This guide is about publicly run recreation: facilities operated by the City of Richmond, Henrico, Chesterfield or Hanover, rather than an HOA pool or a private club. I read each locality’s own pages on October 5, 2026 and mapped the facilities I found to nearby communities that have pages on our site. The mapping is our reading of the map, so check the drive time to any address you are serious about. What the pages showed is that the four localities are not alike. The City’s table lists ten public pools, while the county pages I read list rec centers with gyms, trails and spray parks and, in Henrico, an indoor pool run by the YMCA in partnership with the county.
If you want a neighborhood pool you join, see our guide to communities with a community pool and swim team. For green space, see neighborhoods next to a major park, and for courts, neighborhoods with community tennis and pickleball. This guide covers what those do not: a public building or pool that residents can use.
Where a public pool is actually close
The City of Richmond’s Aquatics page (last updated September 8, 2026 when I read it) says the department operates seven outdoor public pools and two indoor public pools, and describes them as free. Its table actually lists three indoor pools, so count carefully. I did not read any fees for classes or lessons. When I read the page, all seven outdoor pools were listed as closed for the season and two of the indoor pools were closed for renovations, which I note under each pick.
Manchester: an indoor City pool on weekdays
The Aquatics page lists Bellemeade Community Center Pool, an indoor pool at 1800 Lynhaven Avenue, with Monday to Friday hours of 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. It also lists Blackwell Pool, an outdoor pool at 238 East 14th Street, and the indoor Swansboro Pool at 3160 Midlothian Turnpike, which was marked closed for renovations. All three list ZIP code 23224, south of the James River, and Manchester is the closest of our pages by our reading of the map: Manchester community page.
Wrong for: anyone who needs weekend indoor swim hours. The page lists weekday hours only for Bellemeade, and the other indoor pool here was closed.
Northside: Hotchkiss Field and Battery Park
The Aquatics list includes Hotchkiss Field Community Center Pool, an outdoor pool at 701 East Brookland Park Boulevard, and Battery Park Community Center Pool, an outdoor pool at 2719 Dupont Circle. Both were listed closed for the season. Our Northside community page covers the area.
Wrong for: year-round swimmers. Both Northside pools on the City list are outdoor.
Church Hill and the East End: three outdoor pools
The Aquatics list includes Powhatan Pool (1000 Apperson Street), Fairmount Pool (2000 U Street) and Woodville Pool (2305 Fairfield Avenue). All three are outdoor pools and all were listed closed for the season. See the Church Hill community page. Whether a given pool is walkable from a given street is your call to check on the map.
Wrong for: year-round swimmers. None of the three is indoor.
The Fan and Carver: Randolph Pool and Calhoun Community Center
Randolph Pool is an outdoor pool at 1507 Grayland Avenue, and Calhoun Community Center Pool is an indoor pool at 436 Calhoun Street that was marked closed for renovations. Both are listed under 23220. Our Fan page and Carver page are the nearest we have.
Wrong for: buyers counting on the indoor Calhoun pool. It was closed for renovations when I read the page.
Eastern Henrico: a county rec center and a YMCA-run indoor pool
The county’s Eastern Henrico Recreation Center at 1440 N. Laburnum Avenue offers a full-size gym, a fitness area, a ballroom and classroom for rent, and a spray park that was closed for the season and due to reopen in May. Henrico’s fitness page listed fitness center memberships at $10 a month for an individual and $20 for a family when I read it. The Frank J. Thornton YMCA Aquatic Center, at 3201 Watts Lane, was built in partnership with Henrico County and is operated by the YMCA, not the county. Its YMCA page lists an indoor heated lap pool and family pool, and says Henrico residents can swim free on weekends from 2:15 to 4:30 p.m. with a reservation and a YMCA account. The closest of our community pages are Highland Springs and Sandston.
Wrong for: buyers who want a county-run pool or who live outside Henrico. The free weekend window is for Henrico residents and the pool is YMCA-run.
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Where the nearby public center is a gym, a trail or a spray park
Varina: Dorey Park and Recreation Center
Dorey Park and Recreation Center is at 2999 Darbytown Road. The county’s page lists a spray park, a dog park, an 18-hole disc golf course, tennis, about five miles of horse trails, and a connector trail to the Virginia Capital Trail. Rental rooms hold 20 to 100 people. The page lists no pool. See our Varina community page.
