Anderson Aquatic Center — Attraction in Normal

What was supposed to be a special day turned into a huge letdown. My 5-year-old's first-ever birthday party was an absolute disaster, and it's all thanks to the management at Anderson Aquatic Center.

We had everything planned: a two-hour party, all-day pool access, and pizza for everyone at the Anderson Aquatic Center (originally booked at Karraker Aquatic Center). But it quickly fell apart. A few weeks before the event, I was asked to move my reservation to a different location, which I reluctantly agreed to. On the day of the party, they called to say they didn't have pizza, making me frantically scramble to feed 20 guests at the last minute. The worst part was when the party was over. With all the kids in their swimsuits, ready to jump in the pool and swim for the rest of the day, we were suddenly told the center was closing early —despite their posted hours showing 6:00 PM closing time.

My son got to play in the pool for maybe 10 minutes before we were all kicked out. The staff claimed it was due to "low attendance," but to us, it felt like they were just cutting our fun short. Imagine the look on my little boy's face and the disappointment of all the kids. It was heartbreaking. I tried to talk to a manager about a refund for the pizza and the ruined experience, but the staff wouldn't even give me a number. They promised a call that never came.

This was supposed to be a core memory for my son, and instead, it was a total flop. This entire experience was unacceptable and turned what should have been a joyful day into a big disappointment. I would never recommend this center to anyone looking to host a party or a...

We had a terrible experience at Anderson Aquatic Center during my friend’s 5-year-old’s birthday party. The room was supposed to be reserved from 2–4 PM, but the group before us left late, so we couldn’t even get started until 2:30. Despite losing that time, the staff still insisted that we leave at 4 PM, even though the center was open until 6. Because of this, the kids hardly had any time to swim or enjoy the party.

To make things worse, there was no supervisor available to talk to us, and when we asked for a contact number, they refused to share it since it was a Sunday. They promised that someone would reach out to us, but even after 3 days, no one has followed up.

On top of that, the pizza that was supposed to be provided for the party never arrived. They said they would issue a refund, but that also hasn’t happened. It feels like there is zero accountability—no one is responsible enough to call back or resolve the issue.

Overall, very unprofessional and disappointing. I would not recommend hosting...

This is a really nice pool, however there are a couple downfalls to be aware of...

1. call ahead on a week night before showing up to confirm open swim times. There is often times swim team practice or swimming lessons which cause the pool to close earlier than the hours state online.
2. the kiddie area is big, and it only gets about 18" deep or so. Also has a nice (slow) slide that good for 3-4 yr olds. However, the multiple sprayers in there are way too strong for toddlers. They completely knocked my 20-mo-old over!
3. the most shallow area of the regular pool(s) is 3'6" which is a little deep for my 5 yr old (44") who cannot yet fully swim. So basically the kiddie area "is for babies" and there's no where for him to touch in the regular pool. (at least he can go down the big watersides, but needs to be caught at the bottom by dad) All in all, 4/5 stars since it's a nice pool, but not great for that 4-6 yr...