Dive right in: the best pools in the Southeast

Travel

A guide to 10 of the coolest pools in the South.

Just outside Smoky Mountains National Park, the Resort at Governor's Crossing in Sevierville, Tenn., packs a lot of water fun into a small space. A zero-entry pool, water "umbrella" and two water slides that loop in and out of the building make the pools suitable for all ages. (1-800-398-5139, www.mypigeon forgeresort.com.) Rates: $79-$309 per night.

The Ocean Reef Resort in Myrtle Beach, S.C., has water activities for all ages and all energy levels. Kids will love the Island Oasis water park with bucket drops, water streams and fountains. Adults can relax floating down the man-made lazy river. It's under cover, yet open to the sea breezes. (1-888-322-6411, www .oceanreefmyrtlebeach.com). Rates run from $125-$389 per night.

Enjoy Disney's magic in liquid form at Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. (1-888-828-8850, www.swandolphin.com). Five heated pools, whirlpools, fountains, waterfalls and a water slide set in a tropical landscape give plenty of room to play. Rates: $200-$470 per night

The Cloister on Sea Island is known for world-class elegance, and its pools are no exception. The oceanside Beach Club, with three pools and access to five miles of private beach, is a favorite with families. An elegant indoor pool awaits spa patrons, too. (1-866-879-6238, www.seaisland.com) Rates: $650-$725 per night.

The large free-form pool at the Radisson Resort Orlando/Celebration in Kissimmee, Fla., features waterfalls, two whirlpools and a 40-foot water slide that winds through a rocky grotto. Two other pools, dive-in movies, diving games and cannonball contests add to the fun (1-888-201-1718, www.radisson.com /kissimmeefl). Rates range from $80-$170 per night.

At the Ritz-Carlton Lodge Reynolds Plantation in Greensboro, it's all about the view. Tranquil Lake Oconee seems to stretch unbroken from inside the pool. But it's an illusion: the pool is separated from the lake with a waterfall edge. (706-467-0600, www.ritzcarlton.com/en /Properties/ReynoldsPlantation). Rates: $219-$959 per night.

From the mass sliming at 4:45 p.m. daily to the 400-gallon tank that randomly spills into the pool, to seven flumes and slides and interactive water toys, there's fun for everyone at Nickelodeon Family Suites by Holiday Inn in Orlando, Fla. (1-800-905-8206, www.nickhotel.com). Rates range from $189-$299 per night. Sometimes in the off-season, rates fall to $99 per night.

This is the tipping bucket at Great Wolf Lodge (1-800-905-9653, www.greatwolflodge.com). The resort has locations in Grapevine, Texas, and Williamsburg, Va. Each lodge has indoor water parks with nine water slides, six pools and four-story treehouse water forts. The climate-controlled temperature stays at 84 degrees. Rates range from $179-$299 per night.

The Ginn Hammock Beach Resort's 6-acre pool complex includes a water park with a lazy river, water slide, waterfalls and a zero-entry beach pool. There are indoor pools, too. And the Atlantic Ocean is just steps away from the Palm Coast, Fla., resort. (1-866-502-6228, www.hammockbeach.com). Rates: $199-$579 per night.

With a name like Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park Camp Resort you know the Water Zone water park will keep campers entertained. The Pelahatchie, Miss., resort has a zero-entry pool (where you walk right into the water, like at the beach), splash toys, water fort and a view of the adjacent lake. A Jellystone Park is scheduled to open in Waco, Ga., this summer. 1-866-433-9644, www.jellystonems.com or www.campjellystone.com. Rates: $17 (tent camping)-$226 (four-bedroom cabin) per night.

It's July in Hotlanta and with at least two months of unrelenting heat ahead, swimming pools and water parks come to mind. Check out some of the coolest pools around, like this one at the Great Wolf Lodge, which has locations in Williamsburg, Va., and Grapevine, Texas.

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Just outside Smoky Mountains National Park, the Resort at Governor's Crossing in Sevierville, Tenn., packs a lot of water fun into a small space. A zero-entry pool, water "umbrella" and two water slides that loop in and out of the building make the pools suitable for all ages. (1-800-398-5139, www.mypigeon forgeresort.com.) Rates: $79-$309 per night.

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