The Eppley pool and gym are world class facilities. The pool is just fantastic, with a warmer, shallower 25m section (my fav) and a cooler, deeper 50m section for real swimmers and diving. The water is the cleanest and nicest I've ever had in a pool - they use a moss system as part of the filtration and to my feel there are fewer chemicals and a much nicer water feel. Except for my pet peeves - expensive parking, the fairly frequent closings for meets, and the very annoying "oops sorry the natatorium is closed today because a few people called out" it would be 5++++ stars. The combination of these really stinks - pay $6.75 for parking only to find the pool is closed. The gym is amazing with dozens of complete weight setups of all types, I can't really imagine a better equipped gym. Basketball, badminton, and lots of other things go on there that I don't know about. I mostly do strength-training and then laps in the pool. The locker rooms are excellent - clean and well equipped. It's a very good deal as an alum read more

Just as a background my girlfriend is taking 2 online classes over the summer. She was so excited to go to the gym, however unbeknownst to her, she is required to take an in person class just to get in for free! This is so weird and such a bad policy. I hope you guys reconsider to give online students access to the facilities. You guys are preventing students from getting the exercise they need. :( read more

Went on a Thursday night, and it was packed, but still able to get a workout in. I also took a zumba class, and enjoyed the class, she kept us moving! Enjoyed the sauna, buy unfortunately they closd the sauna and steam room early , she said the pool was getting ready to close so she just closed them... Beautiful facility, and very clean, I was impressed, as i have never explored this campus read more

I can only appreciate Eppley more now that I have graduated UMD and have tried other gyms/pools. Eppley was really a highlight for me during my time at UMD. Funny enough it was after visiting Eppley that I decided to go to UMD. I took advantage of pretty much everything at Eppley but mostly the Natatorium. After I graduated, I still stuck around the area and used the facility as an alumni. I've used the facility also during COVID (see pics). To get access as an alumni you first have to have a membership with UMD alumni association. You can get the annual one which is only $35. Then you can choose to pay either monthly, by semester (fall (includes winter break), spring, and summer), or annually. Honestly for how advanced this facility is, the price is well worth it. Eppley is UMD's main gym with 4 total levels. The top level has an indoor track (1/10 mile), cardio equipment, and two multipurpose rooms for stretching, calisthenics, dance classes, ping-pong, etc. There are TVs lining the walls where the cardio equipment are so you can watch while working out. The center of the indoor track is open so you can see down into the basketball courts and upper weight room. The 3rd floor is where the main entrance is. Here you can access the bleachers to the Natatorium. The upper level weight room is on this floor too, though you are unable to access it from this level. You will have to go to level 2 to access the 1st floor weight room and then the 2nd level from there. Level 2 also also has the two basketball courts with a total of 8 half courts. But this can be turned into a multi-purpose room for volleyball and badminton. There are also a few racketball rooms. This floor also has a circular multipurpose room that I often see trainers in. Finally, there is the cafe where you can get smoothies and other light food. There are some tables here where you eat, watch some TV, or watch the swimmers Level 1 is where you can access the locker rooms and the Natatorium, indoor pool. Here is also the rental desk where you can rent locks, basketballs, and other sports equipment. There are also some merch and gear you can purchase, but it is on the expensive side. The locker rooms are very large. Keep in mind the club swim team and visiting team use these locker rooms as well so they are many many rows. There is a bench in front of every locker row which is very convenient for changing. There are built in hair dryers in front of large mirrors on either side of the locker room. A number of toilet stalls and shower stalls. There are two handicap accessible shower stalls. But every shower stall is pretty spacious. I didn't realize how spacious they were until I tried a community indoor pool... Now the Natatorium: in my opinion the best part of Eppley. As a swimmer this has everything you would want and then some. Olympic size lanes (though most of the time it will be 25yds) with the water at a cool competition temperature of no more than 78F most of the time. The shallow pool has a zero depth drop in with hand rails so handicap or children can easily access the pool. The shallow pool is under 5 ft deep. The middle section is 7-11 ft deep. Then there is the diving section that is up to 15 ft deep. Though there are only 1 meter diving boards. They have kickboards and pull buoys that you can use. I like the design of the pool where the filter vents are on the pool side for the shallow end (rather than the pool wall) and the deeper ends the vents are well blocked and not just a gaping hole. There are lifeguards all around the pool. They are well trained (trust me I went through the lifeguard training here as an undergrad). There is also a sauna and steam room. Most of the time, I was able to get my own lane (both pre-COVID and during COVID). Some times parts of the pool (usually either the shallow or deeps ends) are occupied by classes or the club swim team. Occasionally there are swim meets where the entire Natatorium is blocked off. But for the most part it not very crowded. Just outside of Eppley is the outdoor pool. It has a shallow end with a mushroom and and a deep end with a 1 meter diving board. There are locker rooms and showers here as well. Though the level 1 locker room has the most lockers, there are lockers scattered throughout the gym on every level. Restrooms are on every floor as well. What I love about the architecture of the facility is how open it is. It has a lot of large glass windows so plenty of sunlight comes through. Staff are students and they are trained well. The facility is also well maintained and cleaned. I often see the cleaning crew in the locker rooms cleaning. Overall: love this gym. Really miss coming to this gym. read more

