Fairfax County, Virginia features a large number of both indoor and outdoor pools, many of which are available on either a drop-in or membership basis. They are a great source of exercise and play, and they can be a great option for a Staycation all year round. Because of the colder Winter temperatures in the area, the majority of the best pool options are indoor.
Outdoor pools are more commonly available only from Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day weekend. Many are also community pools that are only available to people who live in that community (e.g. an apartment or condominium complex, or a specific residential neighborhood.) There are a number of outdoor pools in Fairfax County, though, that are available to anyone, however, these often require the purchase of a longer term membership (for instance, a full Summer membership.)
Most indoor pools in the area are available to anyone, either by purchasing a single day pass, or by purchasing a membership.
I have been an avid swimmer for most of my life, and so I want to give you all of the best information on pools in the Fairfax County area.
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Swimmersguide.com
The single best resource I’ve found online to locate swimming pools in your area, is Swimmersguide.com. It is an incredible guide that will show you all of the indoor and outdoor pools in any given geographic location. You just need to enter a zip code, city, county or other location, and the website will show you a map and list of all the pools in the vicinity.
The list will also include other useful information such as how large it is, whether it is accessible to the public, and whether it is part of a hotel. I generally only look for pools that are accessible to the public and are not part of a hotel.
For each pool in the list, you can click on the pool name for additional information, such as a link to the pool’s official website, pricing, pool size, diving boards, whether the pool is indoor or outdoor, and reviews if there are any.
Below is a list from swimmersguide.com of Fairfax County Pools. This blog post will include more details about most of the pools in this list.
Fairfax County Rec Center Pools
The Fairfax County Rec Centers consist of nine Rec Centers located throughout the county. Each of the nine locations has an indoor pool, and all of them are available to the public with the purchase of either a single use pass or a membership. The Rec Centers also include locker rooms, lockers, showers, saunas, hot tubs, fitness centers, and many more sports and recreation amenities. More information on each of the Rec Centers can be found here.
Out of all of the pools in the above list from Swimmersguide.com, the Rec Centers are probably my favorite pools to use in the area. They are convenient, with lots of locations, good hours, including on the weekends, and other nice amenities like the hot tubs and saunas. They are great for both exercise, with 8-14 lanes available at each location for lap swimming, as well as leisure play for kids and teens. They are also pretty affordable, though it makes more sense to get a membership if you go with any frequency, because the single day passes can quickly add up.
The different prices for the Rec Centers can be found here:
General Admission (generally best if you only plan to go to the Rec Centers on a minimal basis throughout the year):
| General Admissions (Per Visit) | Discount Rate |
|---|---|
| Adult (non-seniors 19 yrs. and older) | $10.00 |
| Youth/Student (5-18 yrs.) | $6.50 |
| Child (up to 4 yrs. with paying adult) | Free |
| Senior | $6.50 |
| Family (1-2 adults, up to 4 children, total of 5 related individuals) | $25.00 |
Membership Options (generally better if you plan to go more frequently, such as a few times a month or week):
Month to Month (Cheapest Option):
| Pass Type | Bi-Weekly Payment |
|---|---|
| Adult | $26 |
| 2 Person | $15 |
| 3 Person | $4 |
| 4-8 Persons | $2 each |
| Senior | $24 |
| Senior 2 Person | $14 |
Annual Pass (Best Value):
| Pass Type | Annual |
|---|---|
| Single | $569 |
| 2-Person | $894 |
| Child | $166 |
| Youth/Student | $529 |
| Senior Single | $529 |
| Senior 2-Person | $830 |
| Senior/non-Senior 2-Person | $863 |
| Family | $1,062 |
Discount Fast Pass (Most Flexible):
| Pass Type | Discount Rate |
|---|---|
| Adult (non-seniors 19 yrs. and older) | $175 |
| Youth/Student (5-18 yrs.) | $162 |
| Senior | $162 |
| Fairfax County Employees | $162 |
Below is more information on each of the Fairfax County Rec Center Pools:
Audrey Moore Rec Center Pool
Description:
The Audrey Moore Rec Center pool is an Olympic-sized indoor pool. It is about 50 meters by 25 meters in size. It has a shallow end for kids to play in, as many as 14 lanes in the middle of the pool for lap swimming, classes, and swim teams, and a deep end with two springboard diving boards, and two high dive diving boards. The pool area is attractive, with a lovely mosaic of an underwater sea life scene decorating the walls. The main negative of the pool is that it tends to get very crowded, particularly with a lot of swim teams and classes vying for space. I recommend googling “Audrey Moore Rec Center Pool Calendar” to get the most up-to-date monthly calendar for the pool. Also, it is the only Rec Center pool with no hot tub, even though it is among the very largest pool spaces. It does have saunas in the locker rooms, but the sauna is very small.
