Pool deck concerts to splash pads, here’s where to keep cool in Tucson

Unless you live in Arizona; summer roared to life last week when the mercury skyrocketed to 108.

It will only get worse from here, which means it’s officially water season.

Here’s a guide to getting the most from being all wet this summer, from concerts on the pool deck to day passes at Tucson resorts and lap swimming at your local city or county pool.

Where: AC Hotel by Marriott Tucson Downtown, 151 E. Broadway

What: The downtown hotel is hosting live entertainment at its rooftop pool/lounge. This is a grown-ups event — no one under 21 will be admitted — where you can act like a kid. (Read on and you’ll see what we mean.) You can dive in the pool, which hotel officials admit is not super big, or just lounge at the bar enjoying samples from party sponsors. Food from downtown’s Little Love Burger and HUB Ice Cream will be available for sale. 

Cost: $25 per person through tucne.ws/1kkm

• Get Your Float On!: From 2 to 6 p.m. July 16, you can decorate a floaty to a hopping soundtrack courtesy DJ Walters the Don. Barrio Brewing Company is the sponsor and will be providing samples. The floaty winner will be decided by popular vote and the winner gets a one-night stay at the downtown hotel at a later date.

• Lucky Ducky Party!: DJ Walters the Don is back to kick up the beats from 2 to 6 p.m. Aug. 20 while party guests help the hotel fill the pool with rubber ducks. Yes, you read that right: The hotel is asking participants to bring a rubber duck to help them create a “photo opp like no other.” (This we have to see.) And if you play their rubber ducky game, you can get a complementary punch from the poolside lounge bar. Hornitos Seltzers is the sponsor.

Where: Hotel McCoy, 720 W. Silverlake Road

What: The boutique hotel hosts live events poolside and if you are a guest, you can dive in and watch from the water. The art-centric hotel, with its colorful murals and art exhibits throughout, is still restricting non-guests from using the pool for safety precautions as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Check with the hotel to see if that changes.

Details: hotelmccoy.com or 520-636-6129

Cost: Varies by event and many are free

• Meet a Mermaid: No, really, a mermaid, right there on the deck of the pool. From 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday, May 28, you can pose for pictures and she’ll tell you the story of how she came to be in the desert before she takes a dip in the hotel’s saltwater pool. It reminds her of home, hotel officials explained, then warned that you might not want to be too close unless you’re a fan of getting wet. That big tail of her’s causes quite the splash.

• Kenji Lancaster & Friends: Jazz drummer Lancaster teams up with a stand-up bass player and jazz pianist for an evening of smooth jazz at 5:30 p.m. Friday, May 27.

• Open mic night: If you have a tune in you and you want to get it out, step up to the mic. The hotel hosts an open mic night n the first Sunday of the month — the next one is June 5. Signups begin at 6 p.m.

• Liz & Pete in concert: When Pete Ronstadt and Liz Cerepanya take the stage at 6 p.m. June 10, they will live up to Pete’s famous aunt Linda Ronstad’s description of the pair having “lovely, fresh harmonies and a secret cache of original songs.” Cerepanya contributes heartfelt vocals and Ronstadt lends rich guitar arrangements on the pair’s new album, “Beautiful Strangers.”

• Recurring events: From 5 to 9 p.m. Fridays, catch live music. Swimnema Saturdays features dive-in movies starting at 8 p.m. every Saturday.

Several Tucson resorts offer day passes for their pools and other amenities through resortpass.com. Note: you cannot get the day passes from the resorts themselves.

• JW Marriott Tucson Starr Pass Resort & Spa, 3645 W. Starr Pass Blvd.; starting at $48

• Ritz Carlton Dove Mountain, 15000 N. Secret Springs Drive, Marana; starting at $55

• The Tuxon Hotel, 960 S. Freeway; starting at $35

• Omni Tucson National Resort, 2727 W. Club Drive, Marana; starting at $35

• Westward Look Wyndham Grand Resort and Spa, 245 E. Ina Road; starting at $28

• Hotel McCoy, 720 W. Silverlake Road; starting at $20

• DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Tucson at Reid Park, 445 S. Alvernon Way; starting at $20

A universal lifeguard shortage has forced the City of Tucson to open only 10 of its 20 pools. Hours vary by location and admission is $2 for adults, free for kids 17 and younger.

• Edith Ball Adaptive Recreation Center at Reid Park

• Archer Pool, 1665 S. La Cholla Blvd.

• Catalina Pool, 2005 N. Dodge Blvd.

• Clements Pool at Pima Community College East, 8155 E. Poinciana Drive

• Fort Lowell Pool, 2900 N. Craycroft Road

• Mansfield Pool, 2275 N. Fourth Ave.

•  Purple Heart Pool, 10050 E. Rita Road

•  Quincie Douglas Pool, 1563 E. 36th St.

• Sunnyside Pool, 1725 E. Bilby Road

•  Udall Pool at 7200 E. Tanque Verde Road in Udall Park

The lifeguard shortage means shorter hours at Pima County‘s eight Tucson area pools and Town of Ajo pool. The pools will close on Fridays and Sundays and be open from 1 to 5 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays and from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturdays. Admission is $3 for adults, $1 for children 17 and under.  

• Catalina Pool, 16562 N. Oracle Road

• Flowing Wells Jr. High School Pool, 4545 N. La Cholla Blvd.

• Kino Pool, 2805 E. Ajo Way

• Los Niños Pool, 5432 S. Bryant Ave.

• Manzanita Pool, 5110 S. San Joaquin Ave.

• Picture Rocks Pool, 5615 N. Sanders Road

• Thad Terry Aquatic Center at Northwest YMCA, 7770 N. Shannon Road

• Wade McLean Pool at Marana High School, 12000 W. Emigh Road

The Town of Marana pool at 13250 N. Lon Adams Road in Ora Mae Harn District Park, celebrates its 50th anniversary with a special jubilee shindig from 2 to 6 p.m. Friday, May 27, before opening for the summer on Saturday, May 28. Summer hours will be from noon to 4 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays and from noon to 5 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and admission is free.

Oro Valley has two public pools — the Aquatic Center, 23 W. Calle Concordia, and the Community & Recreation Center, 10555 N. La Cañada Drive — that are open year-round. Admission is $5 per person or $14 for a family up to six. The Aquatic Center is open from 5 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sundays.

If you are a parent of a teenager you are probably really wishing splash pads had been around when your kids were toddlers. But splash pads are a relatively new thing popping up in housing developments and public parks with abandon.

On Friday, May 27, the City of Tucson will hold the grand opening of its latest splash pad at Purple Heart Pool, 10050 E. Rita Road. The city has splash pads at several city pools and they are open from 8 a.m. to sunset:

• Catalina Park Splash Pad, 925 N. Fourth Ave.

• Naida Jane Baker Splash Pad, 2536 N. Castro Ave.

• Clements Splash Pad, 8155 E. Poinciana Drive

• Palo Verde Splash Pad, 355 S. Mann Ave.

• Udall Splash Pad, 7200 E. Tanque Verde Road

Pima County has three splash pads that run from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily:

• Brandi Fenton Splash Pad, 3482 E. River Road

• Picture Rocks Pool and Splash Pad, 5615 N. Sanders Road

• Warden Family Splash Pad, 5110 S. San Joaquin Ave.

The Town of Marana has three splash parks, which run from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily: 

• Heritage River Park Splash Pad, 12280 N. Heritage Park Drive

• Crossroads at Silverbell District Park splash pad, 7548 N. Silverbell Road

• Gladden Farms Community Park splash park, 12205 N. Tangerine Farms Road