This Y is great. Good variety of machines, very friendly and helpful staff, a great community of members. The class offerings are good and the pool is a big plus. I am baffled by seeing some poor reviews on here. I can only say: if you can't tolerate anything less than Equinox and that's what you can afford, then good riddance. read more

0/10 recommend. Staff are v rude and lie constantly. Facility is falling apart. Members are barely allowed to use the pool due to scheduling. read more

Staff was very friendly at this YMCA and the instructor for the Yin yoga class was extremely knowledgeable, professional and friendly. Facility seemed very clean. The only thing I would like to see for yoga would be blankets, bolsters, and straps. read more

I'm not sure why this Y gets a poor rating. It's perfectly fine for what anyone needs to complete an exercise task. And they have an indoor pool and plenty of classes The staff here is always kind and helpful. They have early and later hours and a variety of equipment. It's a great place to meet new people in the various classes too. read more

See all

I was shocked to see this location had such poor reviews. This place is a bit older than other newer YMCAs/gyms, but as of right now they're doing some renovations to improve the space. There are also lots of difference fitness areas, so even when it's busy I find it relatively easy to find room to workout. I also can see how people might be bothered by the kids, but there's lots of times during the day that are very quiet and when there are children there the staff do well to keep them contained + they never interfere with the fitness area at all. I love going to this Y!! In my opinion, the staff at this location more than make up for any inconveniences caused by broken facilities. They are all always so nice and friendly! One they were offering freshly picked figs at the check in desk (they were soo good lol), and another time when I went in they had a bunch of coffee and hot chocolate out for people (: Great staff, the facilities have everything I need, AND they offer financial aid on memberships. Overall, it's a good gym + an even better center for community. read more

Management is unqualified and incompetent. The Steamroom , Sauna , and Swimming pool are often broken and closed for weeks or even months . There is no oversight or accountability by Triangle of the Y regarding this facility in Chapel Hill. Do not waste your time or money !!! read more

This place is almost like a senior center. The equipment is a little fancy even though its not the largest gym. I like how their treadmills that have access to YouTube, Hulu, Netflix, and random games. read more

Chapel Hill-Carrboro YMCA - Gyms Near Me - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

CONS: Too many kids. You've got to deal with crowds of kids to even get IN the place. Kids were all over the locker rooms. (Fine if you're their mom or dad, crappy if you'd like a peaceful workout experience). The nature of the place is to serve kids not adults. It smacked of elementary school. You never get that feeling of belonging. It just isn't relaxing, it's hard to concentrate on fitness with all the clubs and events and posters and glass walls and general chaos. Too many chemicals. Used the pool only once, the chlorine in the water, wrecked my skin, and I had trouble breathing due to the chlorine fumes. There didn't seem to be ANY ventilation. Can't be healthy for anyone. Nor were the gag-worthy industrial chemicals used to to clean the place. PROS The facility is huge. I like the idea of having a raquetbal court, track, basketball/volleyball court, pool and fitness center all in one spot. Great hot tub, sauna. The very best part of this gym though is the hot tub/sauna. Clean and nice and large -- great in the winter months. However, requesting a special key to get in. What's that all about? read more

