After seven years of attending classes and exercise activities we have found that we like this better than some of the other exercise clubs we've tried. They have really great hours. The bathrooms are always clean and once you figure out what is the best time for you to attend, you can get in an easy groove and attend on a regular basis without any hassle there's plenty of room to do whatever you wanna do here lots of space and lots of options. The pool is exceptional. The hot tub is great. The exercise areas are amazing and the indoor walking trail is really amazing in the winter if you want to stretch out and stay dry, we use it all year because my husband is blind and it's the safest place for him to walk. We really appreciate all the amenities here they are very handicap friendly and the staff is exceptional. We love coming here read more

I had never been in this building even though we often are at the library next door. My son and fiance have told me many times how nice it is inside the facility and specifically my son has said how badly he wants to try the waterslide. My fiance and I had a few minutes to spare today so we decided to drop in so she could show me the facilities and we could talk with someone about a membership. As we are walking down a hall (within the first 5 minutes of getting there) in mid-conversation this older man begins following us and recording us. I don't mean to stereotype but it is what it is, this man was filthy, looked like he hadn't showered or changed his clothes, you get the idea. He tells us that we look like people who stole from there yesterday. My fiance told the front desk and they basically said the following: He recently had his cell phone stolen, so thats why hes suspicous of us. (The one he used to film us with I presume?) And basically we just need to deal with it... I never do reviews and really try to avoid leaving negative ones. But not only did this homeless older man follow us with a camera in our face just for entering the building...the worst part is the staff basically profiled/stereotyped us and told us to deal with it. My fiance said it best, "how could we have avoided that? Just for entering the building we are subject to that?" I definitely don't feel comfortable allowing my child to be there in a bathing suit. God forbid he "fits the description" or something and has to deal with the harassment from guests followed by a shrug of the shoulders from management. If you have a son or daughter who goes here regularly I would just like to say BE CAREFUL and PAY ATTENTION to who may be watching or FILMING YOUR KID! read more

This community, my husband and I, met a lot of good people who became close friends of ours because of Firstenburg. The people and staff are friendly. We've been going here for years. read more

This review is for the pool alone, as we haven't utilized any of the other athletic spaces here, and aren't likely to, based on our experience. Your mileage may vary. It's nice to have a clean, affordable, and easily accessible community pool to take the kids to when the weather isn't cooperating, or warm enough to head to the river or the beach. That said, there are some absolutely maddening things about the way things are run here: * Swimming sessions are an hour and a half long. Why? There's no reason they can't run all day, barring short breaks for cleaning and maintenance, like all pools do. I don't know when this became the norm, but it wasn't the case "back in my day" (*shakes fist angrily at cloud*), so there is no reason this should be the case now. * The water is just barely warm enough to be tolerable. You really need to get your body moving before you're able to ignore it. * Arbitrary rule against taking our toddler into the jacuzzi. He's literally been to a natural, outdoor hot spring, and loved it. What's the problem here? * Overbearing and obnoxious lifeguards enforcing, again, arbitrary and pointless "safety" rules. I get it; running, horseplay...things like that should be squashed immediately. But no floating devices in the not-so-lazy river? Please. Firstenburg? More like Lastenburg, because that's the last time I will waste my money or time here, until they pour some of that frigid pool water over their heads to cool off their stifling power trip. read more

Our family will be back to Firstenburg. We had a great time in the pool and hope to have a birthday party here! Arrive early to buy tickets for entry. The pool entry is only for one hour. There are no deck chairs, so plan to be in the water with your kids. They also have a dry deck with plexiglass if your kids are water safe and old enough. The locker rooms are bare bones, but easy enough to navigate. There aren't changing rooms, but the showers have curtains. All in all a nice affordable family activity. read more

We came here on a Saturday for family swim. Reservations must be made online prior. It's $7-$8 per person depending on where you live. When you enter the building you must check in on the left hand side and they will give you wristbands. Everyone must wear it while at the facility. In order to get to the pool you must enter through the men's/women's locker room. Then you exit the locker room on the other side and wait by the sign for the pool to be opened. None of the lockers are open for use, so you must bring your items with you to the pool. Once your time slot opens they let everyone into the pool. The water slide and kids play area is open as well. They have water toys, balls, and floaties for use. There are basically 4 sections to the pool (kids play area, lazy river, lap pool, and slide area). There is a height requirement for the slide, but if your child is too short they can go on if they are accompanied by someone. There is a family restroom that you can use with showers after the pool time. It makes it convenient to bring all the kids into one room with you rather than going into separate locker rooms. The only reason I took off one star is because one of the lifeguards were extremely rude. We went past the sign that says to stand in line since it was so small and she yelled at us multiple times as if we didn't hear her the first time. This was the first time we came, so we didn't quite know what to do. The other lifeguards were nice, but she just seemed like she was in a super bad mood. read more

