece had her two-year birthday party there. And as excited as we were, we were treated with "you have to wait the three minutes before you can set up." Ok, more than fine by us. We were early to our set-up time. The three minutes go by and I ask the front desk again for our party room. We'd like to set up before people start arriving to celebrate my niece. This time we were met with "They're still cleaning the room. You cannot go in." Sure, I'll grant some grace. Maybe there were really messy kids. Another five minutes go by - met with "they're still sweeping, you cannot go in." By this time, our set-up time is shot. We don't get into the room until AFTER our paid time has started. Mind you, this is for a two-year old. So there are lots of littles in a very busy pool. I can only imagine every parent there is doing their best to manage. Not only were we literally screamed at multiple times, we were bombarded by lifeguards any time on of our littles even touched the tile "medians" dividing the pools. Yes. We know they're not allowed to touch them. Yes. They are learning. No, they are not causing harm. Yes, we were literally right next to them to remove them. I have never been so rudely screamed at in my life. Let alone for something so harmless. Putting the pool aside, my side of the family traveled two and a half hours to celebrate my niece. With my father who has fairly advanced Parkinson's. Not an easy task. He came to enjoy the party and to watch his grandchildren play. I'll start here by saying, anyone who has a disabled family member knows that even the best laid plans hardly ever go the way we want them to. That being said - the 30-minute warning goes off and we start gathering up the kids for the showers. 15 minutes in, my father has an accident in his pants. Something we're equipped for - but not in a 15 minute time frame. So we waited for one of the four family rooms to get him cleaned up. And I'm sure if you go wait in line, even now. You'll have to wait at least 20 minutes before a room opens up. Once we get him in, my mom (soaking wet from playing in the pool with her grandbabies) goes to work getting him cleaned up. My sister and I give up on the family rooms and go to the ladies locker room. Mind you, it's now a 2.5, 2 and 1 year old against the two of us. We're exceptionally capable, but not without a little chaos. Eventually, my brother is able to switch helping my dad with my mom and she comes to help us with the kids. And I mean, we are in the throws of it. Speed running showers, the fastest diapers you've ever seen put on the kids, clothes being thrown on (even if the shirts are backwards). All because we know it's 10 minutes past 5. How do we know? Because again, while we are changing, while I'm literally on my hands and knees - in my soaking swimsuit - changing my sons diaper, a lifeguard stands watch IN THE LOCKER ROOM, telling us it's 10 past and we need to leave. We tell her we know and ask her to let us change in private. I understand it's a locker room and I truly do not care if another gal sees me get dressed. But that's all she was doing. Not only was it very unprofessional, but extremely creepy. We ask for the manager and were met with silence. We ask again and they finally go get her. She arrives and proceeds to tell us "we give a 30-minute warning, I have someone in my life who is disabled too and I plan ahead, don't talk to me that way." Zero compassion, zero understanding, zero grace. All the while this is happening, my brother is met with constant knocking on their door with time updates. "We're 10 minutes after closing, we're 15 minutes after closing." I can assure you. He was painfully aware of the time. No one wants to clean up a grown man's diaper mess. We finally are able to get out of the locker room only to realize my son pooped in his fresh diaper. But I dare not change it now. Just thought I'd share my experience with the Midco Aquatic Center. read more

Not sure where all the negative reviews are coming from. I was a Marine from 84' to 90'....I have PTSD from a helicopter crash in the ocean where we ended up for over 7 hours in the water before we were rescued. I was one of the people you see on the commercials dropping into the ocean from a helicopter. I am confronting my fears by getting back into the water. I have seen nothing but professionalism from the staff so far. When dealing with people's lives, sometimes you need to be strict and to keep the rules on track for safety, and sometimes that might come off as being rude. Keep in mind, when anyone or everyone enters the water, those staff are responsible for making sure you leave the way you came in at the end of your time in the water. As far as limited parking for disabled....I am at 100% and to be honest....one of the best parking lots for people with disabilities, even if you don't get the disabled parking up front. I might be slightly bias as they do give a disabled vet discount, but trust me, this place is way better than others I have been to. Corey B read more