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This review is for the pool only. The recreation center itself has all the amenities you would expect on a college campus. The facility serves the student body and faculty well. The swimming pool built in 1998 for the primary purpose of swim & dive competition. Secondary was for students, faculty and some programming. The University of Maryland Men's & Women's Swim team however was cut in 2011. This was an unexpected blow to the program. The pool and building was not even ten years old at the time. I have visited this pool with my son three times for competitions. It is a first rate competition pool thats 50 meter long course with eight lanes. A bulk head is installed when running short course which turns the 50 into two 25 yard pools. There are two 1 meter and two 3 meter spring boards for diving. There is also a large warm-up/cool down pool beside it that measures 25 yards. Classrooms and locker rooms are off deck. They also recently added a hospitality suite for coaches and officials. On each of my visits the pool has been superbly maintained by the university staff. The pool is rented out most weekends to USA Clubs like local UMAC for competitions. The IMX Extreme Games that is an annual meet takes place next weekend. Awesome pool, sad history with the dismantling of the men's and women's team. There is a push to start the program back up, however last reports indicated it would cost over 11 million to do so. So why a 4, because they were short sided and did not include platform diving. This could have opened the facility up to hosting NCAA's even with no team. I'm looking forward to my fourth trip to Eppley next week. read more

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The ERC is pretty sweet. There are loads of classes, weight rooms, an indoor track, swimming pool, basketball courts, etc. Although the place is huge, I recommend going at an off hour to avoid waiting for a machine. The treadmills tend to fill up quickest. The ERC is good about getting new equipment and replacing old machines. The machines (e.g. ellipticals) seem to be out of service often though for brief periods of time. The new machines this year have seemed to lessen the incidence of downtime, though. You must have your student ID or be a member to get in. If you forget your ID, you get one "free" pass per semester. They are pretty strict about it too. In my opinion the membership fees are overpriced, but there isn't an alternative in the area that I know of. There is limited metered parking and free parking in the lot behind the ERC after 4pm. Before then, prepare to feed the slow-ass pay station at a rate of two bucks an hour. Or you can walk there and get even more of a workout! The gym also contains a smoothie place and a shop with Maryland fitness gear, drinks, energy bars, and the like. I recommend bringing a lock and locking up your stuff! I've heard of stuff getting stolen here (which isn't surprising). Investing in a lock is worth it. Another alternative to working out at the ERC is Ritchie Coliseum, aka the Greek Life gym. It is extremely small but more convenient at times...except for the wait for one of the three ellipticals. read more

Eppley Recreation Center - Recreation Centers Near Me - College Park, Maryland

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I will give 5 stars to write the review because its UMD. However, I went here once, and it was not open to the general public. Has something changed? As I remember during my visit, it was wonderful, and I was a bit saddened by the rejection. But I went to college, so I know the rules about non-college residents. Although, apparently local College Park residents can attend? Someone should clarify this. read more

Might be time for me to grab a membership. This facility looks amazing. Every conceivable piece of exercise equipment you could imagine. Courts for basketball, racquetball and squash and lane after lane of pool space. Im here for my daughters swim practice but my time may be better spent as a member of Eppley on these two days each week. If the price is in the ballpark of golds or LA it's a done deal. read more

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I love the ERC. Gym, two indoor pools, one outdoor pool, giant climbing wall. **Things that I love about the ERC:** I love that I can join for the summer only because who needs two gyms during the winter (and I am locked into a contract with another gym). I love that all of the employees are college students who seem to take their jobs seriously. Yes! No 15-year-old lifeguards texting from the chair. I love that, while there are children around at the outdoor pool, there seem to be a minimum of children around at the outdoor pool. I love that I can bring a guest for $7. I love that I can rent a locker and also get towel service. Hello! One decent-sized clean and soft towel per trip. No hauling home wet and smelly towels! No hauling home wet suits. (I have a duplcate of everything work out related and leave all in my locker at the ERC.) The air conditioning. Hallelujah! It's cool in here! **Things that I do not love:** (only three) THE PARKING, THE PARKING, THE PARKING. The parking sucks. I repeat, it is bad. Expensive meters near the main entrance. A lot that is free only after 4pm waaaaaaaaaay down below the gym, requiring me to scale a competitive-level mountain climbers mountain of stairs before I even begin my workout (and I cannot begin to tell you how much fun this is in 95 plus degree weather). The locker room is really handy for indoor swimming but miles away, and levels down from the outdoor pool. Kind of a pain but livable. Special events, sporting events and camps on campus can interfere with your workout plans. Goes with the territory, I guess, though. read more

