Venetian Pool
Miami's most glamorous swimming hole was carved from a coral rock quarry in 1923. Esther Williams filmed here. The water is still spring-fed.
In the early 1920s, Coral Gables developer George Merrick had a problem: a massive coral rock quarry left over from construction of his planned city. His solution was to flood it, add Venetian-style loggias, waterfalls, and grottos, and open it as a public swimming pool in 1923. The result is one of the most architecturally improbable public pools in the United States.
It holds 820,000 gallons of spring water. Every night, the pool is drained. Every morning, it refills from underground aquifers. The water is always cold, always clear, always moving.
Esther Williams filmed scenes here. Johnny Weissmuller trained here. The pool is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and looks exactly like a film set — because it essentially was one. The coral rock caves and vine-covered towers are real, not decorative. The whole thing is genuinely beautiful in a way that photographs cannot fully capture.
Located at 2701 De Soto Blvd in Coral Gables. Open Tuesday through Sunday; hours vary by season. Admission is charged. Arrive early on weekends — it fills up. Children under 3 are not admitted. The pool is closed in winter for cleaning.