If locals had to guess which Dallas bar would open a swim club, complete with cabanas and cocktails, they would have made their way down a very long list before settling on Lee Harvey’s. The longtime institution, known for its lovably divey atmosphere, patio picnic tables and canned Lone Star, isn’t the type of place you’d typically associate with swimming. Huddling around a fire pit with your beer and a burger, yes. Swimming? No.
So when Lee Harvey’s teased its plans for an offshoot called Lee Harvey’s Dive In last year, there was a mixture of excitement and confusion. Permitting delays followed, but the casual pool bar finally opened in June across the street from its older sibling, and after taking a look, everything makes a lot more sense now. As it turns out, the owners were really onto something.
The idea was a practical one. With Lee Harvey’s primary draw being its spacious front patio, it was difficult to keep customers coming during the hot summer months. Now, Lee Harvey’s regulars and newcomers alike can cool off in the pool or drink under a shady umbrella rather than squandering their days inside — or at another bar.
The centerpiece at Dive In is the pool, which measures 60 feet by 30 feet and has a max depth of five feet. That makes it equally appealing to those who want to swim laps as those who’d prefer to stand at the ledge with their body submerged in cool water and a drink in hand.
The pool is surrounded by white lounge chairs, cabanas sporting red-and-white-striped curtains and a handful of tables and chairs, so there’s plenty of room to spread out. The cabanas can handle up to six people; reserve one in advance if that’s your thing. An outdoor shipping container bar with rollup doors slings drinks, which you can sip at a bar stool or by the water. Beers and wines are joined by simple cocktails, including margaritas, Bloody Marys, mimosas and white wine spritzers.
The small food menu is stocked with the kinds of light bites you want to eat when half-reclined or bouncing between the water and dry land. We’re talking charcuterie plates, hummus, a Caprese salad, Madras curry chicken salad with toast and a chicken club wrap. We’d suggest waiting 30 minutes after eating to take a few laps, but we’re less clear on the rules that bind eating and general frolicking.
You can access the pool via two methods: a day pass or a season-long membership. The former is just $15, and you can buy it online for your preferred day before you show up. The latter is good for the entire season and costs $350 for an individual membership or $500 for a family membership (kids are welcome until 5 p.m., at which point the adults have free run of the place.)
The day pass is cheap enough that it feels like the best bet, unless you plan to visit every day — in which case, kudos. Members get priority access to lounge chairs and cabanas, so if you want to ensure you always have a comfortable spot to relax, that may be the way to go.
Each day the pool is open, you can expect food, drinks and a pool to splash around in. But they’re also hosting DJ nights on weekend evenings, as well as poolside yoga sessions on select mornings. Yoga is free for members and $10 for non-members, and it’ll see you rolling out a mat on the green grass beside the pool.
Lee Harvey’s Dive In will be open as weather permits, so that usually means May through the early fall. It’s hard to imagine this heat ever subsiding, but one day (we hope) it will be too cold to sit around a pool, so get your laps in while you can.
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