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Great facilities always kept clean and organized with a well informed and positive staff. Will make sure all your needs are met in a timely manor. Could slightly improve upon workout facility but enough to still maintain a good workout read more

Finally said forget it to this place and canceled my longtime membership. Have continuously been unhappy here since Covid and the loss of many wonderful employees. It's a community center with no sense of community. So incredibly disappointed in this place. read more

This is a nice facility but there is a variety of issues. The one that surprised me most was then I went to the hottub there was only one person in the pool and they still had 2 young lifeguards marching up and down like getman soldiers for one person in the pool! Also needs more pickleball times since it's so popular... read more

Nestled into a woody area a few blocks north of Mill Plain on 136th rests the newest community center in Vancouver, Firstenburg Community Center. Built in the early 2000s, FCC has a lot to offer for families, kids and seniors. FCC boasts a full-size gym that can be easily split into two gyms (think pickup basketball on one side and youth soccer practice on the other among other options). Vaulted high above the gym circles an indoor track, run, jog or walk, you decide. At the end of the gym area is the two-story climbing wall, complete with qualified trainers and attendants. A great place to begin your rock climbing ambitions or fine tune your technique. The second floor also hosts a large weight room with a myriad of machines (Precor and Nautilus), TVs that you can choose the channels on and lots of staff or trainers when you need them. There are also a variety of old school machines sprinkled around the second floor. Throughout the facility, there are lots of specialty rooms for the many other classes they offer at FCC. Kids Ballet? Yoga? Zumba? Stretch classes? Kids Karate? Take a look at their website to see all the classes they offer, and like life, their class schedule is always updating itself to meet the needs of its members. Back down on the main floor, you'll find the pool area, it's got all the bells and whistles that kids pools have, but if you're hoping to practice your butterfly on a full-length lane, you may be disappointed, no diving platforms or boards either, but still a beautiful pool area with lots of swim times for kids and parents, and even a hot tub for the older kids. Heading down the south hallway, you'll cross several different sized rooms that are used for a variety of functions like organized clubs, classes, teen events and even a computer club. You'll pass by the FCC's own cafe/snack bar which is open from early to late. There are also pool tables, ping pong tables and foosball tables, which can all be used for free (even by non-members). A bit further down the hallway you come to The Trapadero, think of it as a seniors clubhouse, once again with a wide variety of activities for the silver set in a comfortably cozy setting. Down at the end of the main building, are a couple of larger activity rooms that double as room rentals, can anyone say Quinceañera? or maybe you're looking for a spot for your wedding? There's also a full commercial kitchen in the back, also for rentals, that until recently was the local home for Meals on Wheels. With a friendly and helpful staff, FCC has a lot to offer to local Vancouverites looking to stay active, participate in various clubs and classes or just wanting to relax in a hot tub. And just in case you're still on the fence, FCC is just a few steps away from the Cascade Library, a great, not-so-little facility itself. As for parking, that's where the woods come in, surrounding the FCC and Cascade Library are tons of free parking spots sharing space with dozens of tall evergreens, giving you the feeling of a much more natural space than their address suggests. read more

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I wonder, how you are supposed to lap in a swimming pool, that has a length of ten meters? Sounds like a joke. Also, they don't sell tickets online, so you have to come 30-40 mins prior, otherwise you won't get in. Their swimming pool is 5 stars for kids. It is 1 star for the way they manage things and for adult swimming. 3 stars in average. read more

I was looking for a gym with a pool to do lap swimming. Of the three in a reasonably commutable distance from my home, this was my second choice. For lap swimming, it's an absolute no. The lap area is maybe 10 yards. There is a nice lazy river area and a waterslide. The thing that gave it the higher rating than the third choice was the variety of workout equipment and the indoor track. I like to walk/run, but am not a huge machines person. I thought the idea of the track was fun, and it's on the second floor, so you can see down into the gym/pool areas. Plus, there are interesting workout machines along the path. I was particularly intrigued by the climbing treadmill. This gym also has a climbing wall. Were it not for my desire for lap swimming, this is the gym I would have chosen. read more

The library is especially disturbing and unfriendly. They do not like kids there. My children were unwelcome.

