Austin

Where to find refuge from the extreme heat in Austin this summer

KUT 90.5 | By Dylan Rasbridge

Published June 12, 2023 at 2:33 PM CDT

A pool seen behind a chain-link fence, with a person in a lifeguard chair with a red and white umbrella — Big Stacy in South Austin is open year-round. All the city's pools are now fully staffed after a shortage of lifeguards forced Austin to stagger public pool openings last year.

Austin is looking at high temperatures in the triple digits every day this week. They don’t usually climb that high until around July 9. A large heat dome, which occurs when a region of high pressure in the atmosphere traps heat over an area, is contributing to the abnormally hot temperatures around Central Texas.

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To deal with the sweltering heat, the City of Austin is opening up cooling centers to provide temporary relief.

All open parks and library facilities are now serving as cooling centers during their normal business hours. They are not overnight shelters.

The following Parks and Recreation facilities are designated as cooling centers:

North Austin

Gus Garcia Recreation Center, 1101 East Rundberg Lane: Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. – 9 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.; Sunday, 12:30 p.m. – 5 p.m.
Hancock Recreation Center, 811 East 41st St.: Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. – 10 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m. – noon
Northwest Recreation Center, 2913 Northland Drive: Monday – Thursday, 9 a.m. – 9 p.m.; Friday, 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.; Saturday, 8:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Pickfair Recreation Center, 10904 Pickfair Drive: Monday – Friday, 2 p.m. – 6 p.m.
Dottie Jordan Recreation Center, 2803 Loyola Lane: Monday – Thursday, 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Virginia L. Brown Recreation Center, 7500 Blessing Ave.: Monday — Thursday, 9 a.m. - 9 p.m.; Friday, 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Central Austin

Cantu Pan Am Recreation Center, 2100 East Third St.: Monday – Thursday, 9 a.m. – 9 p.m.; Friday, 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Delores Duffie Recreation Center, 1182 North Pleasant Valley Road: Monday – Thursday, 1 p.m. – 9 p.m.; Friday 1 p.m. – 6 p.m.
Givens Recreation Center, 3811 East Third St.: Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. – 9 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.; Sunday, noon – 4 p.m.
Mendez Recreation Center, 2407 Canterbury St.: Monday – Thursday, 9 a.m. – 8 p.m.; Friday, 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Parque Zaragoza, 2608 Gonzales St.: Monday – Thursday, 11 a.m. – 9 p.m.; Friday, 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Turner Roberts Recreation Center, 7201 Colony Loop Drive: Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. – 9 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.; Sunday, 1 p.m. – 5 p.m.
Alamo Recreation Center, 2100 Alamo St.: Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Austin Recreation Center, 1301 Shoal Creek Blvd.: Monday – Thursday, 7:30 a.m. – 10:30 p.m.; Friday, 7:30 a.m. – 9 p.m.; Saturday, 8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.; Sunday, noon – 4 p.m.
Camacho Activity Center, 35 Robert Martinez Jr. St.: Monday – Friday, 1 p.m. – 6 p.m.

South Austin

Dittmar Recreation Center, 1009 West Dittmar Road: Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. – 9 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.; Sunday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Dove Springs Recreation Center, 5801 Ainez Drive: Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. – 9 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.; Sunday, noon – 4 p.m.
Montopolis Recreation Center, 1200 Montopolis Drive: Monday – Thursday, 11 a.m. – 9 p.m.; Friday, 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
South Austin Recreation Center, 1100 Cumberland Drive: Monday – Thursday, 9 a.m. – 9 p.m.; Friday, 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.; Sunday, 1 p.m. – 5 p.m.

Senior programs

Conley-Guerrero Senior Activity Center, 808 Nile St.: Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.; Saturday, 8 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Lamar Senior Activity Center, 2874 Shoal Crest Ave.: Monday – Thursday, 9 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.; Friday, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
South Austin Senior Activity Center, 3911 Menchaca Road: Monday, Thursday and Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.; Tuesday and Thursday, 8 a.m. – 9 p.m.

Cultural centers

Austin Nature and Science Center, 2389 Stratford Drive: Monday – Saturday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.; Sunday, noon – 5 p.m.
Doughtery Arts Center, 1110 Barton Springs Road: Monday – Thursday, 10 a.m. – 10 p.m.; Friday, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Asian American Resource Center, 8401 Cameron Road: Monday – Friday, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
George Washington Carver Cultural Center, 1165 Angelina St.: Monday – Wednesday, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.; Thursday, 10 a.m. – 9 p.m.; Friday, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

A complete list of cooling centers operated by the Parks and Recreation Department, with hours and addresses, is available here.

The lobbies of six Travis County community centers are also open during regular business hours for residents to get away from the heat. All public library branches are also open to anyone looking to cool down.

Of course, you can also cool off at one of the city’s many pools and splashpads — small oases in the blistering heat of summer. Pools are now fully staffed after a shortage of lifeguards that forced Austin to stagger public pool openings last year. A list of Austin’s 45 public aquatic facilities is available here.