Students planning to stay in the city over the summer are in for plenty of D.C.’s hot, humid weather. Fortunately, those looking for a break from the heat will not have to go far to cool off.
There are two swimming pools open on campus throughout the summer that many students said they did not know about. Senior Evan Pinsonnault said he never used the pools, located in the Health and Wellness Center and on the Mount Vernon Campus, while he stayed in Foggy Bottom the past few summers.
“I spend the summer playing wiffle ball, golfing, working on Capitol Hill, and being a tourist and seeing everything I took for granted over the school year,” he said. “I didn’t know there were pools available to me, I was totally unaware.”
The Mount Vernon Campus’ outdoor pool will be open from Memorial Day to Labor Day and offers free entry with a GWorld card. The pool is also open to non-students and membership fees vary based on residency near the Mount Vernon Campus and family size. GW students will not be able to swim in the Smith Center pool.
The pools in the Hall on Virginia Avenue and City Hall residence halls will be open to residents of the building starting Memorial Day. HOVA’s pool will not be available after July 8 because of renovations.
The District also has 33 public pools, according to the D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation. The closest pools to GW’s campus are the Francis pool located at 25th and N Streets and the Georgetown pool at 34th Street and Volta Place. One day’s admission to either of these pools costs $4 for D.C. residents and $7 for non-residents.
Students who have their own means of transportation have a wider range of options – several places to cool off are just a short road trip from the city.
Great Waves theme park in Alexandria, Va., is a 20-minute trip by car. The park features a wave pool and water slides for an adult admission price of $12.75 on weekdays and $13.25 on weekends and holidays.
Ocean City, Md., offers the opportunity to get away from the city for a day or weekend trip. About a three-hour car drive from the District, Ocean City is an option for those who crave a trip to the beach rather than a pool. Bethany Beach in Delaware and Assateague Island, a national seashore on the border of Virginia and Maryland, are also about a three-hour drive each.