I grew up with the Y, going to camps and after-school programs here when I was younger, and now, I'm still regularly going to the YMCA to train and workout. After using a university's gym for the past few years, the YMCA's facilities are definitely a step down, but it still has everything that I need to complete my workouts. This YMCA is a very versatile gym - they have facilities for so many activities (basketball courts, racquetball courts, indoor track, swimming pool, sauna, free weight room, cardio machines, dance studios, outdoor playground, etc.). That's what makes the Y such a great venue for a kids' camp, but for the individual gym-goer, you may encounter some problems. I do a lot of bodyweight exercises and if anything, I use light weights, so a yoga mat and dumbbells are adequate equipment for me on most days. On the days that I'm really feeling adventurous, I'll venture down to the weight room and use some heavier weights, but I'm perfectly happy doing another workout if the weight room is too crowded. For many, however, the weight room is what they go to the gym for, and yes, the equipment in this weight room is quite limited. There are a wide variety of machines and free weights, but there is only one or maybe two of each - one squat rack, one incline bench, one flat bench, etc. A lot of the times, you'll be asked by others to "work in" in order to share the equipment since it is quite limited. To avoid the crowds, you would want to go early in the morning (before 10am) or around closing time (after 7pm). As I said before, the limited equipment isn't too big of a problem for my workouts, but I can see how it would quite annoying and problematic for others. The weights apparently don't go too high either; the dumbbells only go up to 100 lbs, and the cable machines only go up to 50 lbs. So definitely not a gym for those hardcore bodybuilders. The top floor of this YMCA is newly renovated to contain a really nice space for cardio and mat work. There's lots of cardio equipment (treadmills, step machines, bikes, ellipticals), yoga mats, medicine balls, exercise/bosu balls, and lightweight dumbbells - I tend to stay in this room for my workouts because it has everything I need, which is great! Absolutely love this new addition to the gym. The bottom floor, right next to the weight area, is more cardio equipment with built-in TV's so you can plug in your headphones and watch cable TV while you workout, which is awesome. You can also bring a USB power cord to charge your phone while you workout too. In response to all of the previous yelpers who have commented about the abundance of kids at the gym, I find that yes, there are a lot of children, but they do not get in the way. Typically they will reserve a basketball court for the kids' camp, but the kids are not allowed to use the weights or cardio equipment, so I have never been bothered by them. The only area of inconvenience that I foresee with the kids is in the swimming pool, but I don't swim, so it's not a problem for me. If anything, being around kids gives me more energy for my workout :) All in all, I'm really pleased to find a gym so close to home that is very affordable and has all the equipment I need. The cost is less than $100 per family each month, which is not expensive at all. However, if you are picky with the amount of equipment you need, you may want to choose a less family-friendly gym. read more

Chapel Hill-Carrboro YMCA - Weights and cardio - Gyms Near Me - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

The YMCA is a terrific national organization, and Chapel Hill-Carrboro YMCA is no exception. They offer a number of great programs for everyone in the family. These range from organized sports for the kids to a fitness center for the parents, and an endless supply of quality recreational activities. This YMCA is also very committed to facilitating community needs wherever possible. Their staff is facilitating and flexible. The entire center is well run and a tribute to the national organization. read more

I haven't noticed the issues with children overwhelming the facility... it's usually calm and peaceful (with many older folks) at the times I go. I appreciate the welcoming environment of the classes, the lack of judgment regarding different fitness levels, and the aspect of community development. The dues are high relative to other fitness facilities, which probably helps to subsidize those who can't afford to pay. The children's programming (e.g., after-school, camps) is fun according to my son, although the number of kids seems high relative to the number and skill level of staff, and we've definitely had some concerns about safety. For customer service, my suggestion is to use the email address for the Triangle, as the representatives seem to have more knowledge and speed compared to the phone and front desk options. read more

I think this YMCA is great! Membership always gave you access to all the facilities in the Triangle area, but now there's National membership, so it's a huge perk to have access to any YMCAs in the country if you're traveling. The facility itself is on the small side, but I go for the exercise classes so can only speak to those. There is a wide variety of classes and in general I've found the instructors to be great. At certain times and days the parking lot can get crowded, but I've always managed to find a spot, and never felt like the size of the classes varied that much. read more

Good facility with staff that are helpful. Alittle smaller than others but with more of a community feel.

Facilities are small, and not a lot of equipment. Kids also tend to run wild in the facility

This gym is really awesome. They have some new work out machines with tv's on them, you can play games or watch cable tv. Really cool. There's a good mix of people, so it doesn't seem uncomfortable for anyone. Not too many meat heads, not too many work out bunnies, just chill, chapel hill people. The racquet ball courts are old school and remind me of college. They have a nice upstairs track around the basketball court too. Haven't seen the pool yet, I don't swim, so I can't help you there. Hopefully going to their group fitness classes and I'll update if they end up being not great. Parking lot is kind of tough to get in and out of. Overall this is a great gym for a good price. read more

The close the entire pool every evening until 7:30 so that their swim team or youth swim or whatever they call it can use the entire pool. At most places, the swim team is done for the year but not this one. They still have the entire pool every Mon-Fri from early evening until 7:30. This is not something they mention at all when you are looking to join even though you specifically state you're only interested in swimming. read more