Swim lessons for my 8 month old = 30 minutes of splashing around. So much fun! Warm pool, nice people instructing and great atmosphere. Pool is warm and huge. Recommend 5 stars!! read more

We have been coming to this community center for over a year. This is the place to go whenever we want to play table tennis and swim, among other activities. It can get pretty crowded around Spring break and on the weekends. Somehow the staffs always find a way to make almost everyone happy. I would highly recommend this community center for everyone. This is a great facility and it is centrally located. read more

Firstenburg Community Center - Ready to play - Fitness & Instruction Near Me - Vancouver, Washington

There are a lot of things I like about Firstenburg but swim lessons are not one. They expect your child to check off all the boxes in a book before moving on to the next level. Many children have to repeat the same level several times. After looking at the book of what is required and knowing that they didn't even work on some of the items listed, swim lessons just seem like a way to scam parents for money and not actual teach anything. read more

Excellent place to go and work out. No enrollment fee. just pay your monthly dues. $64 dollars for 2 adults, and all children under 18 in the household. There is an indoor track, 2 basketball courts, weight room, cardio machines all over the place, swimming pool, (max depth 5 ft) a rock climbing wall, men's women's and family locker rooms, and a fairly large hot tub. These are the only areas that require a membership, or pass to enter. There is also a teen video game room, 2 pool tables, a ping pong table,open Wifi access, a small cafe, a senior citizens center, a television area, child care while you work out, and a fairly large conference room complete with its own kitchen. If it weren't for having to earn a living, you could hang out here all day! Plus the Cascade branch of the Vancouver library is only 30 feet away. read more

I now do fitness here! This is the best fitness and instructing place ever!!! The pool is the best part about it. I took swimming lessons here back then after I finished the ones at the YMCA. This place is legendary and everyone should worship the ground it walks on! read more

This a great place to get a good workout. You can really get some good basketball game in this gym. I think it a fun place to go when you need some to get away. The first recreation facility on campus, IMPE (Intramural Physical Education building), was opened in 1971.[2] In 2008, after IMPE was renovated and reconstructed, its name was changed to ARC. Reconstruction[edit] A group of University of Illinois students created a campaign for a comprehensive expansion and renovation of IMPE and WIMPE, called Bigger, Better, Campus Rec Renovation. University students were asked to vote on a referendum asked for an overall $77 per student increase in general fees for students over the next 2 years, to provide more recreation opportunities, reduce overcrowding, address space issues, and meet the needs of university students. Out of 5,459 voters 4,020 persons (74%) voted in favor of the referendum [3] The reconstruction began on March 17, 2006, and the building was reopened in August 2008. The project's cost was $54 million.[2] Facilities[edit] The total size of the ARC is 340,000 square feet (32,000 m2), consisting of 276,000 square feet (25,600 m2) of dry facilities and 64,000 square feet (5,900 m2) of wet facilities.[2] Gymnasium 1[edit] Gymnasium 1 of the Activities and Recreation center is located on the east end of the building on the first floor. It contains five basketball courts. Alternatively, the area can also be served as seven volleyball courts. One of the basketball courts is usually used as a futsal (indoor soccer) court, with goals and dividers set up. This gymnasium is often used for intramural sports and other organized competitions. There are also day lockers in the gym area, and a locker room is attached right next to Gymnasium 1. The total area of the Gymnasium 1 is 35,780 square feet (3,324 m2).[2] Gymnasium 2[edit] Gymnasium 2 of the Activities and Recreation center is located at the center of the building on the first floor. It can be also found on the left side of the building entrance, next to the member service area. The gym contains two basketball courts, which can also be served as three volleyball courts. Day lockers can be found inside the gym. The total area of the Gymnasium 2 is 14,859 square feet (1,380.4 m2).[2] Gymnasium 3[edit] Gymnasium 3 of the Activities and Recreation center is located at the center of the building on the first floor. It can also be found on the right side of the building entrance, next to the member service area. The gym contains two basketball courts, which can also be served as three volleyball courts. There are usually four badminton courts set up on half the gymnasium, leaving the other half for basketball or other activities. Day lockers can be found inside the gym. The total area of the Gymnasium 3 is 15,012 square feet (1,394.7 m2).[2] Gymnasium 4[edit] Gymnasium 4 of the activities and Recreation center is located at the east side of the building on the lower level. Inside Gymnasium 4 there are three basketball courts, which in turn can also be used as volleyball courts. Day lockers can be found inside the gym. The total area of the Gymnasium 4 is 19,219 square feet (1,785.5 m2).[2] Outdoor pool[edit] An outdoor pool can be found on the west side of the Activities and Recreation center building. The pool is a 50-meter, 4 lanes standard pool. It also contains a diving well. The outdoor pool is usually open during summer and fall. During the winter and spring, the pool is not available to any activity. The size of the outdoor pool area is 36,085 square feet (3,352.4 m2).[2] Indoor pool[edit] The indoor pool of the Activities and Recreation center is located on the 1st floor of the facility building. It is a 50 meter by 25 yards pool. Diving well can be found in the area. Additionally, Sauna and wet meeting rooms are also available. The size of the indoor pool area is 22,907 square feet (2,128.1 m2).[2] read more

