Where to cool off this summer

Is there anything hotter than a Louisiana summer?
For those without the luxury of a backyard oasis, the closest place to Eunice to cool off is Lakeview Park and Beach, just up the road on La. 13. Reopened in 2009, the park’s swimming area has well water pumped in daily and a swath of sandy beach. The swimming area features a water trampoline and two inflatable water slides.
The beach is open on weekends, Friday-Sunday, and will open every day of the week around May 29. When school begins next fall, the facility will go back to weekends only and close for the year at a yet to be determined date. Beach hours are Friday-Saturday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday-Thursday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Day passes to the park are: weekend, Saturday and Sunday - $10 per person; weekday, Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday - $7 per person; Tuesdays, $5 per person; holidays, $10 per person and children 3 and under get in free. Tube rentals are $5 a day. For beach regulations for those camping at the park or for more information, visit www.lvpark.com or call 337-457-2881.
“We get day visitors to the beach from all over,” said park receptionist Holly Higginbotham. “It’s pretty busy on the weekends.”
Three more bathing basins are located 40 minutes from Eunice, ranging from splash pads to pools to another sandy lakefront.
Chicot State Park, located at 3469 Chicot Park Road in Ville Platte, opened its splash pad in 2013 after the demolition of the park’s aging pool. The splash pad is open Tuesdays through Sundays from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., and the splash pad will close for the season on Oct. 31. The facility is closed on Mondays for cleaning and maintenance. The splash pad features watergarden flowers, loop cannons, fountains, aqua domes, a pavilion and bathrooms.
According to Jessica Earles, park manager, the facility is popular for all age groups, and a 50-50 mix of campers and non-campers come to cool off at the site.
“The splash pad is more popular than the pool was,” Earles added.
The park entry fee, which includes access to the splash pad, is $2 per person and free for seniors 62 and older and children 3 and under. Splash pad access is included in the cost for campers. For more information, call 337-363-2403 or visit www.crt.state.la.us/louisiana-state-parks/parks/chicot-state-park.
Crooked Creek Recreation Area, located at 1300 Sandy Beach Drive in Ville Platte, features a sand beach on its lake. The beach is open year round, but swimming is only allowed from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. A day pass to visit the beach is $4 per person for those 12 and over.
“We get a lot of people, adults and children, who come for the day to swim,” said Crooked Creek Recreation Area office manger Julie Foreman.
For more information, call 337-599-2661.
While these two parks are located north of Eunice, those looking for a spot to cool off west of Eunice can soak up the sun at the Dream Pool at Coushatta Casino Resort in Kinder.
The Dream Pool is open and will close for the season Oct. 11, and hours of the pool are 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. The facility is open to use for overnight hotel, RV and chalet guests. The pool features a shaded section with tables in the cabana bar and a lazy river. The splash pad, designed for children, features two mushroom waterfalls, built-in spray cannons and criss-crossing arcs of water that spray out from the ground.
For more information, visit www.coushattacasinoresort.com or call 1-800-584-7263.
For those who don’t mind a longer drive, L’auberge Casino Resort, 64 miles from Eunice, also has swimming facilities for adults and children. The resort is located at 777 Avenue Lauberge in Lake Charles.
The pool area is for hotel guests only, and the pool is open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. The adults-only pool are has cabanas, a full-bar service and private poolside cabanas with sunbathing patios.
For more information, call 337-395-7777 or visit www.llakecharles.com
Next door to L’auberge Casino Resort is the new Golden Nugget. This is the casino’s first summer season, and those looking to escape soaring temperatures can visit the resort’s H2O Pool and Bar.
The pool opens daily at 8 a.m., weather permitting. Hotel guests at Golden Nugget may use the pool throughout their stay. Day passes are available for non-hotel guests, and the pass prices are as follows: 12 years and older $30, 4 to 11 years old $10 and children 3 and under enter free.
Also in the southwest corner of the state is Sulphur Parks and Recreation Water Park, located at 933 W Parish Road in Sulphur.
The park is open daily. The park is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m on Wednesday and Sunday from 1 to 7 p.m.
For more information, call 337-721-3068 or visit www.sulphurparks.com.