Francis DC Public Pool

Alright, this pool is just fantastic! For a public pool, to keep it this well maintained! Has to get a 5. There are actually 3 pools, of different sizes, lengths and depths. So it fits perfectly to each and every one depending on how good of a swimmer you are. The lifeguards there are very friendly too.
The pool is surrounded with lawn chairs, where you can just sit and soak in the sun.
Perfect place for a good outdoor swim.
Verdict: Must visit!

Had a great leisurely afternoon over at this pool. I played hookie from work one day with a friend and we were able to get chairs and even score a spot under the umbrella for me because I hate the blazing sun. The locker room was in decent shape and as clean as can be expected a public pool.
We went around 130p and it was not crowded. However around 4p the crowds started to come in, but it still was not bad.
It was $ 7 for me to get in as a non-​DC Resident and the only accept credit cards, no cash!

Excellent public pool! Love hanging out here as much as possible. Not loud or over crowded. Only wish it held longer hours on the weekends. Most of the chairs are broken, but still very enjoyable.

A reliable go-​to public pool in the heart of NW DC perfect for a hot summer day, keep in mind this is a public pool so do not expect anything resort style, however, I would go as far as saying that this might just be the best public pool in the city. Hours are really good, there is a decent amount of deck space to at least find a place to set your towel in the event that all chairs are taken. Pool is Olympic size but is divided into three sections which works well for the purpose of this pool; zero entry shallow area, 4 foot area, and deep end. There are typically at least two life guards on duty who do a great job at keeping pool safe and patroling any rowdy kids who do not follow rules.
Overall a great find, especially for those of us who live in nearby neighborhoods, and probably the best part is that its free for DC residents! Just make sure you have some type of ID, voters registration card, or other document that prooves that you are a DC resident, they will ask for it at the entrance!

I am a huge fan of the dc public pools and frequented this one across the 2013 summer. The Francis pool seems to stay pretty clean and provides three separate swimming areas– one (graduated depth) shallow area, one mid-​depth with several lap lanes, and a nice deep end.
Was disappointed to go back one of the first days of the 2014 season to find that almost all of the chairs have not been replaced /​fixed since last summer. The pieces that should prop up the back support are mostly broken, so unless you get there early to find the few that work properly, you will be stuck lying flat or may be on your towel on the ground. Which brings me to my second point: this pool is frequently overcrowded.
Again, a nice pool for a dc public. Two stars off for the points mentioned above.

This is a great public resource, with very good hours. If you hang around for a bit, even on a crowded day, you can usually snag a chaise lounge – otherwise, lounging on a towel (or, my personal recommendation, a towel on top of an inflatable sleeping pad) works fine.
Good location near Dupont, but not so close that it’s totally overrun. Lots of good people-​watching opportunities, too.

I came here after work on a weeknight. The pool is okay — there are three pools overall. One for kids, one for laps and general hanging, and then another for hanging out. I think this place might be fun on the weekends, but not totally sure. It was fairly crowded for a Monday afternoon. The space for laps was not that great, and the pool was dirty. Facilities were in good condition — better than Haines Point and Banneker. Overall, an okay place for swimming laps, especially if convenient to the office, but not the best.

Wow, DC gets crazy hot in the summer! I’m still bummed that our apartment building doesn’t have a pool, but the fact that there are so many great public pools makes me feel much better! There are three pools here which is great because you can have a leisurely swim, a little dunk, or you can even manage to swim laps. We went on a Saturday afternoon and while there were a lot of people it still felt spacious enough and we really enjoyed our swim. We weren’t lucky enough to snag any lounge chairs, but we were fine lying on our towels in the shade. This is such a great place to spend a hot day and I can’t wait to go back!

We brought our daughter here on a hot, muggy day. Access to the pool was fairly easy from the Dupont Circle apartment we were subleasing. As a nonresident, the cost to get in is $ 7. But luckily, the machine that collects payment was down so the employee told us we could get in for free.
My two-​year-​old loved the shallow end, where she could splash around and kick water towards me. The kiddie area is also where adults like to just sit and lay out as well. They seemed to be annoyed by the fact that they’re surrounded by toddlers, but what do you expect when it’s the «kids area?»
Please be forewarned that the pool can get pretty dirty with floating debris (hair, leaves, etc.).
The lifeguard on duty was short-​tempered and seemed to have some type of power trip sitting up high on his chair (or high horse) screaming at people not to run, take pictures, jump, etc. He must not have any voice left the next morning.
Flotation devices of any kind are not allowed, even for small babies. Also, those «floaties» that wrap around the arms of babies/​toddlers are not allowed as well, on the basis that parents will have a false sense of security and neglect their kid. This was the staff’s explanation, not mine.
Please remember, that every 45 minutes (1:45, 2:45, 3:45, etc.) there is a «kids break» where all kids need to be out of the water. This break lasts 15 minutes. This is a good time for the kids to use the restroom or eat a snack. The lifeguards do call you out if your kid wanders towards the pool.

First experience with a DC public pool. Was packed on a Saturday (we were lucky to find a patch of cement to lay our towels on) but after a few hours, got a chair. Beware, the lifeguards seemed to blow the whistle every 2 minutes, but seemed more concerned with preventing people laying out from eating (I saw several sandwiches confiscated) rather than keeping their eyes on the swimmers.

Clean. Free. Awesome.

