I am going to be in Columbia MD for a week on business so I thought I’d look for a pool to swim in. The only one I could find with a drop in rate was the Swim Center and the price is $25! Is this a normal price for a single swimming session in this region/the US? If anyone knows a cheaper place to swim in the area, please let me know!
See if you can swim as a guest at a workout of the central maryland Y masters.
I travel reasonably often and swim everywhere so I have a decent amount of experience. $25 is high but not outrageously so. $18 seems to be pretty normal. My own club charges $20.
By far the least expensive is to call ahead and join in a masters swim practice, some places you need to be a USMS member.
I agree with Kevin.
Traveling you will see prices that range all over the place. Somewhere around $20 seems to be the average.
In NYC it’s $30…
Jake
wow, that’s ridiculous!! My pool charges $3, I think (it might be $4, but I’m pretty sure its $3, and you get a discount with a 10-punch pass) but I get to swim for free anytime I want with my masters club membership.
This pool is near Columbia and it’s a $5 drop in fee for non-residents:
http://www.howardcountymd.gov/RCCC.htm
Let me know if you need more info.
$5 where I am
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Columbia is spendy, but holy hell…are you looking at some exclusive club?
Back in Oregon it was like 3.50, here in Bmore it’s not too much more.
Kevin is right. At central maryland Y there is no drop in fee, although the YMCA May charge a guest fee. Also Maryland Masters at UMBC has a $5 drop in fee. That about 15-20 minutes away.
I swam at the YMCA in Birmingham, AL last week for free on the “Y-Away” Program since I’m a member of a Y in Indiana. Agreed, some Y’s are great about this and others not so much. I had to use the Y 20 miles from my home Y one time because ours was closed and they charged me $5. The funny thing about the one in Birmingham is that they didn’t even ask for proof that I’m a Y member. Those people down there are just really nice…
Just “tour” the gym and act interested. If you put up with their 15 min sales pitch you can likely use the gym that day for free.
If you are a USMS swimmer, I’m pretty sure Columbia masters would let you swim as a visiting swimmer, just contact the coach and ask. I know I’ve seen some visitors from out of town at practices before and I’m guessing they weren’t paying $25.
I swam at the YMCA in Birmingham, AL last week for free on the “Y-Away” Program since I’m a member of a Y in Indiana. Agreed, some Y’s are great about this and others not so much. I had to use the Y 20 miles from my home Y one time because ours was closed and they charged me $5. The funny thing about the one in Birmingham is that they didn’t even ask for proof that I’m a Y member. Those people down there are just really nice…
Y-away is the definitely a win.
I have swum and done yoga “away” in San Diego, Mississippi, South Carolina, and North Dakota. Unfortunately many Ys have limited Sunday hours except in Chicagoland where most Ys are 6am-6pm on Sunday.
Did you figure out a pool? I belong to Columbia Association pools.
Jeez, and I thought I felt buttraped when our local public pool jacked its daily drop-in fee from $5 to $8. (but then i only use it when my club pool is closed one week a year for repairs, or the rare early weekend lap swim when I’m trying to do a mega S/B brick).
I haven’t really decided on anything. I don’t know what my schedule will be when I’m down there next week. It’s good to know that cheaper options are available though. I’ve been limited in my search by the lack of information a lot of pools seem to have on their websites. I should think that making price and schedule information easy to find would be a higher priority!