Location:
8100 Braddock Road, Annandale, VA, 22003
Pool Hours:
Monday – Friday = 6:30am – 9pm
Saturday = 9am – 6pm
Sunday = 9am – 6pm
Cub Run Rec Center Pool
Description:
Cub Run features an indoor leisure pool that is open year round. It includes many aquatic activities, including large slides and a lazy river. One of the water slides is 50 feet long, fully enclosed, and exits, then reenters the building! It also includes an open area for classes and lessons, plus a hot tub.
Location:
4630 Stonecroft Blvd, Chantilly, VA 20151
Hours:
Monday – Friday = 6:30am – 9pm
Saturday = 9am – 6pm
Sunday = 9am – 6pm
George Washington Rec Center Pool
Description:
The George Washington Rec Center pool is a 25 meter by 25 yard indoor pool, half-Olympic sized. It features a shallow end for playing, about 6-8 lap lanes, and a deep end with low springboard diving boards. It also has a hot tub. It is probably the smallest out of all of the Rec Centers, and the pool is quite small. Though a positive is that it is generally not too busy.
Location:
8426 Old Mount Vernon Road, Alexandria, VA 22309
Hours:
Monday – Thursday = 6:30am – 10:30am, 3pm – 8pm
Friday: 6:30am – 10:30am
Saturday: 9am – 6pm
Sunday: 1pm – 6pm
Franconia Rec Center Pool
Description:
Franconia Rec Center (formerly Lee District Rec Center) is probably the pool I go to the most frequently, simply because it is one of the largest (50 meters by 25 meters), and it generally tends to be less crowded than many of the others, like Audrey Moore. It also features the very best hot tub/spa out of all of the Rec Centers. The hot tub is enormous, with an official capacity of about 30 people, though there are rarely more than 3-5 people in it at once. The indoor pool features a large shallow area for leisure play, about 14 lap lanes in the middle, and a deep end with 2 low springboard diving boards, and 2 high springboard diving boards. There is also an outdoor spray ground that is open during the Summer and perfect for kids.
Location:
6601 Telegraph Rd, Alexandria, VA 22310
Hours:
Monday – Friday = 6:30am – 9pm
Saturday = 9am – 6pm
Sunday = 9am – 6pm
Mount Vernon Rec Center Pool
Description:
Please note that Mount Vernon Rec Center is closed for major renovations from January 1, 2023 to the beginning of 2025.
The Mount Vernon Rec Center Pool is a half-Olympic sized pool, at 25 meters by 25 yards. It features a shallow end for leisure swimming, about 7 lap lanes for lap swimming, and a deep end with several diving boards. It also has a small circular hot tub right next to the pool. Though it is smaller in size, it tends to be less crowded than some of the other Rec Center pools, particularly after 7:30 pm on weeknights, and on the weekends.
