Tell me about Arlington Pools

[Anonymous]

There are Dominion Hills, Donaldson Run, Overlee.

We are on all the waitlists, and hope to get off them in the next couple of years based on our waitlist spot.

DH is pushing to put in a small pool in backyard and I want to evaluate if we will be instead looking at these options, especially Overlee since it seems much more expensive than the other pools?

Does everyone who lives in Donaldson Run end up at the local pool or do any go to Overlee? Or is it so much worth having a neighborhood pool?

Does Overlee have year round activities with the clubhouse?

Do you see turnover at Donaldson Run/Overlee/Dominion Hills or with fewer people moving its just glacial?

[Anonymous]

We belong to Dominion Hills and it saw a decent amount of waitlist movement last year since people turned down membership or rental offers during the pandemic, or people who had memberships and had been considering ending them used it as an opportunity to do so. I don't know about the others.

[Anonymous]

There’s also Arlington Forest.

Usually people apply near their home so their kids can eventually walk/bike when old enough to go alone.

[Anonymous]

You won’t get into Overlee unless you’ve been on 10 years. If less than 5, forget about it. Just do knight of Columbus.

[Anonymous]

Year round events are minimal. Tennis is open but it’s not like a country club where there’s activities for members all year long.

[Anonymous]

If your waitlist numbers all pop around the same time, I'd go with whichever one is closest. Do you have kids? They will want to be at the same pool with their friends. While you are waiting, there is always Knights of Columbus. Several offer August-only memberships, too.

I thought Donaldson Run has residency requirements.

We are at Overlee. The families mostly come from the surrounding neighborhoods. For schools, it's mainly Tuckahoe, Nottingham, McKinley, Swanson, Williamsburg and Yorktown. We have a large, intense swim team and a smaller, more chill dive team. The clubhouse is available to rent, but the pool does not organize activities outside of the summer season. All of this is dependent upon a normal year, however. Last summer was not normal. I don't know about the waitlist, but the only families I know who left were just waiting for their WGCC number to pop.

[Anonymous]

I would definitely choose the most convenient one.

We are at Overlee. There is very little turnover. The clubhouse isn’t used for much in the winter- pre covid there was a workout group that used it, and it is available for rent for parties and other events.

[Anonymous]

Building a pool in Arlington is not easy. If you are already on waitlists and don't have a contractor lined up, you'll probably get off those before you can have a pool in your yard, unfortunately.

[Anonymous]

I am an Overlee member, but many of my neighbors belong to Tuckahoe because it has year round activities (for a cost). If you want a shorter wait-list, consider High Point pool in Falls Church (but very close for me versus other Arlington pools). It is smaller and does not have swim team culture of Overlee.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If your waitlist numbers all pop around the same time, I'd go with whichever one is closest. Do you have kids? They will want to be at the same pool with their friends. While you are waiting, there is always Knights of Columbus. Several offer August-only memberships, too.

I thought Donaldson Run has residency requirements.

We are at Overlee. The families mostly come from the surrounding neighborhoods. For schools, it's mainly Tuckahoe, Nottingham, McKinley, Swanson, Williamsburg and Yorktown. We have a large, intense swim team and a smaller, more chill dive team. The clubhouse is available to rent, but the pool does not organize activities outside of the summer season. All of this is dependent upon a normal year, however. Last summer was not normal. I don't know about the waitlist, but the only families I know who left were just waiting for their WGCC number to pop.

I would agree with this. We are a Glebe-Swanson/Hamm- W-L at Overlee, and there are not a lot of kids from my sons' schools.

[Anonymous]

Another PP made a great point to not rule out the next geographical tier of pools. Arlington Forest, Tuckahoe, Chesterbrook, Sleepy Hollow, Knights of Columbus, Ft Myer. You probably won't know as many families, but especially if you have kids and are interested in swim team they might be a good experience while you wait for one of the pools closer to you to offer a spot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Building a pool in Arlington is not easy. If you are already on waitlists and don't have a contractor lined up, you'll probably get off those before you can have a pool in your yard, unfortunately.

Can you provide more details on this? My husband and I are interested in building a pool eventually. Is it a zoning issue? Lack of pool contractors?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Another PP made a great point to not rule out the next geographical tier of pools. Arlington Forest, Tuckahoe, Chesterbrook, Sleepy Hollow, Knights of Columbus, Ft Myer. You probably won't know as many families, but especially if you have kids and are interested in swim team they might be a good experience while you wait for one of the pools closer to you to offer a spot.

Good advice, FYI Arlington Forest has 7 yr wait (5 if you live in priority zone).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Another PP made a great point to not rule out the next geographical tier of pools. Arlington Forest, Tuckahoe, Chesterbrook, Sleepy Hollow, Knights of Columbus, Ft Myer. You probably won't know as many families, but especially if you have kids and are interested in swim team they might be a good experience while you wait for one of the pools closer to you to offer a spot.

adding to this list- the McLean pools- High Point Pool, Kent Gardens, Highlands, Lee Graham, McLean.

The Tuckahoe waitlist appears to move the fastest (although Kent Gardens moves pretty fast too).
As Arlington grows, there are more and more Arlington families at McLean pools.
If you really want to join a pool soon you can also go slightly further to Woodley Pool- it usually has space every year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Year round events are minimal. Tennis is open but it’s not like a country club where there’s activities for members all year long.

Which pools have tennis courts?