Soupy Island: A FREE Pool for South Jersey families

This spot is for 12 & under only, and kids 13+ aren’t permitted. There’s a chance you could be turned away if you arrive with an older child. Coming from a mom who has one kid in and one kid out of this age range… I feel your frustration. Your best bet is to save this for a younger-kid day or make other plans for your older one. 

Yes! This place is 100% free—and we love that for us 🙌 The carousel, playground, pools, and the entire grounds are all completely free to enjoy. There are two pools: one for more confident swimmers and another perfect for little ones just getting comfortable in the water.

The carousel and covered slide operate on their own schedule. From what I've been told, they generally follows a schedule similar to the pools, but that can vary.

A couple of things to keep in mind:

• The carousel is indoors and is known for being a bit faster than your typical carousel, so just be prepared for that if you have younger children.

• If you're planning to use the covered slide, many regular visitors recommend bringing a piece of wax paper. Trust me on this one. 😆

• On any given day, the carousel and/or slide may be closed or unavailable. There are a lot of factors that can affect operations, including volunteer availability, maintenance needs, equipment issues, safety concerns, or weather conditions.

Most importantly, remember that Soupy Island is a FREE community facility. While the carousel and slide are great extras when they're running, there may be days when they aren't available, and that's okay. I always recommend going with the expectation of enjoying the pools, playground, and park amenities first, and considering the carousel and slide a bonus if they're open that day. 😊

In the past, a lot of summer camps used this space, which meant public visitors were often sharing the park with large camp groups. Because of that, they’ve recently introduced a newish rule—only the first 100 people are admitted at a time in the park. 

The park opens at 9:30 AM, but the pools don’t open until 10:30 AM. With this new system in place, I highly recommend arriving right when the gates open to secure your spot. Just keep in mind you may have a little wait before the pools open—but at least you’re in! If you arrive and they are at capacity of 100 people, you may have to wait before being allowed in. 

Soupy Island is open on Saturdays, but only through private reservations. Saturday access is reserved exclusively for paid reservation groups and is not open to regular public guests.

If you've got a group of moms looking for something different this summer, this could actually be a pretty fun option! Gather a few families together, split the reservation cost, and you can enjoy the grounds and pools without the usual crowds. Think of it as your own little private summer hangout spot. ☀️🏊‍♀️💕 You can reach out to them on their website for info on reserving your pool day!

Okay, it might sound a little random—but yes, they serve soup and milk at noon 😄 It’s part of the charm! You can also absolutely bring your own lunch, and there’s plenty of space to sit and eat.

Just make sure to clean up after yourselves—free places like this are rare, and we definitely want to take care of it.

Yes! There are lifeguards stationed at each pool. When we visited, there were two at the kiddie pool and two at the larger pool, which definitely gave some extra peace of mind.

From what I noticed (this isn’t official), the pool breaks seem to line up with when the lifeguards take their breaks. During that time, the pools are closed since there’s no lifeguard on duty. Honestly, it didn’t feel like a big interruption—it was actually a great time to get the kids out for lunch or take a quick reset. You can also use one of the breaks as your cue to head out for the day if you’re ready to go—that’s what I ended up doing!

There was some shade in the kiddie pool area, which was really nice for little ones. The larger pool didn’t seem to have as much coverage, so keep that in mind.

If you’re planning to eat there, the picnic area is a great shaded spot—there are trees covering the tables, making it perfect for a comfortable lunch break.

I’m not a representative of Soupy Island or affiliated with the facility in any way. This article is based on my personal experience as a mom visiting the park.

For official answers or additional questions, please contact Soupy Island directly through their website.