$1200 for summer pool membership worth it?

[Anonymous]

We work FT and our tween kids are in camp FT, but it has been worth it for us. Our pool had a one time initiation fee of around 1200 with the annual fee in the 550-600 range. Now that they are older and can walk or bike to/from the pool, they go after camp some evenings and live there on weekends. The pool is our social outing on weekends.

My views might change slightly if 1200 was the annual fee, but it is probably still worth if for the tween and teen years. Would much rather my kids be hanging out at the pool in the summer than house hopping with their friends.

[Anonymous]

We pay $550 / summer in NOVA.

We had paid $1000/summer in NJ. I grew up going to pools and this was a close, walkable option. There was a cheaper option farther away. It just depends how you want to spend your summer. We want to go to pool some evenings and weekends in the summer. We often eat dinner there.

[Anonymous]

When our kids were 1-10 years old it was the best, but only during the few years I wasn't working FT. Totally recreated an old school pool experience, the grill, the campouts, swim team, kids independently ranging around the property with their friends, playing tennis, beach volleyball, etc. Birthday parties there too, and a fun social life for us during the summer. Loved eating dinner there, using the grill. Now they are 11 and 13 and I work FT and it isn't worth it.

[Anonymous]

Potomac, annual fee $820 plus some guest passes etc

We don't get as much use as we could - weekends are hit or miss, and we should use it more but don't - but we love it anyway. Some days the kids will go back and forth a couple of times, sometimes they'll stay all day - but mostly they head over in the afternoon or so (after a 3pm camp say), and I can grab food from the house or pickup takeout and bring dinner there - or they'll order a pizza delivered etc - and we all just hang. I'll even stop by, say hi and then go home and unwind for a little bit, and then head back to hang out/pick them up

It's the perfect way to have a summer evening poolside without having our own pool - and honestly just breaking the food shopping/cooking/cleanup cycle makes it worth it for us.

[Anonymous]

For what you describe, HECK NO. Can you find a friend who has a membership and just use guest passes a few times so the kids can get their pool time? I'd be happy to let friends know when we were going to the pool to let them in.

We pay $425 for ours, I'm home all summer as a teacher, and I still don't think it's worth it when I calculate the per visit cost. It's just DS and me (I don't pay to put DH on the membership, as he's working full time and only comes 3-4 times a summer.) I pay it because it's worth it to me to have the option when it's 95 degrees in August and I'm out of ideas of things to do.

[Anonymous]

If it's the pool I am thinking of, its high because there is still a lot of debt from the recent renovation. That said, it is more expensive than other pools, but the close proximity and the fact that my kids' friends are there make it worth it. We make a real effort to go most nights (either after dinner or bring a picnic and eat there) and on the weekends so I think we get our money's worth.

[Anonymous]

OP here -

DS is 5, so no swim team. Camp ends at 3 so we could go in the afternoon in theory though I don't see us going everyday.

We will be traveling for at least 3 weeks this summer but pool is open beginning of May through end of September.

This price does not include bond - it is a temporary summer membership.

I would love to join Palisades pool but I've heard there is a 7 to 10 year waiting list.

[Anonymous]

You can pay $750 and have access to every single Montgomery county public pool and gym for an entire year for a family of 4. So no, that is not a good deal and the only reason that pool exists is because of racist beginnings.

[Anonymous]

We are at Palisades too - completely worth it to me but I think we have one of the best pools. Just being out there relaxes me. My kids do swim and dive team as well so that makes it fun. In the summer - we go a lot. At the minimum 3-4 times a week. Usually 5-6 once school is out and if we are in town.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here -

DS is 5, so no swim team. Camp ends at 3 so we could go in the afternoon in theory though I don't see us going everyday.

We will be traveling for at least 3 weeks this summer but pool is open beginning of May through end of September.

This price does not include bond - it is a temporary summer membership.

I would love to join Palisades pool but I've heard there is a 7 to 10 year waiting list.

Do you imagine a swim team in your future? The swim team makes it worth it for us. Our swim team has both morning and evening practices. When our DC was little and in camp all summer, DC did evening practices. Now DC is 12, and has asked not to be in camp all summer. My work schedule is such that I'll be able to take DC to swim practices in the morning and then go to work.

We go to the pool a couple days a week after camp/work, and spend a lot of our weekends there. It's a social group for DC, and when I don't want to be coming up with fun summer adventures, DC still feels like it's a fun summer.

If DC was not on the swim team, it probably wouldn't be worth the cost for us. The swim team is part of what provides the friend group for DC to hang out at the pool in the evenings and weekends. We go, and there's always a gang of kids to join. I'm hoping that continues because as DC gets older and isn't as excited about spending all summer at camp, but we have to work, swim practices should still provide some structure, and the pool might provide some employment options if DC gets lifeguard certified.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You can pay $750 and have access to every single Montgomery county public pool and gym for an entire year for a family of 4. So no, that is not a good deal and the only reason that pool exists is because of racist beginnings.

This place has heated pools in a beautiful environment. I wasn't impressed with the public pool near us - Bethesda Pool.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here -

DS is 5, so no swim team. Camp ends at 3 so we could go in the afternoon in theory though I don't see us going everyday.

We will be traveling for at least 3 weeks this summer but pool is open beginning of May through end of September.

This price does not include bond - it is a temporary summer membership.

I would love to join Palisades pool but I've heard there is a 7 to 10 year waiting list.

Do you imagine a swim team in your future? The swim team makes it worth it for us. Our swim team has both morning and evening practices. When our DC was little and in camp all summer, DC did evening practices. Now DC is 12, and has asked not to be in camp all summer. My work schedule is such that I'll be able to take DC to swim practices in the morning and then go to work.

We go to the pool a couple days a week after camp/work, and spend a lot of our weekends there. It's a social group for DC, and when I don't want to be coming up with fun summer adventures, DC still feels like it's a fun summer.

If DC was not on the swim team, it probably wouldn't be worth the cost for us. The swim team is part of what provides the friend group for DC to hang out at the pool in the evenings and weekends. We go, and there's always a gang of kids to join. I'm hoping that continues because as DC gets older and isn't as excited about spending all summer at camp, but we have to work, swim practices should still provide some structure, and the pool might provide some employment options if DC gets lifeguard certified.

Good point about swim team.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We pay 550 in Palisades with a 1500 bond which we get back if we leave. Worth every penny.

Palisades sold off some land to fund their most recent renovation so they have a beautiful pool without high fees. The long wait list is the tradeoff. The other Bethesda area pools cost more, especially if they have ben renovated in recent years. Farther out than Bethesda, families pay a more comparable to the Palisades price.

We pay $690 for an absolute trashy sad dump in Gaithersburg that they're NEVER going to renovate (they make endless money off renting the pool out to various swim teams 18 hours/day including mornings in the summer) but we go there because of friends.
If you have the funds, if it's not a dump and your kids could meet friends there I'd do it. Won't they go after camp with friends? Do they have any parent night socials there?
Family raft nights? It can be very fun.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can pay $750 and have access to every single Montgomery county public pool and gym for an entire year for a family of 4. So no, that is not a good deal and the only reason that pool exists is because of racist beginnings.

This place has heated pools in a beautiful environment. I wasn't impressed with the public pool near us - Bethesda Pool.

Bethesda pool is a crowded dump, yes.

[Anonymous]

wow we pay $550/summer. First summer was more expensive (additional $1000) due to a one time fee and buying membership.

FWIW my kids are also in camp all day but we still go to the pool just at least 3 nights a week and both days of the weekend. So 5x a week. We definitely get our monies worth.