Freedom Aquatic & Fitness Center

About

Sports facility with multiple gyms, pools, basketball courts and warm staff.

The Lap Pool is typically maintained at 79-81°F, the Warm Water Therapy Pool is kept at a warmer 90-92°F, and the Leisure Pool's temperature is usually between 84-86°F.

What are people saying (AI review summary)? This gym offers a mixed experience, largely praised for its friendly staff, excellent swim instructors (especially for children), and a well-maintained pool often cited as the best in the region. It provides a decent value for those who utilize its diverse amenities, including Zumba, pickleball, and various classes. However, significant issues detract from the overall experience: persistent ceiling leaks, dirty free weights, and frequent machine breakdowns are common maintenance problems. Operational frustrations include inconvenient weekend hours, pool closures for swim meets and lessons, and a poorly placed ID scanner. A major recurring negative is poor member etiquette, with complaints ranging from loud behavior, machine hogging, and impatience to reported shouting matches and physical altercations, which staff are noted for not consistently addressing. While recent improvements in supervising children during events are appreciated, the weightlifting area is described as small, suggesting it may not be the primary draw for serious lifters.

Location

Gallery

Amenities

• Good for Children
• Accepts Credit Cards
• Accessible Entrance
• Accessible Restroom

Reviews

Listing Reviews

September 6th, 2025

Elise Hall

Not the best but not the worst. I think for the price it is fine… you have options, but if you are someone who won’t use the pool or other amenities, you would be best going somewhere cheaper for the quality of the weight room. My biggest issue: The ceiling leaks almost every time it rains. Trash cans catching water are everywhere with towels and wet floor signs too. This sometimes blocks machines. Then, it makes me really hope there isn’t a mold problem. If you’re going to go to a gym like this, you will have to deal with swim meets and basketball tournaments. That is no problem for me, as long as the staff are on top of it. There have been times in the past where unsupervised children were up on the top floor (children under a certain age aren’t allowed up there and they often don’t belong to the gym, just there for a sport) and my husband hurt his ankle because they were running around him. Recently though, they have seemed to crack down on that and monitor the upstairs area more when they have events, which we really appreciate. Their most recent gym refresh really helped for sure, but doesn’t fix a lot of issues. Machines are broken often, but hopefully some of these new machines replaced the old ones that often broke. The staff are SO friendly, but I haven’t seen them really make comments on peoples gym etiquette, and I think they should. Endless circuits, slamming weights and loud grunting really ruin the vibe for everyone else (and I’m pretty sure there are signs saying not to do this stuff, but sometimes people need to be told). I have been to much worse gyms, which were much cheaper to be fair, but I think you’re getting a decent deal for the price and options if you will use the pool.

August 11th, 2025

Brittany

We’ve been taking swim lessons with Lane this spring and summer, and she has been fantastic with the kids. She keeps them engaged throughout each class, and my daughter has gained so much confidence in the water since starting with her. Before lessons, she was terrified of getting her ears wet, but after just six sessions, she was comfortably putting her ears completely under water. That’s a huge win! The facility is clean, the locker rooms have plenty of lockers, and the pool is well-maintained.

July 26th, 2025

Wilson Jackson

I went there for a Thursday Zumba class, the instructor was Patty. She was high energy, very engaging and had a great song selection. I also used the free weights for a bit and walked the indoor track. It's a very nice facility and offers a myriad of activities that includes swimming, pickleball and massages.

June 8th, 2025

J Slate

First of all, they fixed the pool hrs for the most part. It is now only closed 1-3 during the weekdays. Gym hrs: 3x different closing times which is rather annoying. Closes at 6pm on Sundays lol. Doesn't open till 8am on weekends. Now the worst part of this gym... I have been attending various gyms for almost 2 decades. This is the first time I have seen fights start to breakout. Within my first year, I have seen 3x shouting matches, and one turn into shoving. Next, maybe it is just Virginians, but these ppl are annoying and impatient. I have got asked more times in one year , "how many sets you got left?," then my previous 2 decades of lifting. You also have old ppl doing machine circuits, and they are hell bent on doing it in a specific order, and they are like a pouty 3yr old that doesn't get their way when u finish ur first or second set, you take a breather, and they ask, "you done yet?," you answer no and they huff and puff bc "you're just standing there hogging the machine." Like do you ppl not understand how weightlifting works? Answer: No they don't. The free weights. Absolutely disgusting and grimey. Wipe down a weight or bar, and your towel is caked in brown grime. The pool: Often closed on the weekends for swim meets and or lessons, so check the schedule before coming or go to a different pool. Life guards are hit or miss. One day a guard got onto us for using our own pool noodles. I still don't know wtf he was talking about. People have noodles and squirtguns in the pool all the time. Quite a few misbehaving & rude kids with 1st gen parents that don't understand that having your 7yr old jumping on me or my 4-5yr old in the pool is not acceptable. Especially, when I don't know you. Seriously, this type of occasion has occurred 4 or 5 times now. ID reader: move the dang scanner. It is a 50/50 gamble that when. I show up, some patron or customer is standing in front of it. I was skipping it every time this occurred but someone finally tracked me down and ask me to come back and scan, so idk stop using that PC for everything but id related stuff, or just place the scanner away from the PCs. Like move it to the front of the counter nearest the entrance??? The staff. For the most part, very friendly and welcoming.

April 15th, 2023

Jack

I had to go to many different pools for swim and I have to say, Freedom is the best pool in VA. It’s cold, clean, and has depth variety. Basketball court is great but the gym (weightlifting) is a little small.