With smart planning, a fall or winter pool party in and around your swimming pool can be a great option for entertaining—especially if you live in a mild climate. However, even if it’s chilly outside, you can make a backyard holiday party a warm, appealing activity for friends and family.

Can you use your swimming pool year-round or virtually year-round? Depending on where you live in the U.S. and some strategies you take, the answer is “yes”.

While some pool owners close up their backyard resorts when weather cools in the fall or the winter—subject to the area of the country they reside—there are ways to use you swimming pool beyond what we traditionally think of as “swim season.”

5 Potential Benefits to Upgrading your Backyard Resort this Autumn

Godzilla. That's what weather forecasters are calling the powerful El Niño weather pattern that has been building in the Pacific Ocean since summer. Its impact on your swimming pool depends not only on where you live, but also how well you prepare your pool and patio area for an onslaught of wind and rain.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), El Niño means more rain than usual in many areas of the country. However, even without monster-type deluges, wintertime typically brings unfriendly weather to most areas of the country.

You don’t have to live in an El Nino zone to appreciate that it’s always good to have your pool and backyard ready for an episode of heavy wind and rain; doing so helps minimize any damage in the first place and the amount of needed cleanup and maintenance later.

Winterizing in-ground pools is necessary in areas of the country where the temperature drops into the low thirties for an extended amount of time during the fall and winter months—cold enough for water and the ground to freeze.

No longer limited to lavish swimming pools at resort hotels and homes of the ultra-wealthy, waterfall grottos are now common in backyards across America and can be the perfect complement to a lagoon-type pool.

A grotto typically is defined as a large rock waterfall with a nook or cavern-like space beneath it that’s large enough to swim into. Depending on the size, style, and configuration, a grotto can contain features like seating areas, lighting, or a therapy spa. They provide privacy and shade for swimmers, and kids can use them for imaginative play scenarios.

Large, elaborate installations are similar to actual sea caves from which swimmers can fully exit the water to lounge, have cocktails at the grotto bar, or get snacks from a built-in kitchen!

While that kind of ultra-deluxe grotto requires an ultra-deluxe budget, there are plenty of dramatic, beautiful grotto designs that an upper-end—yet realistic—pool budget can accommodate.

Do you suffer with arthritis pain? Comfortably exercising in a swimming pool may reduce symptoms of this inflammatory joint condition.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, physical activity can reduce pain and improve function, mobility, mood, and quality of life for many with various kinds of arthritis.

While physical activity can be beneficial, it can also be painful. Even worse, the wrong workout methods can actually aggravate your condition.

That’s why choosing swimming and pool-based exercises are a smart solution in the fitness equation for those with these inflammatory ailments. Aquatic activities can be the answer if you suffer from osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, and lupus. Let’s look at some reasons why.