Atlantis Swim Club remains a hot spot to cool down
Jun. 15—For more than 40 years, Atlantis Swim Club has served the Owensboro community as a beacon of summer fun in the sun. With multiple pools and activities, the center remains a busy place for locals to cool off from the summer heat.
Owner Karen Jones said she and her husband Tony bought the swim club at 3905 Carter Road in 2017 from Floyd and Elaine Tapp.
"Tony and I both had worked here for numerous summers," she said, "and we worked for the Tapp family."
After riding her bicycle to the old Sportscenter public pool with her siblings as a child, Jones said she considers owning Atlantis Swim Club to be the perfect job for her.
"It is a lot of work, but I love it," she said. "This is my dream job right here ... come to the pool every day."
The operation is a family affair, with Jones' son Chance Jones serving as aquatic director and another son, Hunter Jones, handling the pool's maintenance.
"I grew up here," Chance Jones said. "I enjoy just being outside. It keeps me busy, and you meet a lot of new people here."
Chance Jones said that while he is essentially the direct supervisor of the club's lifeguards, he jumps in wherever he is needed at any moment.
"I will work in the concession stand, I will help with maintenance, whatever is needed," he said.
With more than 500 members, Atlantis Swim Club remains a popular summertime destination decades after its doors first opened to the public. Karen Jones said that despite competition from other area pools and aquatic activities, the club has been able to hold its own.
She does not consider Holiday World's Splashin' Safari Water Park in Santa Claus, Indiana, to be the club's competition, however.
"No, only because we are just swim, and they have the amusements and all that," she said.
Amenities at Atlantis Swim Club include a wade pool, waterslide, kiddie pool, general purpose pool, diving well with low-diving board, mini golf course, volleyball court, outside exercise area, tennis court and a basketball court.
There is also a full concession stand, where customers can buy everything from hamburgers and hot dogs to popcorn, ice cream, candy and snow cones.
Karen Jones said anyone under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult, and customers should be prepared to show their I.D.
With rising inflation and the seemingly ever-increasing cost of gasoline, Karen Jones is hoping area residents will consider Atlantis Swim Club for their "staycation" this summer.
"Come here, you don't have to travel, you don't have to buy your gas except to here and home," she said.
Jones said those visiting the pool can either purchase a season membership or pay by the day.
Rates range from $16 for a full-day admission for ages 14 and older to $152 for a season-long membership for ages 14 and older. Daily admission prices are reduced for those looking to cool off after 3p.m., with prices adjusted to $11 for ages 14 and older, $7 for ages 3-13 and ages two and under free.
