Benjamin Harrison YMCA

About

The Benjamin Harrison YMCA, located at 5736 Lee Rd, Indianapolis, IN 46216, USA, is a comprehensive community center offering a wide array of health, fitness, and youth development programs. It typically features a state-of-the-art fitness center, group exercise studios, gymnasium, indoor track, and an aquatic center with multiple swimming pools, catering to individuals and families of all ages for wellness, recreation, and social engagement.

While specific, publicly advertised pool temperatures for the Benjamin Harrison YMCA are not readily available, YMCAs generally maintain their lap pools at approximately 79-82°F (26-28°C) and their warmer instructional or family pools at around 88-92°F (31-33°C) to accommodate various activities such as lap swimming, water exercise, and swim lessons.

What are people saying (AI review summary)? The Benjamin Harrison YMCA receives mixed reviews, highlighting both strong positive experiences and significant areas for improvement. Positive feedback often centers on the early learning center, where children are reported to be excited, engaged, and form strong bonds with teachers. Many appreciate the facility's updates, particularly new gym machines, a comfortable indoor pool, and partnerships like the one with JCC for holiday access. However, several critical points emerge: a significant concern involves the cost and perceived lack of flexibility or empathy from the YMCA towards families experiencing financial hardship, which can lead to heartbreaking unenrolments, especially for children with special needs who thrive in a consistent environment. The pool is criticized for being primarily child-centric and lacking amenities for adults, such as quiet areas or deeper sections. Furthermore, the swim lessons program is strongly condemned as a 'waste of time' due to unengaged instructors and a perceived lack of leadership commitment to program quality. Suggestions for future improvements include updated locker rooms, the addition of a hot tub and sauna, and an expanded outdoor pool with features like a lazy river and concession stand.

Location

Gallery

Amenities

• Parking Lot
• Accessible Entrance
• Accessible Restroom

Reviews

Listing Reviews

August 21st, 2025

Danyell Smith

Benjamin Harrison YMCA early learning center is a great place for my daughter. She’s excited to go to school every morning and can’t stop talking about teachers/friends.

July 29th, 2025

Tess Stader

It is sad to say my time at this Y has came to an end. Both of my children have attended here since 2022 and absolutely adored it. But since I cant afford and keep up with the cost after losing my father and going through a horrible divorce my son is now being unenrolled for the next school year. I had to make the choice of feeding my kids or paying the school. It breaks my heart that this is happening to him as he was approving so well. My son is autistic and its so hard to find others that he feels comfortable with. He finally was starting to grow. He was talking more. He was learning so well. Now he has to start over in a new school with new people. This is going to be such a heartbreaking challenge for him. After all the challenges and issues I had with this program I'm surprised I kept my kids here. But the teachers and assistant teachers made it worth it. My son was so attached to Barbara now he will never see her again. Thanks for kicking a single mom down when she is already going through so much. Really showed me what kind of family place this YMCA is running.

June 20th, 2025

Megan

The Y facility is nice but I primarily come for the pool. This location is really only ideal if you have children. There are zero places in this pool for adults to relax without getting splashed or getting caught in the middle of a game of marco polo. Most other locations have deeper sections that are for adults only or if you pass a swim test. Those pools also allow rafts where this one does not.

April 27th, 2025

Cynthia Johnson

My family loves coming to the YMCA. The facility has been working on updates over the years, and I appreciate the new machines in the gym. The indoor pool is nice and the water is a comfortable temperature. I also appreciate the new partnership with the JCC to accommodate those who would like to work out on specific holidays when the YMCA is closed. I would love to see some more upgrades in the future, though. Perhaps updated locker rooms, a hot tub, and a sauna. It would be nice if they had a machine to dry off excess water and towels in the locker room again. If they were to expand on the outdoor pool eventually, a lazy river and concession stand would be really cool.

July 28th, 2025

Fred Gottman

Do NOT sign your kid up for swim lessons here. It is a complete waste of time and run by instructors that clearly do not care about teaching kids anything. The rest of the facilities are probably fine but I do not recommend taking classes here. Leadership clearly does not care about the quality of their programs.