Horrible experience with no follow-up. What I thought would be a fun, playful afternoon turned into stress, disappointment, and tears. It was less than five minutes upon arrival, my 3 kids and I go to the channel to walk, and my son got yelled at to get out because his chin was in the water and "heads must remain above water." So, he goes over to the lily pads and gets yelled at for having his goggles on. Ok, its a safety thing so I get it, but it wasn't in their written rules so I couldn't tell him in advance. Then we go to the warm pool. Kids are getting yelled at for holding their younger siblings, even when the parent is right next to them. We get yelled at for entering the warm pool at the ladder, because apparently you can only exit at that ladder. Another kid gets yelled at for going underwater because he used the handrail. So, we move on to the other side with the 50m pool and diving boards. The 3 kids immediately get told to get off the steps/for walking down the steps too slowly, because "someone might need to use them". No one was anywhere near there. They weren't messing around, they were just walking slowly. So, we enter the water. Lifeguard asks how old they all are - 9, 9, and 7. Ok great, they can go on the inflatable in the water. Wait, "can you touch!?" Not quite, but mom is right here with me. No, you can't go on the inflatable...not a good idea (even though your mom is right next to you). Ok, so we go back to the other side. My son and I start walking into the zero-entry area with the play structure. He immediately gets yelled at for stepping on one of the water shoots coming up. I said, "seriously!? We can't do anything here!" The lifeguard just smirks and walks on. At this point, my son has tears in his eyes and says, "I don't want to swim anymore." My 7-year-old, excellent swimmer, mom with him every step of the way, doesn't want to swim anymore because of the lifeguards and the unwritten "rules" I couldn't prepare him for, and the anxiety of doing something "wrong." At this point I asked to speak to a manager. She came up and I asked if there was something that happened that caused the strict rules to be put in place. She said she couldn't answer that because she just started this past summer (5+ months ago!?), and that would be a question for Manager Ben. I asked why kids can't walk over the water spouts in the play structure area. She wasn't sure and said I'd have to talk to Ben. I left my name & number but never received a call from "Manager Ben." I also submitted a concern to the city of Sioux Falls Parks & Rec that they update their aquatics manual because there are so many "rules" that aren't included but haven't received a response. So disappointed!! read more

We have been to this pool numerous times. The biggest issue? The life guards. They seem hyper nervous about every little thing (don't run if you are IN the pool). This leads me (and my life guard trained husband) to think that they aren't actually well trained for saving kids (see another review about a mom having to save a random kid from drowning and no lifeguard responding to her yelling for help) and thus they are trying to make sure there is no way that anyone could end up under the water and require help. All of the life guards are also very young. If rules were posted that would be great. There would be way less issues happening if we knew that you aren't allowed to stand/sit on the water jets, no running if you are IN the pool, places in the pool you aren't allowed to stand, etc. it would also be nice to know when certain features and pool are unavailable for use (as they will randomly become during regular pool hours due to classes and whatever else). Some days the temps are on the cooler side of okay and other times they are so cold even the warm pool isn't manageable. I can't even allow my 3 year old to put her hand on a railing to stabilize herself so she doesn't fall down and under the water because she'll get yelled at for touching a railing. Also, know that you cannot use life jackets and there will be various flotation devices out on a rack but they are only for adult use, not children. read more

Pay to get yelled at! City must not care? Terrible reviews everywhere and no changes have been made. Been across the country visiting facilities like this and this by far is the worst I've visited. Never left my 12 year olds sons side and still couldn't comply with all the rules. The most hilarious (keep your feet on the ground) in that case it's no longer considered swimming they aren't preventing accidents they are preventing fun and enjoyment. What a waste of tax dollars read more

This is a state of the art swim complex with Olympic size swimming pool that is 50 meters. There is a large viewing area that accommodates 500 spectators. There are three diving boards, including one high dive. There is a large full color graphics score board. They host regional, state and college swim events here. There is a kids area with splash pool, water slides and lazy river. There is a warm water therapy pool. Just to address a couple complaints. You cannot bring in outside food. That is because there is a diner that is run by a third party. As part of their contract they have exclusive rights to food. Having a full service food option at the facility is excellent. It is completely fair for them to have exclusive rights. They pay rent, staff the restaurant and even when the place is empty. The complaints about life guards are strange. This place is very well supervised. Why is that a bad thing? Children need to behave and if your kids can't, go somewhere else. Place is amazing and a treasure for Sioux Falls. Keep up the great work. read more

Midco Aquatic Center - Entrance - Swimming Lessons/Schools Near Me - Sioux Falls, South Dakota