Location:
2017 Belle View Blvd, Alexandria, VA 22307
Hours:
Monday – Friday = 6:30am – 9pm
Saturday = 9am – 6pm
Sunday = 9am – 6pm
Oak Marr Rec Center Pool
Description:
The Oak Marr Rec Center pool is one of, if not the, nicest and newest pool areas out of all of the Rec Centers. It was newly renovated just a few years ago and it shows. It is a full Olympic sized pool, with a large shallow area, including a beach area, up to 14 lap lanes, and a competition-quality diving area, including the only high dive platforms in the entire Rec Center system.
It also features a medium sized hot tub, though it is not one of my favorite hot tubs: the water tends to be lukewarm, and the water level is always a little too low in my opinion. Also, the jets are not as strong as at the hot tub at Franconia Rec Center. The main negative is that it tends to get quite crowded, both with swim teams and classes vying for space, and also with a large number of patrons in the lap lanes.
Location:
3200 Jermantown Road, Oakton, VA 22124
Hours:
Monday – Friday = 6:30am – 9pm
Saturday = 9am – 6pm
Sunday = 9am – 6pm
Providence Rec Center Pool
Description:
Providence Rec Center pool is another of the smaller, half-Olympic-sized pools. it features a shallow leisure area, about 6 – 8 lap lanes, and a deep end with several diving boards. It also features a nice hot tub area, with one of the prettiest and coolest hot tub designs: it’s a two tiered hot tub, surrounded by plants and windows overlooking the surrounding trees. It is a very nice, relaxing area. The main negatives are that the pool is on the small side, and tends to get quite crowded. The hot tub is very popular too and tends to often be quite crowded.
Location:
7525 Marc Drive, Falls Church, VA 22042
Hours:
Monday – Friday = 6:30am – 9pm
Saturday = 9am – 6pm
Sunday = 9am – 6pm
South Run Rec Center Pool
Description:
South Run Rec Center Pool is, in my opinion and experience, one of the busiest pools, and tends to often be quite crowded. As a result, unless I’m going around the holidays, like Christmas Week, I tend to avoid this Rec Center pool. It is a 25 meter by 25 yard pool, and it includes a beach area, a shallow area for leisure swimming, about 6 – 8 lap lanes, and a deep end with several diving boards. It also features a medium-sized hot tub.
Location:
7550 Reservation Drive, Springfield, VA 22153
Hours:
Monday – Friday = 6:30am – 9pm
Saturday = 9am – 6pm
Sunday = 9am – 6pm
Spring Hill Rec Center Pool
Description:
Spring Hill Rec Center Pool is, along with Oak Marr, one of the more recently renovated locations. It is a smaller pool though, at 25 meters by 25 yards, with a beach area, shallow area, about 6 – 8 lap lanes for lap swimming, and a deep end with diving boards.
Location:
1239 Spring Hill Road, McLean, VA 22102
Hours:
Monday – Friday = 6:30am – 9pm
Saturday = 9am – 6pm
Sunday = 9am – 6pm
St. James
Description:
The St. James is an immense sports and recreation complex that opened just a few years ago in Springfield, Virginia. It features way more than just an Olympic-sized swimming pool. It was designed to be a sports complex for athletes of all types. It includes a full ice/hockey arena, fitness center, basketball court, volleyball court, field house (for football, lacrosse and soccer), performance house (for gymnastics and dance), squash and golf house, a hitting house (for baseball and softball), climbing zones, and even a child care program.
The pool itself is a competition-level. The facility has attracted some top notch professional athletes in the DC Area. Several players from the Nationals baseball team have been spotted working out there, and an athlete friend of mine was once swimming laps at the same time as world class swimming champion Katie Ledecky! Unfortunately, all of this comes at a steep price, with the cheapest monthly packages costing $95. To take full advantage of the pool, the cost is $169 a month.
