A community center is supposed to be a place where you can hold club meetings, throw a birthday…read moreparty, enjoy the pool, and, yes, take a class and work out in the gym. This place is just a gym with too many rules. Here's what I've been asked to stop doing or even leave for: Swimming too slowly in the pool lanes Not playing tennis in the tennis court (my child and I were the only ones there, and we were playing) Bringing a child younger than 9 or 14 onto the track Playing basketball with a basketball brought from home. All the others are ALWAYS taken. They confiscated my ball. Going the wrong way in the pool. The lifeguard didn't realize that going against the current is a form of exercise. Walking the track instead of running Stopping next to the track Sitting on the exercise equipment. It had a chair that I chose to sit on for two minutes. No one was around. Today, two fellow members kicked me out because I had flip-flops on. They were right about it being against the rules, but it just reminded me of the pervasive culture of entitlement and snobbery that exists at this location. For context, I have memory issues, which is why I had flip-flops on at the gym.

Love this recreation center. One of the reasons to feel good about being a VA Beach resident is…read morethat you get an annual membership for $120 and you get access to all the amenities (pool, gym, track, locker room, etc) and classes (tai chi, Zumba, yoga, etc ). Not only at this location but also other recreation centers as well! Parking is ample. You get full view of the pool to the left of the entrance and then the welcome/reception desk and even a peek at the indoor court. The membership signup was a breeze, the staff was helpful. Flyers of class schedule, pool and gym schedule and other locations are all available by the bulletin stand where you take schedule printouts. I cannot wait to start my early morning classes!

I visited this center for a private event last weekend…read more I heard about this center before and wanted to check it out, but never got around to it. I still really didn't check it out last Saturday. I only walked in the front door - to the right - and the event was in the banquet rooms to the right. If I had to guess about two rooms were used to accompany about 100 people. Overall, I was please with the center. I did see young boys enjoying the facility. I did notice this center is only open from 12p-4p on Saturdays. Unlike most recreation centers in the area, this one looks to be the the largest or in close competition with others in the city. Plenty of parking! Check them out when time permits. Have fun and enjoy life :)

This center is huge and so amazing. I came here because of tge google reviews and they were so on…read morepoint. Greeted with kindness, everything is spotless, seniors are working out, I mean really pumping iton. I am motivated. The parking lot is wonderful too. Spaces are wider than usual to accommodate newer vehicles. The mixture of ages is very nice. I am jazzed by the positive attitudes and smiles. Loving it.

It was only the second time I had been to this Rec Center. Neither time included activities. The…read morefirst was to check out the walking lanes in the pool. This time was for an event being held in a large meeting room off the lobby. The location is on the portion of Newtown Road where the road turns east & the remainder is called Diamond Springs Road. This portion of the road actually runs between Haygood Road and that split. On the campus of buildings are also two elementary schools. The land, previously a farm, was donated to the city by the Williams Family, There are definite positives & negatives to the indoor pool. It appeared from my viewpoint to be slightly smaller than that of Bayside Rec Center. The walking lanes are fantastic for those who enjoy or need that experience for therapeutic reasons. But it does take away from the pool space for those who go to swim or just splash. There are outside activities that aren't available at Bayside. A large connected & fenced splash area was great for younger kids running through the water on a hot day. It gave the feel of a series of stationary underground sprinklers. I viewed an enclosed skate board ramp. Adjacent to that was something being used that was below ground level. I'm not sure what type of activity was involved. I didn't venture further down the meeting room hall. But the large glass window room in which my event was held was great & very accessible. One big flaw was the lack of handicapped parking spaces. I only saw four & had to park in hinterlands in terrible heat. This Rec Center is a great addition to this part of Bayside. It's walking distance from a lot of condo's & apartments. So kids can get there very easily in the summer. The Williams family's land donation is being put to good use.

Since my go-to rec center was having a check-up, I have been trying out different rec centers in…read morethe area. I'll say that I had a very pleasant experience at Williams Farm. To be perfectly honest, I had no idea this rec center even existed, but I'm glad that I know about it. The rec center has all of the features of the other local rec centers - pool, open gym, weight room, cardio machines, indoor track, clean (very important) locker rooms, and free (and plentiful) lockers. Extra points for the showers in the locker room because each shower has an additional partition so one can shower in one partition and change in the other. The weight room is pretty comparable to a smaller gym's, but the center has all the equipment that one would need for a general workout. Actually, I think this center's weight "room" (or should I say weight open space) is a bit larger than a couple of the other VB rec centers. I noticed this rec center had a few bench presses and deadlift squat apparatuses. This is in contrast to my regular rec center, which has only one of each. I really enjoyed that the rec center has plenty of large windows so the weight room and indoor track receive plenty of natural sunlight, which leads to a cheerful workout . . . at least for me. The staff was pretty much nice and very helpful in providing directions to different parts of the gym. While this rec center is somewhat out of the way for me, I definitely will visit when my local recenter is closed.

