Everyone knows it's hot and humid here in Texas Forest Country. So to beat the heat we have put together this list of free, or very inexpensive, open to the public, places to cool off this Summer. Stay cool my friends!

  • 1

    Spray Play at the Park

    Chambers, Kiwanis, and Jones Parks are great spots to bring your kids if you don't want to stay at home and run your water or air conditioning bills up.

    The parks are equipped with pavilions, picnic areas, restrooms, a playground and spray play pads, these places are like a paradise for the kiddos. The spray pad has a sensor operated area that shoots up water in fun designs between the hours of 10AM and 7PM, so be sure to head down there and check it out.

    Because going to the park is free, it's a great place for play dates and birthday parties. You can get a whole pavilion to yourself at no cost if you contact the City of Lufkin and make a reservation.

  • 2

    Boys and Girls Club Swimming Pools

    There are a couple of great pools in Lufkin and Nacogdoches if you've got a little spending money. The Lehman Swim Center in Nacogdoches  and the Lufkin Swim Center in Lufkin locations both offer large indoor swimming pools (seven lanes in Nacogdoches and eight lanes in Lufkin) for a small fee of $5.00 and $2.00, respectively. THe pool at Livewell might be a little harder to get into, but if you've got a membership, you probably already know how great it is for staying cool during the Summer.

    Lufkin Summer Pool Schedule
    Lehman Summer Pool Hours
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  • 3

    Temple Spray Station - Nacogdoches

    There's a decent sized playground at 1100 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. equipped with a spray stations which could be worth checking out. There's little shade out there, but it's pretty cool how they've got the water sprayers set up all over the play equipment.

    If you're looking for more shade and less water, you can always take a quick drive to Pecan Park only a few minutes away from the spray station. The trees are tall, gorgeous, and will provide ample shade for you and your family.

  • 4

    Lake Nac - East Side Park

    For the bigger kids and more adventurous of us, we don't mind swimming in a lake. Lake Nac is accessible from East Side Park. It's three whole acres of "keep yourself cool" fun in the sun. There are picnic tables, swimming areas, boat ramps, restrooms, playground equipment and parking areas available.

  • 5

    Lake Nac - West Side Park

    We know what you're thinking ... A little lazy to put the same item in a list of five places to beat the heat, right? Well, like we said earlier, it's three acres and it's a lake for crying out loud! No kid's Summer is complete without a visit to the lake.

    If you absolutely need another spot for this list, then we suggest Camp Tonkawa which we believe has a small entry free. You can also check out Lake Tejas if you're will to spend a bit extra.

  • 6

    Jones Park

    Jones Park was closed for 2 years in a row due to a shortage of lifeguards. Lufkin Parks and Recreation is taking applications fr lifeguards now. They hope to be open before Memorial Day weekend. Maybe you could apply for a job as a lifeguard and be the hero of Lufkin this Summer!

    The park itself has recently been upgraded with plenty of cover from the sun. You can play basketball, tennis, go fishing, or just have a nice family picnic.

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