Great place in Clark County for keeping the family active no matter the NW weather. Plenty of activities for all member and ages. Greats for basketball & pool time. Great Zumba team of teachers! You have a variety for all taste of music & intensity. The track is super comfortable with varios lanes of "speed" again great for even cold rainy days read more

We joined in January and for awhile, we went 3-4 days a week. There are great swim times for the pool and we feel confident in the professional and safety minded lifeguards to leave our 10 year old to swim while the hubby and I head upstairs to exercise. The main exercise room upstairs overlooks the parking lot and I've loved playing 'what car does that person walk to? The sensible minivan or the sexy camaro?' Our son took a dance class, he didn't like that it was all girls, but we liked the instructor and the way the class was set up, with fun music and sweet little prizes at the end of the day, and we'll probably sign him up for other classes. The staff are always friendly and knowledgeable and the bathrooms, equipment and pool are clean and well cared for. But, there is a downside and sadly, it's a big one. Firstenburg Center has no AC. Yep, you read that right, no air conditioning, ANYWHERE, in the building. It is hot and uncomfortable downstairs in the locker rooms next to the pool and jacuzzi, but upstairs, where people are working out it is unbearable. So, for the summer months, we just don't go, except on the rare occasion when we can get in before 11am (weekends). I guess my recommendation is to go to firstenburg, but only when the temp is under 80 degrees. read more

This place sucks. They have no way other then email to speak with someone and no one calls back when you leave a message. The website swim times are a lie. Make sure you don't go by the schedule. Get it together you idiots. read more

they have a teen zone from my 11 year old . xbox wii movies. they have open swim for my smaller ones . they can swim wile i work out. they also have a rock climbing wall a track basketball courts and leauges. all in all a great place. I enjoy working out here. its not a show off put your makeup on type of place. read more

Although the facilities are quite nice and modern, the Firstenberg is always so packed, that getting on a machine in the gym is slim to none. The personal trainers here are a joke really, and the classes are geared towards the older adult population. I feel like my $63 a month could go to a different, less crowded gym membership. read more

Great for swimming! They have a wave pool, hot tub and water slide. Just be careful lots of kiddos..... They also have a GREAT brand NEW state of the art library next door that has all new loan materials. read more

The best aquatic center around. Love the different classes and the current pool. Absolutely love it.

The entire building (not just pool area.) smells of chlorine. I have asthma and can't use the indoor track due to those fumes. Not enough parking good luck finding a parking place. read more

There are no changes to the pool or lack of AC, but Firstenburg has changed their practice of charging extra for classes. Now all classes, that I know of, are included. So, I'm much happier with them regarding that. Now they just need to find a more effective way to cool the building during the hot summer months (how about some solar panels to provide energy to cool the building, or a roof-top garden to insulate the roof from being heated by the sun) and expand the pool, or add another with lap lanes for those who like to swim laps. read more

Just had a horrible experience where my child was obviously in distress and a lifeguard looked at him straight in the eye and continued on his way. Thank goodness I took trainings in the past. Will never return here. read more

