Dr. M.L. King Community Pool

The pool is conveniently located off Duval Street in the heart of Key West and is free to get in. But it is not a lap pool. There is one lane line that goes down the center and room for two people to swim on each side, though the ends are oval shaped and not conducive for flip turns.

I went twice and was harassed by the lifeguard both times because I was interrupting the swims of the locals. I was told I couldn't use my fins or paddles and that I wasn't swimming in a straight line (I was).

I would have continued swimming there because it was convenient and beautiful, but I felt unwelcome. So I switched to the Florida Keys Community College Pool, also in Key West (see my review in that facility's listing).

The very unusual pool shape is well-described above: An egg clipped at each end. The ends are four lanes wide with a lane line between lanes 2 and 3, but you can swim laps on the outside, as long as you swim in a slight arc and pay attention to sharing the end with the outer lane. On our visit (early January 2019), lap swim ended at 11, but several of us kept swimming for another half hour or so, without difficulty. The pool water was a perfect 79ºF.

The locker rooms are very basic. For example, there are no lockers. And no hot water, either, though the shower water is roughly pool temperature, so it's OK.

And, it's free. There is no parking lot, and be careful of "residents only" markings when parking on the street. View of the Caribbean!

Rating: 7 on a scale of 10. Charming location. Free.