Location:
6805 Industrial Road, Springfield, VA 22151
Hours:
Monday – Friday: 5am – 11pm
Saturday: 6am – 10pm
Sunday: 6am – 10pm
Cost:
Individual: $169/month
Family: Starting at $224/month
Military: $135/month
Student: $125/month
Weekend: $100/month
Entertainment: $95/month
Burke Racquet and Swim Club
Description:
The Burke Racquet and Swim Club features a 25 meter buy 25 yard pool. It generally has 11 lap lanes and one water walking lane. As a result, it is more geared toward lap swimmers, rather than leisure swimming. I once looked into joining the club as an alternative to the Rec Centers, when the Rec Centers were getting too crowded and hard to find swim space. The cost however, is comparable to, if not higher than the Rec Centers, and only offers access to the one Burke Swim club location, as opposed to a Fairfax County Rec Center pass, which includes access to nine different Rec Centers. The Burke Swim Club also has a lot of groups using the space, including Masters Swim, Swim Lessons, and Water Fitness Classes.
Location:
6001 Burke Commons Road, Burke, VA 22015
Hours:
Monday – Friday: 6:30am – 10pm
Saturday: 7am – 9pm
Sunday: 7am – 9pm
Cost:
| One-Time Initiation Fee | ||||
| Individual | $200 | |||
| Couple/Family | $350 | |||
| Daytime Individual | $90 | |||
| Monthly* | Individual | Couple | Dependent | Daytime |
| Racquet** | $19 | $27 | $10 | $19 |
| Fitness/Swim | $57 | $77 | $10 | $47 |
| Everything* | $62 | $92 | $10 | $57 |
OneLife Fitness – Burke, VA
Description:
I used to regularly go to OneLife Fitness in Burke. The facility has a lot of nice positives. It is generally cleaner, newer, and nicer than the much older Rec Centers. The locker rooms in particular are much nicer and newer than the dated Rec Centers. The indoor pool area is nice too, though it has no windows and so can feel a bit like swimming in a cave. It also only features 4 lap lanes, which can fill up very fast. There were many occasions where I’d go to the pool, be the only one swimming, and then within minutes there would be just 3 more people who would come, at which point all of the lanes were suddenly used up. As a result, having to share a lane is a very common occurrence in the pool.
Some positives of the pool though, are that the pool is salt water, which is far less irritating to the sinuses than the typical chlorine pool. In fact, my skin and joints noticeably feel much better after swimming here – almost like going to a spa. There is a also a smaller pool for water walking and leisure swimming, a splash zone for kids to play in, and a nice hot tub. An extra note: not all of the OneLife Fitness locations feature pools: in fact I believe only the Burke and Skyline locations (highlighted below) have pools. Also, note that the pools close an hour earlier than the facility itself closes.
Location:
9250 Old Keene Mill Road, Burke, VA 22015
Hours:
Monday – Thursday: 5am – 9pm
Friday: 5am – 8pm
Saturday: 7am – 5pm
Sunday: 8am – 5pm
Cost:
One Time Fee of $74, plus $24.99/month
One Time Fee of $24, $49.99/month
OneLife Fitness – Skyline
Description:
Though I haven’t been to the OneLife Fitness – Skyline location, many of the OneLife Fitness locations are similar in terms of look and amenities. Therefore, much of what I wrote above about OneLife Fitness – Burke applies to the Skyline location.
Location:
5115 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041
Hours:
Monday – Thursday: 5am – 9pm
Friday: 5am – 8pm
Saturday: 7am – 5pm
Sunday: 8am – 5pm
Cost:
One Time Fee of $74, plus $24.99/month
One Time Fee of $24, $49.99/month
Sport and Health – Tysons
Description:
Sport and Health Offers a number of amenities that you would expect at a fitness center, such as cardio and weights, classes, a basketball court, tennis court, and racquet ball court. It also features spa services, including massages, facials, and more. The pool features 7 lanes, which is much larger than many of the other comparable private fitness centers (like OneLife Fitness and LA Fitness). It also features extra programs like Masters Swim Team, swim lessons, and aquatics fitness classes. All of these extra amenities come at a price, though. Sport and Health is more expensive per month than some of the other pools.