Rejoined 3 months after giving birth, but found it hard to get over there with all my kids, so I ended up not using the membership for two months. I called and asked to cancel over the phone, and asked if they could refund just the last payment that was automatically taken from my account. First the person on the phone said, "Since you rejoined after giving birth, no, I can't give a refund for non-use..." Not sure what the issue is there - the fact that I rejoined, and wasn't an "original" member? She said it like if the scenario had been different, then they would have been able to do a refund for non-use. SO: Keep in mind that if you give birth or have an illness, or some other personal reason that requires you to suspend your membership, you will be penalized in some way down the road. Then she said that I could not cancel over the phone, that I had to come in and fill out a form to cancel. I repeated, "It's very difficult for me to get over there will all my kids." (I'm not going to load everyone up, disrupt naps, unload everyone, just to fill out a little card and then load everyone up again and drive across town again. Ridiculous.) She said I could try calling customer service on Monday. Side note: One of the people doing childcare that is there on a daily basis acts like she can't stand kids, has no patience, and isn't kind towards the kids. She acted like this to other people's children right in front of me while I was there checking my kids out. Yikes, made me never want to leave my kids there again - in fact maybe that is the last time I was ever there. And my personal experience includes me trying to drop off my kids in the childcare area and she's sitting or standing in the corner, not making eye-contact, won't say Hi to the kids or try to engage them in an activity to make the drop-off easier. I had to literally say out loud, "Maybe one of these nice ladies can help you start some drawing or play with the dollhouse...?" I always ask my kids after they leave the YMCA childcare if the ladies were nice to them (Sometimes it's the one I'm talking about and sometimes it's her plus an older lady that's nice enough). They always avert their eyes and shrug, there is never a resounding Yes! as there is with other childcare they've been in. And lastly - it was super fun over Christmas 2017 when they closed all the locker rooms for weeks on end and there were two showers available for the entire population of YMCA users, male and female, and I had to keep paying the same amount of fees for a huge cut in facilities during that whole time. In Conclusion: Penalized for suspending membership, Childcare is sub-par and unfriendly, They'll take your money even when facilities are closed. read more

Too strict on the guest policy and won't let people have guests if they are under 18. Must have one member that is 18+ for every single guest. Absolutely terrible policy. read more

There is a women who sits at the front desk who is a terrible person. She wears ankle weights and bikes home. This lady repeatedly insults me and my friends by not letting us in. They need new front desk people who check people in. She is too strict, and too old for this job (45 years +) read more

I would NOT recommend this YMCA, especially if going to pool area. The aquatics director is brusque and offensive. He was very off putting and did not respect the members or their guests. I felt violated and attacked for doing ABSOLUTELY nothing. I would recommend going to another facility such as the wellness center of Meadowmont or the Homestead pool. read more

I put 5 stars, now that does not mean perfect as nothing is perfect and as a human being I have my bad days too! The facility offers so much for so many, pool, racket ball, track, many basketball courts, extensive programs and activities for children (remember we were kids once too) and too many to mention all things available there. Sure sometimes the bench press in occupied (only one) so I change my routine a little. It is great and the people that work there are great! Donna has been extremely helpful on a few occasions as she knows how the system works. "if you are looking for something to complain about, you can always find something, but perhaps look for the good and will be amazed by all the wonderful things you will find there! Smile and have a great day Gary E. read more

I have been taking water aerobics at the YMCA in Chapel Hill for almost a year and I have been impressed with the dedication and variety of the instructors, but last Monday Kim McLean-Conway wowed me beyond any expectation I might have had. Five of us showed up for Monday morning class braving flooding, lightening, thunder and rain hoping there would be a pause and the pool would open. I suspect others, like me, were eager to find the release and joy of water, dance, and community for everyone in Chapel Hill had been confined to home for days. Kim whom I've never, ever known to be late, was. We expected she had been stopped by weather and were about to turn home when we were told she was on her way. As it turns out, she HAD braved weather!!! Her apartment was flooding as she taught and she waded across some pretty scary water to get to her car and risked driving in flood conditions to get to us. The thunder and lightening stopped and we all had an hour of complete bliss in the water, dancing to the songs we loved, relishing Kim's usual cheer and pep in leading us. Did she have to show up? Of course not. Is she dedicated? Absolutely YES! read more

We had an awful experience with the afterschool program at Meadowmont where we had our two children enrolled. The fIrst year went okay, but recently, we ran into all kinds of difficulties with inadequate unsafe supervision. Our little girl's counselor, of all people, take something of hers and wouldn't return it until my wife asked about it. Our son broke his foot on their playground during one of their games and wasn't assisted by a counselor until another kid told them to help him. Final straw was an ugly incident of Y staff accusing our child of something that couldn't be substantiated, while calling him a name too appalling to repeat. I've had way too many interactions with rude, uncaring staff, from people that answer the phone all the way up to the Executive Director, Kim Grooms. If you're a parent thinking of putting your kids in the care of these incompetent jerks, please beware. read more