SwimRVA

About

SwimRVA, located at 5050 Ridgedale Pkwy, Richmond, VA, is a state-of-the-art aquatic center and community resource. It features multiple pools, including an Olympic-sized competition pool, and offers a wide range of programs such as learn-to-swim lessons, competitive swimming, fitness classes, water polo, and therapeutic sessions. The facility is dedicated to promoting water safety, health, and wellness for all ages.

The main 50-meter competition pool at SwimRVA is generally maintained at a temperature of approximately 78-80°F (25.5-26.6°C), suitable for competitive swimming. Additionally, there is a warm water wellness/instructional pool, typically kept at a warmer temperature around 90°F (32°C), ideal for lessons, therapy, and leisure.

What are people saying (AI review summary)? Reviews for SwimRVA present a mixed picture. Positive experiences highlight well-organized birthday parties with attentive staff and excellent spectator amenities, including comfortable seating, good views, and modern tech. However, several significant negative experiences were reported. These include unannounced changes to swim lesson locations from advertised indoor facilities to substandard, uncomfortable outdoor venues without consent or price adjustment, leading to a feeling of deprioritization. Additionally, serious concerns were raised about child safety at summer camps, with reports of children being repeatedly harmed by peers without adequate disciplinary action. Another negative experience involved a disabled toddler being bullied by another parent in a swim class, with staff failing to intervene effectively or issue a requested refund, and seemingly treating the child differently after the incident.

Location

Gallery

Amenities

• Accepts Credit Cards
• Accessible Entrance

Reviews

Listing Reviews

September 15th, 2025

Brittany Booker

Had my son's 5th birthday party here. The room was set up upon arrival as described. We had the smaller pool (3.5-5ft) to ourselves. Ukrops cake and Papa John's pizza were ordered as I selected. They provided a case of water that was kept in a refrigerator. Jordan was our party host-he was kind, professional, and approachable. Would have another party here.

March 8th, 2025

Mike Jones

Great spectator experience. I've been to a number of poops over the years to watch my kids and this place is my favorite. Good amount of seating with good views regardless of where you sit. Bleachers have seatbacks! Room to bring a camp chair if you want. Power outlets along wall behind bleachers. 5G service. Good sound system, can actually understand the announcer (The announcer at the meets I've attended is fantastic, btw!). Great video board. Reasonable amount of parking.

August 8th, 2025

Shannel

I signed up for swim lessons with the understanding they would be held indoors, as advertised. Without my consent, the location was changed to an outdoor facility in the heat, which was not what I agreed to. The outdoor pool had rusted diving boards, broken patio umbrellas, no shaded areas, and direct sun exposure — all of which made the environment uncomfortable and less enjoyable. Parking was difficult, and traffic in the area was a challenge. From what I was told, the venue change was due to a swim meet. While I understand these events are important, it was disappointing to feel that paying customers were deprioritized in favor of revenue from meets. The lesson cost remained the same, despite the downgrade in facility quality and convenience. My main goal in signing up was to have consistent, comfortable indoor lessons, and I hope in the future the organization will prioritize honoring original commitments or provide fair alternatives when changes are necessary.

April 24th, 2025

Rashida W.

Terrible experience at one of their camps last summer (2024). My child was hit and kicked by another child at the SwimRVA North location. After the 1st time I thought it'd be handled, but it happened 2 or 3 more times after that. No disciplinary action was enforced and that child was allowed to continue attending the camp for more weeks thereafter. When I tried to get them to take action I was told the child also hit the counselors so I guess that made it acceptable in their eyes. Bottom line, SwimRVA DOES NOT make the children's safety their number one priority.

June 8th, 2024

Indira M

We didn’t have a good experience. My toddler has sensory differences (autism dx) and I communicated this on the phone and again in person. In the beginning it seemed like it was going to work out and the initial lesson went well. However there are 2 kids who are siblings who were in my son’s swimming class, and despite parents not being allowed in the water, the father of the other kids had his legs immersed in the water so my son was splashing and honestly had a hard time sitting still when it wasn’t his turn, but the father of the other kids yelled at my son and was being a bully. I decided I’d have him stay out of the water when it wasn’t my son’s turn but even when I expressed how I wasn’t comfortable with this grown man bullying my disabled child and requested a refund, i still didn’t receive a refund. I’m appalled the allow parents in pre school swim lessons who are rude to other kids and there are zero consequences for this. The staff started treating my son differently and I believe it’s because the other family made some remarks about my son.