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Avila Hot Springs Resort
Good-for-Kids Rating
Babies
Toddlers & Pre-KSchool-Age KidsPre-Teens & Teens
Water Park
Swimming
Avila Hot Springs Resort Description
This old-fashioned hot springs and family water park is loads of affordable fun. When we stumbled on it a few years ago, we felt like we'd gone back to the old lakeside amusement park that's long gone from our area. Avila is a real hot springs; thermally heated water bubbles up from the ground and is captured in a naturally heated hot pool and a bigger "cool pool" that's still comfortably warm on a breezy day. The bigger pool has water slides into it; the smaller soaking pool has a quieter, more peaceful atmosphere.
Kid Tips
Toddlers & Pre-K: While I've seen mom's holding little ones in the hot pool, the water seems too hot for thin-skinned babies. So if you want to soak that backache away, you're going to need to trade kid duty with dad or a friend.
Planning Notes
- Best for a foggy or breezy day. This is the perfect activity for one of those days when you'd planned to go the beach but the wind picked up. The hot springs are just over the hill from the coast, so the temperature's warmer to begin with, and both pools are heated, one to a temperate 85 F and the other to a nice steaming 104 F.
- Restaurant on site. Mama's Meatballs, the resort's own low-key Italian restaurant, is surprisingly good and offers family friendly prices.
Just the Facts
Hours: Monday-Friday opens at 7 a.m.; Saturdays and Sundays at 8 a.m. Closing hours vary; Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays they stay open til 9 p.m., but Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays they're open until 10 p.m.
Fees: Less than $10.
Recommended Time: 1 - 2 hours
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