Should we join a pool club this summer?

[Anonymous]

DC public pools say they’ll be open and we live minutes from a nice one. But I’m worried the reservation system will be a mess and the covid restrictions will be too strict to really enjoy it. Looking at outdoor pool clubs that would be a 20 minute drive but not require reservations or time limits and have more amenities (snack bar, playground, etc). Dd is 4 and I’d like to be able to do swim lessons too. Is a pool membership worth it if you are only able to use it on weekends and may only use it for a handful of summer weekends? Thoughts / experiences?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DC public pools say they’ll be open and we live minutes from a nice one. But I’m worried the reservation system will be a mess and the covid restrictions will be too strict to really enjoy it. Looking at outdoor pool clubs that would be a 20 minute drive but not require reservations or time limits and have more amenities (snack bar, playground, etc). Dd is 4 and I’d like to be able to do swim lessons too. Is a pool membership worth it if you are only able to use it on weekends and may only use it for a handful of summer weekends? Thoughts / experiences?

My summer pool would cost you $1000 to do this, so if you were really just weekends, I would say no.

[Anonymous]

Our pool saved our summer last year so generally I would recommend it.

But if you seriously only plan to go on a few weekends then definitely not. Use the money to do a few weekend trips to hotels with outdoor pools.

[Anonymous]

You’re probably too late for this summer.
In regular times, we only go on the weekends and it’s still worth it. In WFH/no school / COVID times, the pool has been a lifesaver.

[Anonymous]

Most of the close in pools have substantial waitlist. We are in Falls Church and have a two year waitlist. We are not a $1000 (probably Arlington) but $600. For a few weekends that is a lot. I would hit water parks and just sign up for swim lessons at a swim lesson place.

[Anonymous]

For a 4 year old and occasional weekends? It sounds like yo are not a swim family so this isn't a big deal to you. I would see if the public pools are open.

I would do it for my kids at that age but they would have been there every weekend.

[Anonymous]

Thanks all. FWIW the pool I'm considering is only $500 and there isn't a waitlist...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thanks all. FWIW the pool I'm considering is only $500 and there isn't a waitlist...

That’s not bad. It costs about that for a family to join our pool too. It’s a lot less than owning your own pool.

[Anonymous]

We pay $300 for our neighborhood pool (not DMV). We don't go during the week very often, but most weekends we go both days. With little kid I feel like we go for shorter periods of time (1-2 hours) rather than staying all day, but we can fit that in more frequently. If we do go on a weeknight, we usually take dinner on a Friday and that's a really nice way to kick off the weekend.