Great place to go swimming all year around . It's free and usually empty, only drawback is you HAVE…read moreto schedule an appointment on line , and all the staff are pretty stern about enforcing this rule . I was turned down from an empty pool because I chose the wrong time block , I think I picked adult swim instead of free swim. None the less 9/10 experience.

This review is just about the pool - which is the only part of the community center I've used thus…read morefar. There just hasn't been a review of the Curtis Hall Community Center in quite a while, and I thought it would be helpful to update. I'm training for a triathlon and needed an affordable place to swim 1-2 times a week. I I've gone swimming here a couple of times and I'm very happy with the swimming facilities. The locker room is.. a locker room. It seems well maintained and clean, which is all I can really ask for. The showers do turn off approximately every 30 seconds or so, but it's not a huge problem. The pool is 25 yards, and there are three lanes. I've only been in the early morning, but the most people I've seen at the pool at one time is 9 (3 per lane) and that worked out just fine. The gentleman who works at the front desk in the morning is friendly, and very helpful. He allowed me to try out the pool a couple of times before joining, which was really nice. The cost to join is $30 a year and there is a $2 per use cost for the pool. However, you can buy a card that gives you 7 uses for $10 -- well worth it if you ask me. I have no problem paying to help to support a community center. I will take a look at the rest of the facility one day when I'm not in a rush to get to work.

This disability is fantastic. We just enrolled our son into their daycare program. They have…read moreswimming lessons every Tuesday. Pretty cool. They also host several community events throughout the year.

Whitin Community Center has been so great over the last year that we have been members. The…read morevariety of programs, and the delightful staff have made it such a great experience. We joined mainly for the pool, as I was a competitive swimmer. While the facilities are certainly not "state-of-the-art" it is more than what you get other places for the same money!

Staff are incredibly rude and it is rare to find one that is nice. The gyms are tiny, overpriced…read moreand they watch over you like a hawk, they always make it seem like you are doing something wrong. Their staff make it seem like they genuinely hate everyone and their job. it is NOT a welcoming environment. After reading many of the other reviews I see I am not the only one complaining of the rudeness of the staff. The rude staff make me consider if my over priced membership is worth it.

The Beede Center has a great pool, excellent fitness facilities, and a highly professional staff. I…read morehave been very satisfied since becoming a member almost 3 years ago.

I would almost move to Williamstown to be able to come here regularly…read more It is beautiful and well maintained. The sauna with the outdoor spring fed pool for a cold plunge is so incredibly energizing!

From the owner: Sand Springs Pool & Recreational Center has been a source of gathering and healing since long…read morebefore it became one of the first spas in North America in 1907. Today, the Sand Springs Pool & Recreational Center provides one of the best outdoor recreation opportunities in the Berkshires. Bubbling beneath its bucolic grounds is one of the few thermal springs in New England. Its waters play host to summer fun, winter cold plunges, swim lessons and more.

What a great place to spend a day! Plus it's free thanks to DCR! The facilities are clean - shower,…read morechanging rooms and bathrooms. The pool is huge. Lifeguards are present and they test the pool quality every hour or so. The kiddie area is blocked off so perfect for families who want to dunk their kids and not to be disturbed by other swimmers. Don't want to swim? There is a splash pad when you leave the pool area. There is also a playground with picnic tables within 2 min walk. I saw four swings for babies/toddlers and swings for older kids are behind the slides. Street parking.

Terrible experience and extremely disappointing. This place has so much potential and could be such…read morea great resource for the community, but the way it is being run and the way the staff treats people completely ruins the experience. The female lifeguards were rude in general to the public. They kept staring at us and pointing at us, which made us extremely uncomfortable. The pool checks were also poorly communicated, and nobody clearly explained what the actual purpose of them was. The head lifeguard was just as rude and unprofessional. What made the experience even worse was that after we left because we were uncomfortable, we were literally stopped and pulled aside by the staff and accused of lying about having a child with us just to get into the pool. We did NOT lie. We have been at the pool. We had our belongings inside and everything was already set up. Two of us left because a lifeguard told a mother in the water near us that she could not be in the pool with the floaties she had. Since it was extremely hot out and we wanted her child to actually be able to enjoy the pool, we went all the way back home to grab a life jacket we had so mind you the third person with us was still there at the pool with all our stuff waiting for us to return with said life jacket for the baby. We were rushing back specifically so she could get back in and enjoy the pool. So to then be stopped, accused of lying and treated like we were doing something wrong was completely ridiculous. We only needed about an hour at the pool, and somehow that short visit turned into an uncomfortable and frustrating experience. The staff's attitude, the staring, pointing, lack of communication and then accusing us of lying was enough to make it very clear that we will not be returning. It is honestly a shame because this place has so much potential and could be something really great for the community if it were run by people who actually knew how to treat families with basic respect and kindness. One visit was more than enough.

