Bear Paddle Swim School - Lake In The Hills

About

Bear Paddle Swim School - Lake In The Hills, located at 307 Randall Rd, Lake in the Hills, IL 60156, USA, is a dedicated facility offering year-round swim lessons. It provides a fun and safe environment for children to learn swimming skills, focusing on stroke development, water safety, and building confidence. They offer a variety of programs tailored for different age groups and skill levels, emphasizing an engaging learning experience.

The pools at Bear Paddle Swim School - Lake In The Hills are consistently heated to a comfortable 90 degrees Fahrenheit (approximately 32 degrees Celsius) for the comfort of all swimmers, especially children.

What are people saying (AI review summary)? Bear Paddle generally receives high praise for its effective swim instruction, helping children gain confidence and learn essential skills, including progressing from fear to advanced strokes. Many parents commend the amazing, patient, and encouraging instructors, the structured and safety-focused lessons, and the friendly, helpful front desk staff and management who create a positive and welcoming learning environment. Several reviews highlight specific benefits like 1-on-1 lessons, swim camps, and family swim perks, with patrons expressing satisfaction with the LITH location and the staff going 'above and beyond'. However, one significant negative review strongly criticizes Bear Paddle as overpriced and ineffective, claiming children showed minimal progress (e.g., not learning to float after many expensive lessons), comparing it unfavorably to cheaper alternatives and labeling it a 'scam.' This reviewer also noted issues with the cleanliness of the pool and locker rooms.

Location

Gallery

Amenities

• Accepts Credit Cards
• Accessible Entrance
• Accessible Restroom

Reviews

Listing Reviews

March 23rd, 2025

Dave Matyas

Bear Paddle LITH is a fantastic place to learn how to swim. Our daughter struggled with confidence in level 1 and they went above and beyond to help her gain confidence so she could move along in the program. The 1 on 1 lessons are great and she loves going to the swim camps. The ability to take the kids to family swim on the weekends is also a great perk. The employees are awesome and make swimming fun for the kids. I would absolutely recommend the LITH location and I'm so glad we chose this over other options.

April 26th, 2024

Lacee Hudec

We are 100% thrilled with the instruction at Bear Paddle! The teachers are all so amazing and patient, the lessons are structured in such a way that kids develop true confidence in their skills and (most importantly) learn how to be safe in the water. You can see when you watch the other classes, from the very youngest to the most advanced, each level is catered to each child's ability and skill level, and progression is methodical and measured by learning attainable skills. I only wish we had found Bear Paddle sooner!

July 12th, 2023

Amy Morgan

I definately recommend Bear Paddle for helping your kids learn to swim and gain confidence in the water! My 8 year old son and 3 year old daughter have been swimming here for over a year and love it! The coaches, especially Julia, Abby and Emma, are incredible! Very patient and encouraging. They make my kids feel safe and confident in the pool. The front desk staff is also very friendly and helpful with whatever we need. They take time to interact with my kids to make them feel welcome. The staff here goes above and beyond to make my kids love going to the pool and learning to swim!

July 26th, 2023

Karin Fournier

My son looks forward to his swim lessons. When he started he was afraid to even float on his back. Now he is learning the butterfly. The coaches are great with him. They really work with his personality to make learning to swim fun and safe. The management is always friendly and helpful. The workers at the front desk always take the time to answer my son's questions and chat with him after every lesson. Bear Paddle was a great choice for us. I wouldn't go anywhere else.

April 3rd, 2024

Ashley Guge

Save your money! This is no better than a park district class with a hefty price tag. I signed my two boys up, hoping the price would mean that they would learn faster or have more skilled teachers. From the 1st lesson in level 1, they were given 2 badges. They only needed to earn their floating badge. After $800 ($400/kid) and 15 lessons, they still can not float. They can keep a float by paddling bur cannot float on their back for 15 seconds. They will not move them to the next level. In 15 lessons and an absurd amount of money, my kids didn't learn a thing! I kept bringing it to their attention. They response was, "Some kids can take 6 months to move up." My sister in law had the same issue. I didn't find out about it until after I enrolled my kids. This is a scam. The pool and locker room are not the cleanest either. I gave them 1 start because their teacher was very nice.