Aquatic Centers — Indian River County, Florida

Indian River County operates two outdoor public pools: the North County Aquatic Center off County Road 512 in Sebastian and the Gifford Aquatic Center on 43rd Avenue in Vero Beach.

The county's aquatics page says the county is home to those two outdoor aquatic facilities (Indian River County Aquatics), and the county facilities map gives their addresses and front desk lines: 9450 County Road 512 in Sebastian at (772) 226-1752, and 4895 43rd Avenue in Vero Beach at (772) 226-1175 (county facilities layer). The Sebastian pool shares its street address with Fran Adams North County Regional Park (county parks layer).

The two pools are built for different uses. The North County site, about 2 miles east of I-95, has a competition pool of 18 lanes at 25 yards, a diving well with one-meter and three-meter boards, and a zero-depth activity pool with slides (North County Aquatic Center). Gifford, centrally located south of 49th Street, is a family pool with a heated zero depth pool, 5 lap lanes, a splash and play deck, and a party and meeting room that rents by the hour (Gifford Aquatic Center).

The North County pool in Sebastian opens weekdays from 6:00 am to 6:00 pm, while Gifford in Vero Beach is closed on Mondays and opens at 10:00 am Tuesday to Friday; both close at 5:00 pm on weekends.

Sebastian's children's activity pool runs on a shorter calendar: from June 1 to August 9 it opens Monday to Saturday 9:00 am to 5:00 pm and Sunday noon to 5:00 pm, and from August 9 to September 20 on weekends only (North County Aquatic Center). By mid October, then, the North County site works as a lap and diving pool.

The county posts one shared list of holiday dates for both pools, and it splits them on two days. On May 25 and September 7 the North County pool kept holiday hours of 10 am to 3 pm while Gifford closed, April 5 was a closure, and July 3 ran 9 am to 5 pm (Gifford Aquatic Center). The North County page adds that closures are subject to change.

A day at Gifford costs less than a day at the Sebastian pool for most ages: adults 13 to 54 pay $4.00 plus tax at Gifford and $6.43 plus tax at the North County Aquatic Center.

Children 3 to 12 pay $5.00 plus tax at North County, or $3.00 when the children's activity pool is not available, and $3.00 plus tax at Gifford; swimmers 55 and older pay $3.00 plus tax at both, and children 2 and under swim free (North County Aquatic Center; Gifford Aquatic Center). Spectators are not exempt: the admission charge applies to anyone who comes in.

Passes cost the same at both sites and work at either one, so an annual pass bought in Gifford also opens the gate on County Road 512 (Gifford Aquatic Center). For a family of four on annual passes, the posted rates come to $140 plus three added members at $100 each, or $440 plus tax.

Indian River County scheduled a slide replacement at the Gifford Aquatic Center to begin in January 2026, warning of increased noise and limited lane access while the work runs.

The notice appears on both the countywide aquatics page and the Gifford page (Indian River County Aquatics; Gifford Aquatic Center). Neither page, as fetched on October 12, 2026, gives a completion date, so swimmers who need open lanes in Vero Beach can check the Gifford desk at (772) 226-1175 or use the 18 lanes at the North County pool in Sebastian. The Gifford page also notes that recreation programs there now run year round through a grant from the Florida Blue Foundation.

Both county pools offer American Red Cross swim lessons, Aqua Fit classes and certification courses, with private lessons at $80.00 for four half-hour sessions at North County or Gifford.

The county's program page lists group swim lessons in summer at both facilities for $45.00 a session, in classes of 3 to 6, booked through the North County Aquatic Center at 772-226-1747 (Indian River County aquatic programs). Aqua Fit is a drop-in class at North County and Gifford whose general schedule starts at 10:00 am on weekdays except Wednesday, though times and days change by month and location, priced at $5 a class, $35 for 8 or $70 for 16. The 100 Mile Swim Club, a year-long mileage challenge tracked at the aquatics desk, costs $10 for local tracking or $15 for global tracking.

Both pools belong to Indian River County Parks, Recreation and Conservation under the Board of County Commissioners, whose main contact line, listed with the 1801 27th Street address in Vero Beach, is 772-567-8000.

The county lists that main number and the 27th Street address at the foot of each pool page (North County Aquatic Center). Pool desks handle day-to-day questions, and program bookings run through separate lines: 772-226-1747 for private and group swim lessons and Junior Lifeguard tryouts, 772-226-1174 for instructor course dates, and 772-226-1752 for Aqua Fit and the 100 Mile Swim Club (Indian River County aquatic programs).

The Junior Lifeguard camp shows how selective some programs are. It takes 10 participants per session, ages 12 to 14, and a tryout requires swimming 100 yards without stopping, swimming 10 feet underwater, treading water for 1 minute and floating on the back for 1 minute (county aquatic programs). A Red Cross Babysitter Training Course for ages 11 and older costs $60 per participant, with dates to be announced and questions taken at 772-226-1752, the North County Aquatic Center line in Sebastian.

The Sebastian pool's setting is also county parkland. The county places Fran B. Adams Park, the pool's neighbor at 9450 CR-512, inside the St. Sebastian Buffer Preserve State Park, which runs from west of I-95 to the South Prong of the Sebastian River, north of CR-512 (Indian River County field reservations page).

Indian River County pools close when the ThorGuard lightning system sounds a 15-second horn and reopen only after three 5-second blasts and a staff safety check, at Gifford and North County alike.

Heavy rain closes a pool when a lifeguard cannot see the bottom, and guests who choose not to wait for the all-clear receive pool passes (North County Aquatic Center). Food and drink are allowed, but glass, alcohol and grills are prohibited. Supervision rules scale with age at the Sebastian and Vero Beach pools: a parent must supervise anyone 12 or younger, an adult must stay within arm's reach of non-swimmers and of children 6 or younger, and a 13 to 17 year old may swim without a parent only with a waiver on file. Flotation devices must be Coast Guard approved (Gifford Aquatic Center).

Last verified: October 12, 2026, on the Indian River County website.