I have taken my 4 kids to this aquatic center many times and have never witnessed anything like I did tonight! About 4 groups of teens were causing trouble throughout the swimming areas. All of the lifeguards were blowing their whistles, telling them to stop. Problem was that the lifeguards were barely older than the kids causing trouble! A supervisor or manager had to be called out multiple times before 2 of the groups were kicked out. They then moved to the lounge area where it looked like they were causing a riot and the front desk staff were just staring...because they are just kids themselves! I really think that there needs to be more of an adult presence in this place! I feel sorry for the younger staff who have to put up with these type of jerk kids! This is the 1st time I have taken my kids at night (6-8pm) so maybe it's a different type of crowd vs. during the day but I can tell you that I certainly was not the only parent upset about the way these poor lifeguards had to put up with so much B.S! read more

Our first visit. 4 adults for 3 children, never set them in the water by themselves. Lifeguards CONSTANTLY coming up to us to correct us (don't have 2 on the Lilly pads at the same time, don't touch the rim of the basketball hoop, don't wear goggles on the Lilly pads, don't push the floating alligator, don't go the wrong direction on the Lilly pads, don't this, don't that....And even after going the correct way on the Lilly pads a lifeguard told us not to go the wrong way. Give me a break! Nothing is posted even about the Lilly pads!! At first we were the only family in there besides an adult exercise class. We were quiet and well behaved, just holding the children in the pool. Two were toddlers! Of course we're holding them! The constant scrutiny was RIDICULOUS. One lifeguard said my 5 yr old granddaughter couldn't stand on the baby slide before going down so she sat down and cut her bottom on one of four screws at the top of this slide. My two year old grandson (quiet and shy) went down awkwardly on one of the side-by-side baby slides, and his foot went up over the adjacent slide and we were immediately told to stay in the one slide only. We understand these rules are for our safety but we were, again, four adults always holding three children and we were a quiet group. At the end, a manager did want to do an accident report on the screws in the baby slide. A front desk attendant mentioned that we were not the only ones to point out the constant, CONSTANT, policing done by the lifeguards. We drove across town to this center for the water activities (giant bucket of water that tips, etc) but the online times for these to begin don't match what actually happens. We had to leave before any of that began, which was last-straw-hilarious : SO MANY RULES yet not one for themselves to stick to their posted schedule. A waste of entrance fees for seven people. read more

Visiting from another state and we wanted to go swimming! Once we entered the pool area we were approached and asked to take off my daughters life vest! Are you kidding me? No, I was told it is not allowed at the pools and it creates a false sense of security! The staff would not let us continue to be in the pool unless we took off the life vest! I refused and we left! They also refused a refund and that really upset me, however, they did in the end refund our money! No signs are posted about life vests before entering, which is not right either! read more

I would probably give this facility 3.5 stars. It is a really nice indoor pool with lots of fun things to do for all ages. The price is very reasonable and it seems like a very clean and well maintained facility. A couple things that I would say are cons....as other reviewers have mentioned, their life guards go a little overboard with the whistle blowing and yelling/scolding kids and adults alike it seemed. (I personally did not have them say anything to me, but I saw the lifeguards scold people extremely frequently for things that were trivial). The biggest issue I had though is the unexpected hourly 10 minute break where everyone had to suddenly exit the pool. (I live out of state and have been to many water parks and swimming facilities and have never seen a policy like this before). It would be so helpful if they had their (seemingly) many rules posted, but also if they had signage or a warning over the loudspeaker about the hourly breaks. I have a 5 year old with autism and he panicked and had a meltdown when everyone was all if a sudden unexpectedly rushed out of the pools with no warning. I will say in their defense, I contacted them with this suggestion about posting the information about the breaks so parents can prepare their kids for what to expect and I was contacted the next day by someone who seemed receptive to my feedback and suggestion. I did appreciate that and hope that they will make some changes to help families with young children and/or special needs who would benefit from knowing more clearly what to expect. Overall, it is a really nice facility and I would not recommend against it. I just hope for other families' sake, they make a few tweaks to how they operate. read more

I've been to the new indoor pool 4 times and I am have been very impressed with each visit. I have only used the 50 meter pool which is great! Just a heads up that they usually have the lanes going across the 50 meters so it's really 25. Just having a 50 meter pool in town though is really neat! The rec pool I have walked through and looks very well put together. It's just the right size. The parking lot is nice sized as well. On the inside there is a little concession and seating area on the right which carries a variety of food and drinks and well as a nice place to sit and watch TV. The locker rooms are spacious with plenty of showers and lockers. Be sure to bring your own lock or you can purchase one from the front desk. There are 3 locker rooms: Men's, women's, and family. The facility is brand new which means everything is nice and shiny. The water is very clear and you can tell the money invested in the pool was worth it. On the rec pool side there are slides and places for small children to play. On the lap pool side there are diving boards for bigger kids. In the middle are conference rooms that can be used for parties or gatherings. Price of admission is cheap also. I haven't invested in the memberships and I only plan on using the pool once a week at most. I'm very excited that Sioux Falls finally have an indoor pool. I highly recommend checking out the facility or just taking a free tour. It's about time our city had something this nice for the public to enjoy year round. read more

