The Berkeley Springs Water Season That Starts When the Pool Closes

"Known historically as the Gentleman's Spring these spickets carry Lord Fairfax's legacy ensuring that the waters of the Berkeley Springs would always be free to the public." That line comes from Travel Berkeley Springs, describing the two fountains at the back of the state park. It also explains how the town's water works in the cold months. The free public access was built to last all year. Labor Day closes one spring-fed attraction, and almost everything else at Berkeley Springs State Park keeps running through winter. On the calendar, the water's biggest weekend is still more than four months away.

Labor Day closed one feature

The outdoor pool at Berkeley Springs State Park is filled with natural spring water. It runs on a short summer schedule: Memorial Day through Labor Day, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., closed Tuesdays except on holidays. When the pool closed in early September, the summer swimming season ended with it.

The springs keep going. The state park's activities page, updated in late September 2026, says the public springs are open year-round with no entry fee. Water comes out at 74.3 degrees Fahrenheit in every season. The Main Bath House and the Old Roman Bath House are also listed as open year-round.

Here is what's open between now and spring, based on the park's current page and the museum's posted schedule:

Four of the six stay fully open, and the museum stays open on a shorter schedule. The pool is the only one that closes for the season.

The free water, by name

The Gentlemen's Spring is the park's main drinking source. Its two fountains sit at the back of the park and are open all day, every day of the year. You can fill a jug or a bottle there, or drink straight from the tap. The spring house stands just south of the Old Roman Bath House, and a Travel Berkeley Springs tour page describes its pumps as a daily public source for people who bring jugs.

At the wading pools and spillway, you can watch water bubble up through the sandy bottom. An older walking tour from the visitors bureau notes that steam rises from these pools in winter. The water stays at the same temperature all year, so it feels cold in August and warm in January. When the air drops well below 74 degrees, the same water starts to steam.

Several of the park's named features show how the spring system is organized:

1. Ladies' Spring, next to the Main Bath House, is enclosed. The same tour series says it supplies the Main Bath House and the town water system.
2. Lord Fairfax's Spring is the southernmost spring pool. According to that older tour account, it feeds the outdoor pool that's now closed for the season.
3. George Washington's Bathtub is a small stone reconstruction of the early, primitive soaking pools. It isn't the original tub, but it shows what bathing here looked like before any bathhouse was built.

Those tour descriptions date from 2016 and 2020. They're reliable on history and layout, but conditions on the ground may have changed since then. For current access, the park's 2026 page is the source to trust.

Paying for the 102 degrees

The free springs flow at 74.3 degrees. The paid baths heat the same spring water to 102. That difference in temperature is what you're paying for.

The Old Roman Bath House offers a private, walk-in Roman bath that holds 750 gallons of mineral water from the spring, heated to 102 degrees. Its current price sheet charges $32 per half hour for the first adult and $22 for each additional adult. Another 30 minutes costs $22. By that math, a half-hour soak costs $54 for two adults and $76 for three, so the price per person drops as the group grows. Children must be with an adult and cost $8 per half hour for ages 5 and under, or $16 for ages 6 to 12. Seniors and military members get 10% off. The price sheet's file is dated November 2025, so confirm prices when you call (304) 258-3976.

Every reservation must be paid in full ahead of time or held with a credit card. Late cancellations are charged the full price of the service. How much notice you need depends on the booking:

• 24 hours for a single appointment
• 48 hours for holidays, weekends, multiple appointments, or parties of two to four
• One week for parties of five or more

Weekend and holiday visits fall under the 48-hour rule, and so do most small groups. If you're booking for family over Thanksgiving or the winter holidays, plan with that window in mind.

The Main Bath House, at (304) 258-2711, pairs massage with bathing. Therapeutic, deep-tissue, and hot-stone massages run 60 or 90 minutes, and each includes a 15-minute Roman or whirlpool bath. The menu also has couples' massages, chair massage, cupping, reflexology, packages, and shower- or sauna-only options. The park's information page lists two bath types. The Roman baths hold 750 gallons. The whirlpool baths hold 150 gallons and have jets. Both are heated to 102 degrees, and you can add a 20-minute sauna to any bath or massage.

The October 2026 specials include 20% off a 90-minute therapeutic massage, 20% off a salt-mousse glow body scrub, 20% off facials, and a free lip treatment with lip, eyebrow, or chin waxing. The sheet doesn't print an end date, so ask whether a special still applies when you call to book.

The museum upstairs keeps a shorter week

Above the Old Roman baths, the Museum of the Berkeley Springs fills the second floor of the white brick building at Fairfax and Wilkes streets. It's one short block from the traffic light at the courthouse. The state park lists admission as free.

The museum cuts its hours in stages. According to its own posted schedule, October and November hours are Friday through Monday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. From December through April, it's open Saturdays and Sundays only, at the same hours. Thanksgiving and Christmas have special schedules, so call ahead for those, and the museum opens on holiday Mondays. The state park's page simply says "March through December," which doesn't quite match the museum's posted winter weekends. In the colder months, call before you go.

For the next eight weeks, then, you can soak downstairs and visit the museum upstairs on the same Friday, Saturday, Sunday, or Monday. After that, weekends are the only days to do both.

February is the water's big weekend

The water's year builds toward February. The Berkeley Springs International Water Tasting has announced its 37th annual event for February 25 to 27, 2027, at The Country Inn. The seminar is set for Friday, February 26. The organizers call it the largest and longest-running water tasting in the world. Since 1991, it has drawn more than 720 different waters from 63 countries on six continents.

The most recent tasting, the 36th, took place on Saturday, February 21, 2026, according to the Morgan Messenger's preview. The next one moves to the following weekend and spans three days, from Thursday through Saturday.

That puts the town's best-known water event in late winter, when the pool has been closed for nearly six months. The free fountains, the 74.3-degree wading pools, and the 102-degree baths will all still be running.

If you have a cabin and host guests over the winter, the springs can be a big part of their stay. At Potomac Property Group, we handle guest communication locally, including after hours, so we can share the Old Roman phone number, the weekend cancellation rules, and the dates of the February water tasting before your guests arrive. Contact us, and we'll help get the water season into your guests' plans.