Wrong for: swimmers. There is no pool on the page, and the spray park was closed for the season.
Glen Allen and western Henrico: Twin Hickory and Deep Run
Twin Hickory Park and Recreation Center at 5011 Twin Hickory Road has a spray park, two playgrounds, trails, and a multi-purpose room that holds 40. Deep Run Recreation Center at 9900 Ridgefield Parkway is one of Henrico’s two fitness centers, per the same county fitness page. Nearby community pages are Twin Hickory, Glen Allen and Short Pump. Which one is closest depends on the address.
Wrong for: families who want an indoor pool close by. I found none on the county’s recreation center list.
Ettrick: a Chesterfield rec center anyone can join in
Chesterfield’s Recreation Centers page lists four: Bensley, Beulah, Mayes-Colbert Ettrick and Stonebridge. The Ettrick center is inside Ettrick Park, and the county says residency or membership is not required for its programs, which include fitness, karate, summer camp and tot programs. None of the four was described as having a pool. Read more on our Ettrick community page, or the Chesterfield County hub for the rest. Bensley is at Bensley Park in South Chesterfield, so check drive times from any address there.
Wrong for: buyers who want a county-run pool. None of the four centers was described as having one.
Montpelier, Hanover: a rec center that is also a library
Hanover’s Montpelier Recreation Center and Library at 15302 Clazemont Road is a 20,000 square foot building with a full-service library, a full-size gym, a stage, a classroom and study rooms, open Monday to Thursday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. I did not find a county pool. Start with the Hanover County hub and the Hanover page. If a library is also on your list, see neighborhoods near a public library.
Wrong for: buyers who want a pool or fitness center. The page describes a gym, library and meeting rooms.
How to check a facility before you buy near it
Hours and closures change. The City page was a September 8, 2026 snapshot, and its pool list showed two indoor pools closed for renovations, so call the number on the facility page before you plan around it. Look up the facility’s own rental and membership terms, since I only report fees I read. For toddler-focused picks, see neighborhoods for families with toddlers.
Median sales price, August 2026, county-level and city-level
| Area (locality level) | Single-family median | Closed sales |
|---|---|---|
| Richmond City | $403,500 | 163 |
| Henrico County | $425,000 | 229 |
| Chesterfield County | $453,975 | 372 |
| Hanover County | $510,000 | 107 |
County- and city-wide figures, not neighborhood figures. A nearby rec center is not priced into these numbers. Source: Central Virginia Regional MLS, via the Richmond Association of REALTORS sortable monthly statistics, August 2026 table, current as of September 10, 2026.
[DATA NEEDED: median price per square foot, August 2026, by area. Not published in the free sortable tables.]
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Questions about public recreation centers and pools
Do I have to live in the locality to use these public centers?
It depends. Chesterfield says residency or membership is not required for programs at the Ettrick center. The Henrico free weekend swim at the Thornton YMCA Aquatic Center is for people who live in Henrico County. I did not find a residency rule on the City of Richmond Aquatics page, so ask the facility.
Are Richmond’s public pools really free?
The City’s Aquatics page describes its outdoor and indoor public pools as free and says Richmond is the only municipality in the region that offers this. That is the City’s own claim and I did not check other localities beyond the pages above. I did not read fees for lessons or classes.
Which of these pools are open year-round?
Only indoor pools. When I read the City page on October 5, 2026, the indoor Bellemeade pool listed weekday hours, while the indoor Calhoun and Swansboro pools were marked closed for renovations. The seven outdoor pools were listed closed for the season. The Thornton YMCA Aquatic Center in Henrico is indoor.
What if I want a public pool near a Chesterfield or Hanover address?
The county pages I read did not list a county-run pool for either county. For a pool you join as part of a community, see our guide to communities with a community pool and swim team.
Are the Henrico spray parks open now?
No. The Eastern Henrico, Dorey and Twin Hickory pages all showed the spray parks closed for the season, reopening in May with the exact date to be determined, when I read them on October 5, 2026.
Can I rent a county rec center for an event?
Several can be rented. Henrico’s Eastern Henrico center lists the Strawberry Hill Ballroom at a capacity of 120 and a classroom at 20, and Dorey lists a ballroom for 100. Chesterfield’s page links rental information for its four centers. I did not read rental fees.