Midco Aquatic Center - Swimming Lessons/Schools Near Me - Sioux Falls, South Dakota

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I have swim practice here everyday and it's a wonderful place. The pool opens at 5:30 and from then to 11:30 the fifty meter pool is open for lap swim with five lanes and the rest can also be used to lap swim. After 11:30 the pool is divided by two bulkheads into a shallow section with an area for playing and two 25-yard lanes, an area with eight 25-yard lanes, and a deep area with two high-dives and two normal height diving boards. There is also a recreational area perfect for kids. There are slides, water features, and a basketball hoop. There is also a current channel for water walking and a warm water pool. Outside there is a fenced in splash pad that is covered in spraying water features and kids having fun. In the lobby there is a concessions area with a place to sit and eat while watching TV. The staff is amazing, friendly, and helpful. The facility is not even a year old, so everything is brand new and clean. The admission is cheap and if you already have a Sioux falls public pool pass, you can use that. The Midco Aquatic Center is a wonderful place for an outing with your friends or family. It is beautiful and well put together. It is a blessing on our community. I would definitely recommend it. read more

We had my five-year-old daughter's birthday party here. The rates are very reasonable, the food was great, the staff was organized and helpful, and the party room was very nice. It overlooked both pool areas and had a refrigerator, microwave, sink, and TV. There were even games and a lighter for the birthday candles in the cupboard. And you can't go wrong with Stensland ice cream. Thanks to the Midco center for a great party! read more

One of the BIGGEST pools I've ever been to and it's only 6 dollars for a WHOLE ENTIRE DAY. The water is a bit chilly but the building it's in is heated and cancels it out. read more

The recreational pool has something for everyone, the cost is reasonable and the locker/changing rooms are very nice and clean, but the water is way too cold. My young kids were shivering after 15 min and wanted to leave. Even the adults in our group thought it was unusually cold (even the air temperature is colder than what you'll find in a typical water park/pool). We were very disappointed because this facility is the only indoor water park in our community and would be a wonderful recreational resource for our family, but I doubt we will come back because it just wasn't enjoyable. read more

This pool is a disappointment for any out-of-towners attending meets. The problems that were present for meets at the old (YWCA) pool are still present and possibly worse at this pool. The competition pool itself is nice. I haven't used the leisure pool, but it looks nice, too. The rest of the facility is poorly designed. Where do I begin? 1. The parking is still inadequate. They built the pool in an existing, landlocked, neighborhood. The lot fills quickly and people have to park on the streets. When it snows, people must move their cars to another time zone so plowing can occur. 2. The seating is inadequate. There simply aren't enough places for everyone to sit. If you aren't sitting in the front row, back row, or along an aisle, it's very difficult to get out of your seat. Compare it to leaving the middle seat on an airplane. If your child is swimming in lane nine, you cannot see them because it's a straight drop down from the viewing area to that particular lane. You must leave your seat, go to the front row and lean over the railing to view lane nine. The railing in the front row is not high enough to prevent unsupervised young children from tumbling over and onto concrete. 3. The city wants you to pay for the facility by forcing you to buy their food. If you come in with your own coffee, you'll be told to dump it. Because there isn't enough room for swimmers to sit with their families in the spectator area, they want you to make your swimmer sit on the pool deck. Younger swimmers and distracted teens miss their races because their parents cannot reach them to tell them when they're swimming next. You are forced to buy a six dollar bag of food purchased onsite if you want your swimmer to be able to eat between races. This snack contains peanuts, which is dangerous considering all the children with peanut allergies. It's also inadequate for an older teen boy, so then you need to buy two food bags ($12). We've competed in many indoor pools and the Midco pool is the only one that asks you to sit away from your swimmer and forbids you to bring in food. This same issue was addressed by Jim C. in a previous review. As far as I'm concerned, they should have saved their money and kept the old pool. They have no business hosting the state meet in this facilty. read more

Nice facility but the staff is not helpful or considerate. Visited for a collegiate event and they were rude and would not allow student athletes to have lunch in the facility even though they could not provide an adequate meal for athletes in competition. What a horrible way to treat those visiting and supporting your facility and community! read more