Clean 25 yd pool that wasn't too crowded. I went after work and didn't have to share with more…read morethan one person. Also, there's a very large diving well and separate kiddy pool so the lanes don't get full of aqua-joggers or families. Compared to some other local (non-university) pools, it's not quite as over-chlorinated or quite as warm, and definitely cleaner. Cheap entry by day, multiple-session card (I did the 10 entries for $40 which I think is budget-friendly) or gym membership - although I haven't checked out the gym yet. Only complaint is limited hours of lap availability and no AM lap swim during the winter session.

I am trying out several different masters swim programs in the Boston area and this is my second…read moreone I've tried. (See my other review for Quincy masters). So, I have to say, this one is just okay. You get a decent workout, but it's not HARD. And the reason why is not because of the workout itself, but it's because there are no SEND OFF times. Basically, the workout is, you do X amount of sets, but resting wise, you just do 10 or 20 second rests after each set. And so personally I'm not motivated to swim faster because I'm not trying to do anything on a specific time constraint. I find myself a little less focused to go faster without sendoffs. Also, the workout is pretty much the same each time- you start with a warmup, then 2 underwaters, and then the main set, and then an IM set, and the same kind of sprints where you try and do each 25 with zero breath or one, or whatever it is. It's not a bad workout, but I'm incredibly bored because I know it's the same each time. The main set changes each time, of course, but the sameness of structure makes it kinda boring. We get a decent amount of yardage in- anywhere between 2400-3200 per hour and 15 minute workout time. Practices are twice a week. As for the coach, Elyssa, she is a lovely woman. However, she doesn't quite have the enthusiasm I'm personally looking for. I want somebody to yell at me and give me critique. However, in her defense, she does have to coach 6 lanes of people so I understand it's not easy to give personal attention, so I don't blame her. But personality wise, I like a little more spunk in my coach. But everyone is there for different reasons so it's hard for a coach to be everything. The one thing that really bugs me is the staff that works there at the front desk- they are SO unfriendly, rude, impatient and clearly underpaid. They are CRANKY and they are the first people I see when I walk into that building so it makes me want to not be there. The pool is about a 10 minute walk to Harvard T stop (cut off across Harvard campus will save you ample time), so it's not terrible in terms of location. Oh, the pool itself really sucks. First of all, there are bulk heads that's separating the different sections of the pool so there's nothing to GRAB onto when you're doing two hand touches; it's completely awkward and irritating. Imagine finishing and doing two hand touches on a wall. Also, when you get into the pool, they have these blocks that are covered by orange covers that sorta get in the way and make it hard for you to get in- not to mention it is IMPOSSIBLE to get out because of the depth. You have to swim to the ladder to get out of the pool, because there is no way you can get out from the pool otherwise. It's kinda ridiculous. Cost wise, it's $105 for 20 sessions, so that's $5.25 per session, which is pretty cheap. I've looked into many other programs and this is probably the cheapest one. So pros: -Pretty good location if you're in Cambridge -Decent yardage of workout -Nice coach -Inexpensive Cons: -Sucky pool -Unfriendly front desk staff -No real send off times, just go at your own pace (which can be a pro if that's what you are looking for) - A bit dull (atmosphere, people, some of the workouts) If you are in Cambridge and are looking for twice a week workout for fitness, this is probably a good option for you.

Worn out place, new owners are very unfriendly for tennis closing courts and making it very…read moredifficult to play tennis.

This review is for Ms. Lou the swim instructor. My son is so petrified of learning to swim and she…read moreis so kind and patient. We were at goldfish for almost a year and he learned nothing, in just two classes she has taught him so much. THANK YOU!

Well kept despite being a state pool that cant refuse admittence to non local residences. Life…read moregaurds keep excellent order despite the amount of kids they are watching. Best state pool ever visited. Only reason 4 stars os the shit bums that matriculate here and everywhere else. Throwing trash, blasting shitty music in the parking lot. We see you, i promise, no reason to draw extra attention to yourself. Thanks though my 6-9 year old four girls with me needed to lesrn a bunch of curse words and how to disrespect a property not belonging to them. You are the real MVP'S shitbums. - end rant

It's a nice pool. But the life guards are ridiculous. They blow their whistles for anything. It's…read morelike a bunch of seniors from high school on power trips at their summer job. We won't be going back.