Umm, I thought paying $99/month over at Lifetime was expensive, but holy moly $35k annual gym membership? Better come here a several times a week to make it worthwhile! I really took this place granted in undergrad but DO OVER! The third floor is the only place I frequent for its ellipticals and the smelly padded room with the punching bags for warm up and cool down stretches. The temp is perfect for working up a sweat so then you can flex in the weight room with your warmed up moooooscles. Equipment is always in good shape so at least that part of my tuition is worth it! That's right put in work Move your ass, go berserk Eat your salad, no dessert Get that man you deserve It's Kanye's workout plan Terp yogis! Consider taking yoga classes over in SPH so you can avoid the bros slamming weights next to and above the group fitness studio. The thumps definitely take away the zen you've been trying to build with all your purposeful, even breathing! The studio in 0128 SPH is also smaller and more intimate a space without the crazy long line that winds up the staircase in ERC. Namaste :) Park in Lot 6 after 4 PM-- perfect time to turn up at the gym before all the biddies turn up with their sorority sisters on the treadmills. Try lot/strip N by the daycare center on game days when lot 6 is closed to randos that don't have a game day permit. read more

Great gym! I love all that ERC has to offer from its large facility, fitness classes and equipment. Staff are always friendly and facilities are almost always very clean and sanitized. The fitness classes are a wonderful workout to add to my routine and they are intense! (You've been warned) They offer a sauna and steam room (which on one or two occasions weren't the cleanest). There is always equipment available and I love the indoor track that offers lanes for the walkers and runners. If you have time you can book a room for the racquetball court. They have all the gear you need and if you forgot something like headphones or a snack there is a inside store for purchase. Lastly, the pool alone is worth the trip if you are a swimmer. Overall, I love coming here! read more

I regret not taking advantage of the Eppley Gym earlier, but towards the end of the last school year, I started to come here more frequently. This gym is great. There are 4 floors to this gym, with weight rooms, a running track, ellipticals and treadmills, eI'd recommend to come here towards closing hours (usually 10pm onwards) if you don't want to be here while it is crowded. Surprisingly, a lot of people arrive here early in the morning - I was surprised at how many people Eppley can get around 7:00am. My only bad experience at Eppley was being yelled at by an employee at the Sneakers Cafe. The employees there usually just seem bored and annoyed, but this one employee, in particular, yelled at me just because I forgot to mention the size of the drink I wanted. She yelled "What size?!" while raising her arms and then started grumbling after I told her the size and apologized. No, I wasn't rude to her when I gave her my order, maybe just a bit tired and out of breath from my workout. She still screamed at me in front of a line of people (who all turned and stared at me) and gave me an attitude for the rest of the transaction, yet was super friendly to the next guest in line. Even after she made my drink, she slammed it down so hard on the counter that it splattered on my clothes. I haven't gone back to that cafe since. Lowkey, I should be grateful that the employee yelled at me because now I don't feel tempted to buy a smoothie and drink back the calories that I burned at the gym. But seriously, there was no reason to be so disrespectful over something so petty. It was a humiliating experience and for sure, I will never come back to this cafe. That aside, advice to freshmen - if you want to get in shape, then yes, come to this gym as much as possible, especially since it's free while you are enrolled here! Don't be self conscious about coming here by yourself and if it really is an issue, find some friends to go with you. read more

