About
The John F. Thompson Memorial Swimming Pool is a public outdoor swimming facility located at 211 Highland Ave, Ludlow, MA. It serves the local community by offering recreational swimming, lap swimming, and often provides swimming lessons, especially during the summer months.
The pool at the John F. Thompson Memorial Swimming Pool is unheated. Its temperature is therefore dependent on ambient weather conditions, typically being cooler in the mornings and warming throughout sunny days.
What are people saying (AI review summary)? Reviews for this pool are largely negative, primarily due to extremely strict and often inconsistently enforced rules, particularly regarding swimwear. The most common complaint is the ban on wearing shorts over bathing suits, which many reviewers find to be 'not body friendly,' 'not family friendly,' and discriminatory, especially for those who prefer modesty. Staff, particularly lifeguards, are frequently described as rude, unfriendly, unprofessional (yelling at children, not supervising), and inconsistent in applying rules. There are also significant complaints about the cleanliness of the bathrooms and changing facilities, citing them as 'disgusting' and 'not family friendly.' While some reviewers acknowledge the pool itself is clean, large, and has warm water, these positive aspects are consistently overshadowed by the 'horrible' staffing, 'weird rules,' and poor overall experience, leading many to state they will not return.
Location
Gallery
Amenities
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Good for Children
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Accessible Entrance
Reviews
Listing Reviews
June 24th, 2025Katieria Vazquez
Pay a fee to get in and can’t absolutely do a thing! All pools allow the kids a safety floaty and these people do not. Can’t wear shorts with your bathing suit. Some of us have respect for our bodies and would not like to feel completely “naked” first and the last I’ll ever come here. Have a better time at Chicopee pool without any problems or weird rules. Also bathrooms are DISGUSTING. There was toilet paper EVERYWHERE. and the family bathroom changing table seems as though they haven’t cleaned it in a long time… there was cob webs and spiders in the changing table… Def NOT family friendly.
June 22nd, 2025Chelsey Badillo
the pool itself is okay , the lifeguard staff are very off putting and not friendly , the shorts rule is ridiculous, its not body friendly , or family friendly , if im feeling insecure i cannot keep my shorts on , they force you to take the shorts off. just not a friendly environment or friendly staff.
August 2nd, 2024Kassandra Colon
READ !!!!!! BEFORE!!!!!!! GOING !!!!!!!!! I took the family today to this pool it was out first time there. The pool was clean and pretty big the staffing is horrible! It’s $4 to get in the pool it was 5 of us so I paid $20 total the lady in the front who gives us the that band ses the rules and ses cotton shirts in the pool I asked if my niece swimming shorts were ok before I give her my money she ses it’s okay, we get in the pool having fun more staff starts showing up and this one life guard keep telling my niece to take off her shorts very rude or get out the pool I refused to let her get out the pool take shorts off 1 she dose not feel comfortable with just wearing the bathing suit panties 2 before I spent my $20 I made sure ! She can get in the pool the the shorts on !! I told him she will not be taking them off untill a manager comes and sees me about her shorts, an hour go by the manager comes to me and ses my niece can not have those swimming pants only can have bathing suit with no cover up at all! If the shorts have a mesh then they can wear it BUT !!!!! ONLY WAY SHE CAN GET IN THE POOL WITH SHORTS IF SHE HAD NO PANTIES ON ! yes!! That came out the managers mouth she can only get in if she has nothing under the shorts witch is disgusted it gets better ! I’m a grown women I had the exact same shorts at my neice they did not tell me nothing one bit! They did not tell me take them off nothing!!! Witch was weird to me, me and my husband got out the pool sat on the bench ! Literally 2 feet away not even and the same guy who wanted my niece to take off her shorts soooooooo bad said we left the kids by them selfs and they were ready to call the cops WE WERE THERE THR HOLE TIME!!! Watching them !!! We never left to the car never left there sight watching them the hole time This pool was very clean and big but the staffing the vibes were horrible the life guards were yelling at the kids very loud swearing at them they don’t watch kids they sit there and flirt with each other my nephew was literally in the deep end he’s 7 and I had to go and take him out STAFFING HORRIBLE RULES ARE HORRIBLE!!! weird people working there there was kids with cotton shirts on ! And they were more worried about my nieces damn shorts sad
July 2nd, 2025Bebe MArt
Very bad service they try taking ppl swimming short .you can only go in the pool with bathing suits if u don't do what they want they kick u out very rude ppl working there
August 10th, 2022Betsy Carrasquillo
Great pool, clean, water was warm, plenty of lifeguards on deck. All those great things accept the pool manager Deborah Gates discriminates those who are religious and do not expose there bodies. Meaning shorts are not allowed over your bottom swimwear. Literally got kicked out of the pool for not wanting to wear my 1 piece bathing suit on it’s own. Sad that it’s such a nice place with a poor manager to run it & have no mercy on those who choose to be modest.
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Opening Hours
| Sunday | 10:00 AM – 7:00 PM |
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| Monday | 12:00 – 7:00 PM |
| Tuesday | 12:00 – 7:00 PM |
| Wednesday | 12:00 – 7:00 PM |
| Thursday | 12:00 – 7:00 PM |
| Friday | 12:00 – 7:00 PM |
| Saturday | 10:00 AM – 7:00 PM |
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