So, I have been taking my 10-year-old daughter to various pools for years, and it is very, very rare that a lifeguard ever says anything to my rule-follower. But the Midco Acquatic Center has some many rules, the rules are not obvious, and there were no signs telling what the rules are, that my daughter was constantly being corrected. It got so every time she was doing something, she would have one eye on a lifeguard to see if she was doing something wrong. She would immediately comply when corrected, but it was soon uncomfortable to the point of not being fun and she was ready to leave. She even commented, with as many times as they talked to us, that she thought they would just eventually kick us out. Here is a sampling of the rules that we heard (we didn't break all of these) 1. On the ramp into the warm water pool, you must walk, like you can't swim or crawl on the ramp, and you can't stand, sit, or hang out on the ramp. This could be addressed with a sign, like "For your safety and the safety of others, please walk on the ramp and please leave the ramp clear." 2. You can't enter the warm water pool from the side; you must use the ramp, the stairs, or a ladder. It makes sense because there are handrails at the water level and it could cause an injury if you jumped on them. But, a sign, color-coded tiles, or roping would be safer and more helpful. 3. The lily pads entrance is on the far side (which is not obvious when no one is using it), one person on the lily pad course at a time, and if you standing in line for the lily pads, you can't touch the net. 4. The current channel/walking river is only for walking, not swimming or floating. 5. Only 5 people on the alligator, no standing on the alligator, no rocking the alligator, no sliding down the alligator face first, no jumping off the alligator. 6. No dribbling basketballs outside of the pool or dunking basketballs. 7. No playing with the pool noodles; they were for water aerobics only. So, if proper signage exists, the place would be filled with signs. However, it would be more appropriate to have the rules posted so the lifeguards could be focused on safety and correcting when rules are broken, instead of educating patrons what the rules are. Anyway, I would not recommend the Midco Acquatic Center if you are looking for a fun place to take kids. read more

Terrible!!! Grandkids in town for the weekend and looking for something to do with the cold weather. No swimming trunks to be found in the stores, afterall it is winter. So found some nice lined shorts and got kicked out because they 'weren't official swimming trunks'. Fine if that's your rule but not only did I leave with crying kids but they refused to refund my money when THEY kicked us out!! Never will we go again!! Can pay $3 for pool and hot tub at one motel and actually get to swim. read more

This facility is beautiful. Overall its a good place. I just want to mention a few concerns: The staff can go overboard with the whistle blowing at times but for the most part, they are nice if you get to know them. If there were more rules posted maybe less whistling would occur and families could relax more. Ive had lifeguards yell at my kids for swimming in the pool next to me without an adult and they were of age. But the lifeguard assumed they were under 6 because they are petite. And I watched the whole thing happen as I was still supervising my kids from the other pool. I also saved a kids life after he fell in and couldn't swim. Not one lifeguard heard me yell for help as I grabbed him myself. They were whistle blowing at kids for petty things as this was happening. Also, the biggest complaint I have is the chlorine. It was so strong the other day that my eyes were burning and stinging within 10 min of being in the water. I went outside to the splash pad area to layout and give my eyes a break. There were kids coughing all around me and rubbing their eyes. That is so toxic to lungs. I think salt water would be so much better. Is there any healthier substitute for chlorine? If its always going to be that strong, thats enough of a reason to keep us away which would be unfortunate. We had to leave early that day and our time was cut short because of this. read more

Usually use the lazy river for walking love it during weekdays! Saturdays and Sundays not so much! To many kids in there swimming and fooling around! I know they are having fun however there are other pools to do this users of the lazy river are there to excerise and not to get bumped into or the chance of falling down. Maybe a sign posted as what the river is for and the lifeguards enforcing this. Am I wrong! read more

pool is great but I was disappointed that the lockers don't have locks on them. My son and his friend had their wallets stolen.

Very unhappy with their customer service!! So many rules, very poor changing areas- not enough room. After swimming we went out in the waiting area we had 3 toddlers with us gave them some crackers and snack shop worker come over and tells us no outside food allowed-REALLY!!! We are not talking pizza or sandwiches we just trying to keep our kids happy!! A few crackers or fruit should not justify this type of reaction!! Second I left a expensive water bottle behind, called them told them where I left it which was right around the desk, her response was " We are too busy will call you back!! So I made a special trip back there one hour later and there it was right on the table as all 4 of your desk help were just taking among themselves- real busy- she finally called me 5 hours later told her how frustrated I was if she would have just gotten out of her chair and looked around the corner, very rude!! Will not be back!!! read more