Memorial Day Weekend: Where to Go Swimming In and Around Alexandria

If you plan to live the life aquatic this summer, get ready to dive in. The traditional kick-off to the summer swim season is upon us.

Even though the weather forecast calls for it to be hovering around 70 degrees Monday, Memorial Day, the holiday weekend is a traditional kick-off to the pool season.

Here's a rundown of pools in and around Alexandria:

City of Alexandria

Old Town Pool: 1609 Cameron St. in Alexandria. The pool opens for the season Saturday, May 25 and will be open Saturday and Sunday from noon to 7 p.m. The pool will be open Monday, Memorial Day from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The pool will only be open on weekends until June 23; after that it will be open weekdays from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. and noon to 7 p.m. on the weekends.

On the 4th of July, the pool hours will be 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission fees vary; open to residents and non-residents. For more information, call 703-548-3776.

Warwick Pool: This public outdoor pool is located at 3301 Landover St. near Del Ray. It opens for the season Saturday, May 25 with hours 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. It will be open with the same hours Sunday and Monday. The pool will be open only on weekends until June 23, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. After that, the pool will be open weekdays from noon to 7 p.m. Admission fees vary; open to residents and non-residents. For more information, call 703-838-4672.

Chinquapin Park Recreation Center: 3210 King St., will be open Saturday and Sunday, May 25 and 26, but closed on Monday, Memorial Day. The facility will be closing June 17 for renovations, but until then, the indoor pool will be open. The last day the pool will be open is Saturday, June 15. It will be closed Sunday, June 16. For hours, visit this page. 

For fees, which range from free to $8 for non-residents, click here.

Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority

Cameron Run Regional Park: Located at 4001 Eisenhower Ave. in Alexandria, the park is home to a large outdoor pool, Great Waves Water Park, with water slides, waterfalls and a wading pool. The pool opens for the season Saturday, May 25 at 11 a.m. and remains open until 7 p.m. The pool will be open all Memorial Day weekend, Saturday through Monday, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The park opens for daily use on June 15. For a rundown on the schedule and hours, visit the site here. 

For a list of admission fees, which range from free to $15.50, visit this page on the site.

Cameron Run also features miniature golf, picnic tables and a batting cage. The park's Riptide Cafe offers a menu from hamburgers to salads to ice cream. See their full menu here. It's a great place to hold a summer birthday party. For more information about the pool, call (703) 960-0767.

Nearby Fairfax County Public Pools:

The Martin Luther King Jr. Swimming Pool, 8100 Fordson Road, opens for the season Saturday and Sunday, May 25 and 26, from 12 noon to 7 p.m. On Memorial Day, Monday, the pool will be open from 12 noon to 6 p.m.

The pool features a double slide and a children's wading pool. The pool will be open weekends only until June 19, when it will be open daily from noon to 7 p.m., except Tuesdays, when it will be closed.

Admission is free to individual Fairfax County residents. There is a daily fee of $3 for each participant and chaperone for commercial or nonprofit groups (including day care centers, martial arts camps, YMCA, church groups and others). Pool hours and closure information can be obtained by calling the pool hotline at 703-780-1912.

Mount Vernon Rec Center Pool: Visit this heated indoor pool for swimming lessons or when it's raining out, at 2017 Belle View Blvd. Features include locker rooms, sauna and showers. Click here for the pool calendar and more information or call 703-768-3224.

Lee District Rec Center Pool, located at 6601 Telegraph Road, features a heated indoor 50-meter pool. Click here for the pool schedule. The outdoor spray park, Our Special Harbor, opens for the season this weekend. Hours are 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekends and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays except Wednesdays, when the spray park closes at 5 p.m. For more information, call 703-922-9841.

Membership Pools:

Virginia Hills Swim Club, located at 6500 Robinson Dr., is home to the Tidal Wave swim team, celebrating more than 50 years as a team. Information on membership fees is here. The pool opens for the season on Memorial Day weekend. For more information, call 703-329-2360

Highland Park Swim and Tennis Club: Located off of Telegraph Road, at 6400 Highland Dr., this summer swim club offers swimming lessons, tennis lessons and a swim team. Snack bar, social events. Find information here about the Highland Park Hurricanes swim team. For more information, call 703-971-9439. (Patch could not verify whether the club currently has openings for membership.)

Mount Vernon Park Association: There's a waiting list to join this pool which sits on 13 acres off of Fort Hunt Road. The park features a pool, tennis courts and a pond, a swim team and family campouts. The park opens Memorial Day weekend.

Dowden Terrace Pool: (There is a waiting list for this pool but you can contact them beginning in August about joining for 2014.) Home to the Dowden Terrace Dolphins swim team, the pool is located at 6300 Holmes Run Parkway, and opens for the season on Saturday, May 25 at 11 a.m. (Click on the link for information on the summer schedule.) The pool is membership-only, and offers swimming lessons, a wading pool and a snack bar, grills and picnic tables available to members. Available for private parties. 

Know a great pool in the area? Tell us about it in the comments box.