Slide is awesome! pool is very clean staff is very nice. restrooms, locker room etc always stay…read moreclean

This pool is Norfolk's newest recreational center and is a real beauty. For those outside the…read moreswimming community you would never know about the shortage of swimming pools this area has, but it's true. This new facility was a very welcome addition to Norfolk and the surrounding communities. The complex is almost a year old and looks it too. The building is a looker from the outside with all glass and clean lines. A really cool bronze statute greets you out front of a woman with long legs and arms stretched out. Parking is good, but not sure I would say great if they were really busy. One thing that will not be too much of an issue is this facility is not really set up for swim meets. Could they do a small one... YES! They even have a scoreboard. I really don't see it. Also a drawback is no exercise room that would have been a sweet enhancement. As you enter the check in desk is in front, a nice lobby with TV to the left and lockers to the right. Also to the left and down the corridor a bit is a large multi purpose room with kitchen. This was an important aspect of the facility to hold meetings and accommodate parties etc. The locker rooms are very small, with only two benches to change on. This was one of the missed opportunities I will speak to in this review. They had plenty lockers, but few stalls and a small showering area. However, I found them to be spic and span. Let's get to the exciting part. The pool is a six lane with a two story water slide that swirls you outside and back in and down into the pool. They also have a basketball hoop. I was impressed with pool and deck, it was really done nicely. There are blocks at the end of the lanes for diving starts. I am unsure if the length is in meters, or yards. The size of the pool was the biggest missed opportunity of the complex. An eight lane pool is standard for running swim meets. A six lane is completely inadequate to hold a swimming competition. There is a score board, but my assumption is not one meet has taken place. They most certainly had the land to expand. There is probably two acres out back. It will be interesting to see if this land is ever developed. The spectator area is first class. Just off the deck on three tiers. It is comfortable and parents can easily see there swimmers play, take lessons etc. This is something they gave some thought to and I score this high having seating just off the pool and close to children. The lifeguards that I encountered were approachable and nice to talk to. The evening that I attended a lifeguard not on duty was providing private lessons to a young swimmer. The guards have there own room which is state of the art with exam table and plenty of cabinet for storage. I also saw the must have defibrillator. I like the location of this aquatic center, especially in Norfolk where the greatest need was. The city had the foresight to seek the funding and got it built. However, the lack of a eight lane pool was just not smart at all! Compare what the City of Virginia Beach does at there recreational centers. Everyone is an eight lane competition pool. If your a resident of Norfolk you can get in for a discount, other pay more. Of course they have membership and I would recommend. Since they offer lessons parents should take notice of when classes are being offered to make sure the little one can swim. There is so much water in our community and programs like this are perfect to educate on water safety and have fun.

Bayside Rec has become my home away from home. From swim, to cardio, to lift, to basketball and now…read morea bit of pickleball. It's also a place of community where I now have friends. Cannot recommend Virginia Beach Rec centers more.

When my 11 year old Grandson comes from Brooklyn he doesn't want to go to the Beach. He wants to…read morego to the pool at the Rec Center. He loves it. That says it all about the pool. A wonderful benefit of my Medicare Supplemental plan is free access to lots of gyms, including the Rec Centers. So I get free cards without having to pay the city resident's annual fee. Recently my use has been limited to watching from the bleachers while my son & grandson swim. Also I love early voting at the Rec Center. In my earlier pre knee replacement days & before retiring I would walk to the Rec Center to both swim & use the machines in the work out room. The pool is great for water walking & other non impact exercises that I learned in a pre knee surgery physical therapy program at another facility. The machines in the weight room were also knee strengthening learned from previous Physical Therapy. Because of the swim teams & classes offered I learned the best time for the pool was when the Rec Center first opened for the day. There were always tons of people waiting for the door to open. The crowd mainly consisted of seniors who would go to the pool every day or do gym walking decked out in fashionable sweatsuits, probably widows or widowers trying to attract a new spouse. The Senior crew that chose the pool didn't interfere with any of my exercises. There was a group who spent their time in a circle treading water & gossiping. Since I knew a few I was invited to join, which I did from time to time. Those sessions provided me with all the scoop on everything happening In Bayside at the time. The crowd left when classes began, which gave me time to get home & ready for work. The weight room is well stocked with equipment on which one had to do a short training session before using. The early crowd there consisted of buff guys who wanted to work out before work. The Rec Center consists of much, much more. There are a plethora of classes ranging from Crafting to Yoga & Pilates, which I really should take advantage of. Workout groups are offered. There is a racquet ball court that seems very popular. Adjacent is a disc golf center. The very large indoor pool offers an open area, swimming lanes, diving section & much, much more. I wish it had built when my son was young & was on a nearby Bayside neighborhood swim team. The bleachers & lounging area outside the pool window wall offer a great view for parents to watch. It's such a wonderful facility to be in the neighborhood. Thank you Virginia Parks & Recreation.

This is my go to..linedance,yoga,and zumba class 3 times weekly..This place is very clean and my…read moreinstructor Policia is the best .These classes are targeted for seniors.

Everything, staff members were very helpful. Very organized. Building was clean. Large facilities.read more

This local facility is utilized for educational and recreational programs. The opportunity to use…read morethe facilities is always appreciated. It's tough trying to find programs for the kids to participate in that has good coaching and available facility to use. I do believe this location also hosts several Nonprofit entities as well. The location also provides adult training programs too.