The manager and staff are great!…read more As a mom, there's nothing more comforting than seeing your child feel safe, supported, and celebrated--and that's exactly what we've found here. When we first started swim lessons, my kiddo was terrified of the water. I honestly wasn't sure how it would go. But thanks to the incredibly patient, kind, and skilled instructors, not only is my child no longer scared--they are absolutely thriving. What makes this place truly special is the family atmosphere. Everyone knows my kiddo by name, cheers them on, and makes them feel like they belong. It's not just swim lessons--it's a community that genuinely cares. We've gone from tears at the pool's edge to being asked daily if it's "swimming day" yet. I can't thank this team enough for helping my child grow in confidence and fall in love with swimming!

Bear Paddle has small group classes for kids based on their proficiency and age. Lessons are fun…read moreand non competitive. Instructors, called coaches, provide instruction and correction when needed to meet specific goals for each class level. When goals are met, the kids get patches and graduate to the next level. Bear Paddle also offers special clinics and camps during breaks from school. Pool is filled with warm salt water. Locker room has stalls for changing and showers are available. The Kid Wash also allows kids to rinse off before and after class in a fun way. There's an adjacent room with tables, and chairs, snack machines (I don't think they are working at this time), and kids' movies. Kids seem to like it.

We are not eesidents but we enjoy using this place. We have been here twice and enjoyed it both…read moretimes. It was clean and there were plenty ofchairs to use. There are age appropriate activities from infant on up. Theres plenty of shallow space with slides for the little ones, a nice deep end with a slide and diving board, a little water playground, a lazy river and assorted water slides for the more adventurous. They do have a cafe area with food, but we didnt try it. There are some healthy snacks but mostly the usual for this type of venue.

Overall a good place to take kids of all ages. Food is basic. Very strict on no outside food. The…read morebathrooms were horrible, don't seem to be cleaned often, which is gross and unsanitary for the summer wave.

Wish I could post how disgusting the pool water was today. Brought it up the staff. Asked the life…read moreguard if you have a way of cleaning the thousand of flies in the water. Absolutely everywhere in the pool. You cant submerge without coming out with dead flies in your head or your mouth. If I can post the pictures I have I would. This was disgusting. They should close it and clean it. Takes 30mins. Did they? nope. Fucking gross

FANTASTIC! That is the best word for Alsip Park District…read more I worked here one summer as a seasonal employee and it was by far my favorite day camp experience. Kids have a LOT of fun here. Plus there are plenty of field trips and special camp visitors. Please patronize this park district! I love it.

My 3 children took swim lessons…read more Pros: the teachers and staff are all very nice and relate to kids well. They have a nice area where the kids can play/relax after class for a few minutes. They use the whole lane of the pool to teach which maximizes swim time. The teachers sometimes have them "group swim" instead of ONLY individual swim which maximizes swim time. They also are very prompt with starting and ending on time. Cons: the teachers they have are not consistent, and so they don't know your child's swim level, and the skills worked on that week is random (whatever the teacher wants to do), so there is a lack on consistency. I also wish there was an option for parents to sit inside the pool area instead of only the option to sit outside of the glass. Overall, I would go for another lesson, but wish for more consistency in skills learned each week.

Been taking my daughter to swim classes here for a couple of years. We were excited to graduate…read morefrom the baby classes, which is 30 minutes of just getting the kids used to being in water and most of the instructors we had did not seem too engaged in the class. Once we got to the 3-5 classes, the instructors were great and my kids loved it. However, we had 2 weeks in a row where, first, my 3-year-old fell in the water and was picked up by another instructor who was walking around the pool. Then the next week, during the last 5 minutes of "play time," my 4-year-old slipped off the wall and was fully submerged and flailing in the water. The teacher (who is great) was with another child. I don't know how long my daughter was under water (it felt like forever), but it was long enough for all five parents watching to bang repeatedly on the class and yell for someone's attention, since the door to the pool is locked and we couldn't get in. Finally, an instructor walking around the pool noticed and grabbed my daughter. During both incidents, the "lifeguard" did not notice either girl and made no move to help either time. After the second incident, we removed my daughter's from the class. I spoke with the manager, Jackie, who was great, discussed how there is no way that should be happening, and offered a full refund. Then she had the supervisor, Marty, call me. He made the situation much worse by repeatedly discussing how young children don't listen by the pool and it causes unsafe situations. I agreed with him, acknowledging that my 3-year-old fell in due to not listening. But my 4-year-old is very nervous by the water and tends to be a very good listener. Despite mentioning this, Marty again discussed how children don't listen and cause an unsafe situation by continually jumping in the pool on the own. Even if my daughter was not listening, there should be no reason a child is fully submerged under the water with no one (especially the lifeguard) noticing until parents finally get their attention by banging on windows and yelling. Marty made the whole experience worse by his attempts to explain why the situation occurred and helped me feel more confident in my decision to transfer the girls to the new Foss swim school (which is also much bigger and cleaner).

This is not for the Orland Park location, but for the Joliet location. My husband and I went to…read morecheck out the swim advantage since it's new and close to our home. We had a wonderful tour by Paige. I went back the next day for an aqua fitness class. It was great. Paige is very good at teaching this class. We did exercises that I didn't even know you could do with pool noodles. The facility is nice and clean while locker rooms were great. We checked out the events that they had coming up one being a sound bath the other float flex which they show movies and you can float on a float in the pool fun things to do with your family. It's a great perk for the Joliet area. If you get a chance, take a tour try out of class. The staff is very helpful on accommodating.

This group of instructors are amazing in helping my son learn how to swim. Their practiced safety…read morefirst on each lesson. My son's technique greatly improved, which also boosted his confidence in the water. Highly recommended using them.

Not only were my swim lessons cancelled 48hrs prior to the lessons, the website was not updated for…read moreme to reschedule for another day. When I tried to text to reschedule, I was told those classes were full. When I texted for other options, I never got a response and am being ignored. The cost is much higher than park district.

PROS: The pool and facilities are clean. There are a lot of…read morelifeguards on duty. There are plenty of lounge chairs around the pool. The season pass pricing is reasonable. The front desk checks your bags to make sure there are no improper items. Unopened bottles of nonalcoholic drinks are allowed. This is good for the protection of children and weirdos coming into the pool area. CONS: There should be real food served in the vending area. This is a major turn off as a mom. The ice cream vending machine should also 1) work, and 2) be stocked. This is, afterall, summer.

My friend Tara had a private birthday party here for her kid. It's not a giant pool but it was…read morecertainly big enough for us. There's a slide, a diving board, and a shallow little kid spot with water spouts for the wee ones to play. Besides the fact that it's super fun to have a pool filled only with people you know, it's even better when the lifeguards rock. The staff was so much fun. My friend's husband and I were having a very ridiculous diving board competition (more like who-could-land-the-worst competition) and the guards were all about joining in our laughter. They also shot water guns with the kids when they were off rotation. I'd like to give a giant shout-out to the staff. You people were perfection. Well done.

It's fun and it 2 water slides to ride And u can go there…read morewith lots a people it a kidde pool and a big kid pool

Overall a fun filled environment with several life guards on duty which takes extra precaution of…read moreeveryone's safety. Just watch the video i posted i mean they are strictly professionals. The kids hates the 25 minute safety check but i thinks it's an outstanding thing every hour, another great think they dint hassle you about bri going in your own snacks, everyone don't eat concession theses days. Plenty of lawn chairs not too many under the umbrellas though so arrive during opening if you're not considering getting a tan from the dun. This place also has a nice size toddler area for the babies. It's a small discount if you're a resident from the area and an extra few bucks if you're not, no biggie though.