Location:
8250 Greensboro Drive, McLean, VA 22102
Hours:
Monday – Friday: 5am – 9pm
Saturday: 7am – 6pm
Sunday: 8am – 6pm
Cost:
One Time Fee of $49, plus $59.99/month
One Time Fee of $9, $69.99/month
George Mason University Aquatic and Fitness Center
Description:
The George Mason University Aquatic and Fitness Center is, as the name suggests, part of the George Mason University. As a result, it has a lot of space and resources at its disposal. The complex includes two pools. One pool is 50 meters by 25 yards (with either 8 lanes for long course, or 22 lanes for short course; and the other pool is 25 yards with 6 lanes. Because it is part of the university, there are times when parts of the pool, or even the whole pool, will be closed for competitions, meets, and other events.
Location:
4520 Patriot Circle, Fairfax, VA 22030
Hours:
Hours vary, but the most up-to-date information can be found here.
Cost:
| Member Classification | Membership Type | Pricing | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Non-Member/ Drop-In Patron | Day Pass | $10 | |
| Students – Undergraduate/ Graduate – Non-Degree Seeking – Advance student | Part-Time (Available Online) – Undergrad < than 12 hrs – Graduate < than 9 hrs | $55 for part-time students* Full-time students – no purchase needed! | |
| Student Summer | $30 | Taking a Summer class? No purchase needed!* | ||
| Student Additional Member | $135 | Semester* $90 | Summer* | ||
| Faculty/ Staff | Full-Time Faculty/ Staff (Available Online) | $30 | Monthly $300 | Annually Payroll deduction available | |
| Faculty/ Staff Additional Member | $30 | Monthly $300 | Annually Payroll deduction available | ||
| Adjunct Faculty/ Staff Beginning January 1, 2021, this membership will be sold on a monthly/annual basis | Faculty/ Staff Adjunct (Available Online) | $135 | Fall Semester* | |
| Alumni First-time alumni members should contact masonrec@gmu.edu to confirm eligibility. | Alumni Member | $50 | Monthly $500 | Annually | |
| Alumni Additional Member | $50 | Monthly $500 | Annually | ||
| Community | Community Member | $75 | Monthly $750 | Annually | |
| Active OLLI Members First-time OLLI members should contact masonrec@gmu.edu to confirm eligibility. | OLLI Member | $30 | Monthly $300 | Annually | |
| Masters Swimming | Student (Available Online) | $125 | Semester* | |
| Faculty/Staff/Mason Rec Member (Available Online) | $185 | Semester* | ||
| Non-Mason Rec Member (Renewal Available Online) | $225 | Semester* |
LA Fitness – Alexandria
Description:
LA Fitness is very similar to OneLife Fitness. Both offer clean, modern facilities and amenities, including nice locker rooms and showers. The main downside, like OneLife, is that the pools are much smaller than some of the other facilities, particularly the Rec Centers. Most LA Fitness pools are only 3 lanes, which means they fill up fast. The lanes are generally 25 yards in length. There is a hot tub located near the pool area as well, though it only has a capacity of about 5-6 people. There is also a sauna. This particular location has an added bonus of being in a shopping center right near Wegmans, which is a popular supermarket.
Location:
7867 Heneska Loop, Alexandria, VA 22315
Hours:
Monday – Thursday = 5am – 10pm
Friday = 5am – 9pm
Saturday – Sunday = 8am – 7pm
Cost:
One Time Fee of $99, plus $34.99/month
One Time Fee of $0, $44.99/month
LA Fitness – Herndon
Description:
This facility is very similar to the LA Fitness – Alexandria location described above. The pool is 25 yards long and features 3 lanes, plus there is a hot tub and sauna.
Location:
494 Elden Street, Herndon, VA 20170
Hours:
Monday – Thursday = 5am – 10pm
Friday = 5am – 9pm
Saturday – Sunday = 8am – 7pm
Cost:
One Time Fee of $99, plus $34.99/month
One Time Fee of $0, $44.99/month