First, some background information. I've been a fitness enthusiast for nearly a decade, and I've given just about everything a shot. Ultimately, I've come to realize that there is nothing in the weightroom that is quite so rewarding as lifting heavy. I squat, deadlift, "Olympic" lift, and do other big movements with a religious fervor. I'm particularly interested in the sport of Olympic Weightlifting. Seeing Eppley and Maryland's other athletic facilities was a significant part of what brought me to the school as a student in Fall '10. Eppley is big and shiny and air conditioned; on paper, it looks great. Upon my arrival at the University, I immediately became involved with the weightlifting club, a largely unrecognized group of likeminded heavy lifters. To my abject horror, I was promptly immersed in the nefarious rigamarole of UMD's Campus Recreation Services (CRS). As evidenced by their tremendously expensive facilities and the vast number of tuition-paying student subsidiaries, CRS has essentially infinite funding. Rather than using this capital to purchase diverse and high quality equipment, they've taken to purchasing a lot of gym staples like squat racks and barbells (I can't stress enough that these items are well within their budget) at a discount, often so much so that these tools are virtually unusable for a variety of tasks. Furthermore, CRS, which serves the purpose of catering to many thousands of paying students with diverse training goals, has started subscribing to the "Planet Fitness" philosophy. If you're unfamiliar, Planet Fitness advertises itself as a place that upholds virtues of mediocrity while shunning and even actively preventing genuine physical training. They want a "comfortable" gym atmosphere where no one feels self-conscious. This may seem noble at face value, but the philosophy is fundamentally flawed in that "comfortable" exercise does not work. It just doesn't. This mindset that's supported by more and more gyms nationwide is choking an already dying sport--Olympic Weightlifting--by essentially outlying the practice of such. I'm now a senior, and after an immensely productive summer where I've managed to achieve great things while lifting in the ramshackle gym in my basement, I'm gritting my teeth as I prepare to return to College Park and watch those achievements slip away as my family is forced to pay for shiny buzzers and whistles in a gym that doesn't support any of my athletic goals. read more

This is exactly as I thought it would be, a college gym. There is a lot to offer here but it seems that overtime I go, there is some sports team or athletic group training where I want to be. Unless it is off times, things are pretty crowded. I like the equipment and the 30 minute minimum is a negative though. I like to run for 60-90 minutes each day. read more

Thee place is big and new. The are great swimming pools and many group classes. Many workout devices, great condition. I really like this place. But in my opinion, the place has 2 major problems: 1) It's a shame that most of the instructors there have no clue about the devices. Especially in the TRX room - why are they there if they can't guide the people who come to workout? 2) To often they heat the place wayyyy too much. It's impossible to workout like that. Too hot and suffocation feeling. There were times last winter when me and my friends didn't go there because we couldn't work out in such conditions. read more

GAINS! Student gym, plenty of other amenities including pool, basketball courts, classes, racquet ball. Weight room is small for the number of people who lift and the free weights are a wait during prime time. A few bros but it's a college gym. Come during off hours to really enjoy. Funny hours during the summer. read more

The ERC is an amazing place to work out. I thought I had to be a Maryland student/faculty/alumni to join, but I learned that I could just join the Alumni Association ($70 for a couple per year, or $55 for an individual) and that would allow me to buy a membership ($465 for the year). It turns out to be pretty cheap access to a world class facility with indoor/outdoor pools, courts, cardio, weights galore. There is an indoor track that is 1/10 of a mile and an adventure/rock-climbing structure in the back yard. read more

Love the staff here-- they are always so polite and kind! It's a solid gym all around-- the only complaints I have is turn on the darn AC when it's above 70 degrees outside and please check the status of the ellipticals-- sometimes they can be a little janky. read more

I give this place 5 stars as a student who has access to everything here for free. If I had to pay the membership I may feel differently. Weight room: Big and lots of weights/space. Plenty of equipment. Non judgmental. No slamming the weights, but some people do when they're lifting really heavy. Indoor pool: Sometimes the lanes fill up quickly, but the pool is nice and they have kickboards, etc. Cardio: The entire top floor is cardio equipment. It gets busy, but there is plenty of equipment. Treadmills, ellipticals, stair climbers, In the event the equipment fills up, there is a waiting list and people are limited to 30 min workouts. Classes: You have to get a pass, which is free, to get into group classes. There's a wide variety of classes offered at convenient times throughout the week. Get there early because some classes fill up and you might be turned away. Locker room: great. There are plenty of showers. I've never had to wait for one. This is a nice gym and if you are a student I recommend you take advantage of the free membership. read more

Basketball courts, two-level weight room, and a good snack bar. "Sneakers," the snack bar, has good refrigerated salads, and good smoothies.

This is an adequate establishment. The weight room is plentiful, the basketball courts pristine, and the racquetball courts first class. However, the staff is indifferent in their finest hour, and the air quality is reminiscent of a slightly used article of footwear. This could be a byproduct of the monopolization of the fitness market in the area. I would recommend to a friend, but make sure that they are wary of some of the faults! read more

The indoor pool here is amazeballs. There, I said it. Impressive stadium seating to watch swim events. No fighting for bench space. Basic concessions stand. Impressive fitness facility. You have to be a student or member to use the outdoor pool and fitness facility. We just come for the competition meets. Did spot Ray Rice and his entourage playing basketball here once. read more