My child recently took swim lessons through this center and I would advise seeking swim lessons elsewhere. I was very disappointed to learn at the end of the course that my child (4 years old) failed his class. When asked why he failed (after only receiving positive feedback during the course), I was given the answer of "because I need him to take it over". Eventually I was provided a more direct reason from the instructor that he did not float well enough on his back... I followed up in voicing my concerns with the instructor and manager that we were not given any feedback during our sessions nor were we given the curriculum until the end (which is given to first time students). I believe that if we had been given the course curriculum at the beginning and homework to work on throughout, our child would have had a better outcome. Also good to note, that at this time the course outline online is substantially different than the course curriculum that is given at the end of the sessions. During my conversations with the staff members I learned that only 1 out of the 6 children in my child's class passed (and it was their second time taking the class). Additionally, the staff that I spoke with admitted that many students have to repeat each course a few times....(@ $80 each) as there is a lot of material to review and learn. To me this is very alarming and this low success ratio. And this "success ratio" is a complete failure. I am not understanding how retaking the same course will set a child up for success if they are reviewing all of the same material. If the course curriculum is too much why not break it up into smaller sections where kids can be successful and parents can feel that their money and time are valued. Or perhaps more thought should be given to having longer sessions to set them up for success the first time. I mean, lets promote some confidence building and success here. To me this "success ratio" is a complete failure on their part. Breaking down my child's course curriculum (there are 20 bullet points, with 4 hours of swim lessons (we had 8 sessions of 30 minutes), and 5-6 students per teacher) which equates to about 5 minutes of one on one time with each child per lesson. Even less than that when you factor in group activities. Even with factoring in the group activities in reverse there are still 20 bullet points with 240 minutes of instruction time (12 minutes per bullet point). Yes there are some activities that may have two or three bullet points rolled into one. But nonetheless the math just does not add up to success with young ones. Keep in mind, I think the instructor did a fine job teaching. I do believe however that they should have communicated with the parent(s) throughout the course rather than just the end. When in fact we asked each session how it went. I don't believe the curriculum for the timeline is designed for success as it sits. And with admitting most kids retake the course multiple times to pass. How can a child be successful by taking the same course if he only failed on one point (of the 20 points on the curriculum). In fact if you experienced this same thing i would strongly suggest you contact them. Phone number is easily found on the city parks and recs website through the contact us page. I DO NOT recommend taking swim lessons from Firstenburg. Save your time and money and seek elsewhere. read more

Great pool (as long as you don't want to lap swim), good workout facilities, almost all the classes are now included in your membership. My kids hang in the childwatch center while I work out and I generally feel like they are in good hands. When I first started going in Jan '11, I worked with a fabulous personal trainer. Sadly, he left in October and I have not found anyone I like half as much since. I was underimpressed with the swim lessons. It seems like there are too many kids per class for the kids to make much progress in 30 minutes. I have heard this complaint from other places too so maybe group swim lessons are just not the way to go. Toddler playtime during the school year is awesome, I just wish they had it during the summer too. read more

THe center itself is great, the kids and I always have a great time there, but the coffee shop just past the main desk sucks! My daughter and I walked to the library (next door) and decided to stop by the coffee shop for a drink before we started the trip home. I ordered and 20oz iced skinny late' (no flavoring). It cost $5.95 which was outrageous enough, but then it tasted terrible and had only about 8oz of liquid in the cup (the ice came up to the lower rim after I finished the drink--I was thirsty, had paid so much for it, and was already on the road home). Way over priced and crappy products! read more

A great place to take the kids. There is a lot to do here, but we usually go for the pool. They have a super long slide and lazy river area for the kids to play in, plus a zero entry side with pipe, buckets and tons of pool toys to play with. Life jackets are available, and floats for the lazy river, and the life guards are on the ball. The swimming lessons are good, but not excellent, and there are a fair amount of family changing rooms and lockers available. read more

I brought my daughter here for swimming lessons, she loved it. The instructor was very enthusiastic. My daughter loved her as did I!

This place is amazing!!! I just wish we new about it sooner so we could have been enjoying longer. The pool is amazing and our kids love it!

Due to budget cuts they do not have the manpower to provide customer service. Everything is about having your card to scan in. It's not a community center. They do not know you and never bother to learn your name because its on the card and the scanner knows if your a member. Well... I guess it is a community of faceless nameless card holders. Now if your not a member they will smile at you..look at your id and let you in for a one time fee but members get a scanner to greet them. An id is not enough to get you in. You must have your member card to get in. You must have your barcode. If you have forgotten yours you can pay to get a new one. If you don't want a card, if you want to be known by your name and greated by a person go somewhere else because they won't let you in without your barcode. It would cost too much money to have someone look at your state id. Although they have enough money to pay the cable bill and for flat screen tvs. As long as there is tv at the community center no need for service. And yes, I have listened to myself! read more

The staff is completely uncaring all the way up to the CEO. I was a member for over 3 years, and one day my monthly payment didn't come out due to an error at my bank. I showed up in the morning to work out as usual, and they wouldn't let me in unless I paid. I told them I didn't carry my credit cards to the gym and I would fix it next time I came in. Well, they wouldn't let me in to workout. I complained all the way up to the CEO and no one would see reason and help me. They just kept saying they couldn't possibly break their policy even though I had been a paying member for years. Sometimes I wouldn't even go to the gym for months as I let the payments come out of my account. I might as well have been some criminal trying to sneak past the front desk for all they cared. read more