White Rock Lake: The Bath House

We recently (during the pandemic) rediscovered White Rock Lake.  Back in the '90's, my sister and I would do races out here.  I remember starting points called "Whitney Point", "The Bath House", and "The Big Thicket".  I never really thought about them at the time.  Now that we go out there multiple times a month to walk and enjoy the outdoors, I've taken an interest.

All of those names were more than just landmarks to identify where races were starting.  Take the Bath House, for instance.  It was built in 1930 as one of the first "Art Deco" buildings in Dallas.

Back then, this used to be a sandy beach that led to the lake.  On the first floor, there were lockers where swimmers could store their stuff while hanging out at the beach.  In the basement, they had concessions.  In 1958, they closed the lake to public swimming as it was now used as a water supply source to the city of Dallas.

In 1980, it was converted to a cultural center.  It now houses a large gallery inside for art exhibits, an indoor theater for concerts and this little gem.  It too is artwork.  It's called "A Place to Perform" by Linnea Glatt.  It's an outdoor amphitheater for performances.  

A view from the back of the Bath House.  The pole that you see sticking out of the water is part of an art exhibit called the water theater.  It attracts birds and other wildlife.

The poles are on the back of the lawn as well.

"Whirl" by John Christensen is the bronze statue out in front of the Bath House.

It sits in the middle of the butterfly garden.  Once the garden has filled in, the base of the statue will be hidden and it will appear as though the statue was floating.

Inside, is a permanent exhibit called the White Rock Lake Museum.

It's very cool!  It has the history of the lake and the surrounding area.  I didn't have time to read the whole thing but I did take some photos of the story boards and it's an interesting read if you like Dallas history.

The other exhibits change.  This one is for Dia de muertos.  In this particular exhibit, you can leave a letter for a loved one who has passed on.

Some of the other artwork that is part of this display.

This is the "back porch" of the bathhouse that looks out onto the lake. We love being out here.  If you go to their website Bath House you'll see that they have a calendar of events.  The entrance to the museum was free.  Check out the other events to see if there is an admission fee.

It's a hidden gem that is worth exploring.