As pool attendance surges post-pandemic, Mineral Springs remains 'hidden gem' in Winston-Salem

The splash pad is running and the Mineral Springs Pool is sparkling clean at Jerry King Park in Winston-Salem. But a few minutes past noon on a Friday, the place is empty. Heather Candelora with the city’s recreation and parks department says that’s not too uncommon for Mineral Springs. 

“It’s kind of tucked away into the woods a little bit," she says. "It's kind of a hidden gem.”

The pool received about 2,000 visitors during the 2021-2022 season. In contrast, Bolton Pool, the city’s most popular, got over 24,000. 

Attendance overall at the city’s pools during the 2021-2022 season was up by about 60% from 2019. 

“I think more people have realized or recognized the importance of recreation, especially after being stuck in our homes for two years,” says Candelora.

She adds that they used those pandemic years to tackle some renovation projects. Long Creek Pool received a new deck and bathhouse. Sprague Pool was closed and is being transformed into a splash pad. 

More recently, the city set aside $624,000 to upgrade security systems at both swimming pools and parks. 

Correction: An earlier version of this story misidentified Mineral Spring as Minerals Springs.