The Barton Springs Pool in Austin, Texas, attracted more visitors last year than it had during any year in the previous decade. The storied natural swimming area with a view of downtown Austin drew nearly 1 million aquaphiles in 2025, up from the shallows of 2020, when 300,000 or so defied the pandemic to take a dip.
The appeal of natural pools seems to be growing nationwide as outdoor recreationalists increasingly eschew chemicals and additives. And while Barton Springs is probably the best-known natural pool in the country, nontraditional swimming spots in New Jersey, Minnesota, Florida, and Colorado have all reported recent upticks in traffic.
The same is true in Virginia, where the Blue Ridge Swim Club just outside Charlottesville has seen its membership roughly double in the past several years. “For some reason, we’ve grown a great deal,” club owner Todd Barnett says…