This is a pretty nice pool, considering it’s free. It gets crowded on summer weekends, but on weekdays the deep end might be completely open (for swimming, anyway — laying out is another story as the lounges may all be taken an hour after opening).
Even on weekdays the shallow end can be crowded with kids, as there’s some sort of daycare program somewhere in the city that gets a bus or two and brings kids by the busload. My boys are good swimmers so we hang out and chill in the calm of the deep end.
A few things to know:
— Every few hours on busy days they blow the whistle and everyone has to get out of the pool for about 20 minutes while they add chlorine. This is probably a good thing.
— If there’s even a hint of a thunderstorm nearby, they’ll shut down the pool entirely. You don’t just get out of the pool; you have to leave.
— Sometimes they’ll close down the deep end if they’re short-​staffed (under-​funded?).
— The staff is often short-​tempered and rude, with little explanation given for why they just blew their whistle at you and told you to stop what you’re doing. This is about 50÷50… I’ve met and talked to some really nice lifeguards, too.
— This is right next to Rock Creek Park and a trail that runs down to the creek where vagrants hang out. You can get creepy folks observing from the fence. I’d suggest women not lay out along the wood-​side fence unless they want to be oogled.
— It’s a city, of course, with a broad mix of people, and the deep end is more «adult». You might see couples of all sorts showing (discrete and legal) public affection and occasionally rubbing oil on each other, and European women (or women with European sensibilities about nudity) openly changing their tops. Prudes (or parents who aren’t ready to talk to their kids about that sort of thing) should stay near the shallow end.

This pool was PERFECT (in a community pool kinda way).
Plenty of chairs, plenty of pool, not too crowded.

I like this pool.
I have been there on a Friday, from 2pm to 5pm. We got lounge chairs for our group and we did not have problem to find shade (there are many trees surrounding one side of the pool). We went to this pool on the hottest day of the year, apparently. The water was warm, but at least you got the cooling feeling of being submerged in liquid, and when you got out, the breeze felt nice.
The pool is divided into three areas, deep end, middle area for laps, and kiddies end. By the deep end, there is shade, so you can be in the water for a long time.
We noticed that the under 25s tend to gather by the deep end, on the sunny side. It was quite crowded there.
We sat by the kiddies end, under a big tree, there were other people (families but also adults on their own) around us but not too close, so it was nice. We brought drinks and picnic food in a little cooler bag. Nobody said anything to us. They do check ID, even if you are not a DC resident they ask you to show it. We left our stuff by the chairs when we went swimming and we did not have any issue of anything disappearing but for peace of mind, I recommend using the lockers (bring your lock) or bringing as little as possible to the pool.
The toilets are a little smelly and wet — basically, like every public pool I have been to around the world — so just wear your flip flops to the loo. They also have showers.
There is a creek or some sort of canal running near the pool (behind the trees) and in a hot day, it can smell a bit like stagnant water.
They open M-​F from 1pm to 8pm and S-​S from 12pm to 6pm.

This place would rate five stars with no children. Or worse, children in the adult area. Normally as soon as I see kids in a pool, I refrain from going in the water. Kids turn a pool into a bacteriological petri dish.
Otherwise it is a great locale. The outside area is always clean, and the shower area, given the intense use it gets, is relatively passable.

Pros:
— Clean, well-​maintained facilities including the pool itself (the water is actually clear)
— Doesn’t get too crowded and there is a diverse mix of people, including a ton of gays (haaaay)
— Some pretty fine looking people (eye-​candy)
— Trader Joe’s is two blocks away. I always go down and get a late lunch there after soaking in some sun at the pool (ex: sushi)
Cons:
— It’s fairly difficult to get a chair, so make sure to get their early
— They have recently cracked down on making sure you are a DC resident to get in for free. Unless you have a DC driver’s license, you have to bring specific tax forms to prove you pay DC taxes. Tax forms to the pool? A bit odd to me…

This is a great pool. It accommodates a lot of people, and almost every type of swimmer. There are actually three separate pools: a smaller one for children, a lap pool, and a big, 12’8″ feet deep pool. They don’t mind people jumping in, but diving boards would be nice.
There are lawn chairs on a first come, first serve basis. Not a lot of shade. Food and drink is not tolerated (with the exception of water).
The biggest bummer when we went was that an «impending» thunderstorm temporarily closed the pool. That meant not only getting everyone out of the water, but they actually made us leave the pool area: Basically, a big, hot, unhappy crowd of people funneling through the doors. From what we could tell, the threat amounted to a pretty small, gray cloud that never rained, much less provided lightening or thunder.
They check for DC residency – you can bring a utility bill or a lease, but any other type of mail is not accepted. Perhaps the best way to go is get a DC one card. I don’t know, I don’t have one. I’m looking into it because it’s definitely worth coming back.

Wow, I had no idea how amazing the DC Public Pools were until yesterday when Lauren, Cher and I took our maiden voyage to the Francis Pool after our respective exams. What a wonderful way to celebrate.
Although this is the first pool I have been to (I plan on going to the others and reviewing those too) it seems like a pretty sweet setup. It is conveniently located between Dupont and Foggy B. It is a GIANT pool with a separate deep end, which everyone knows is the best part. They have a baby pool way at the other end so the babies are pretty far away and you get some peace. They have awesome lawn chairs which weren’t too hard to come by at 3 pm on a Friday.
Overall an amazing experience. I also think that you can drink beer there, we did anyways and nobody said anything. As long as it’s not in a glass bottle. AND it’s free w/​a DC ID! Yay for public services!

I’ve started coming here every Sunday with my Shaw/​U street friends. It’s a great place to spend a lazy Summer Sunday. I’ve got this new routine down: I ride my bike to the city, through Rock Creek Park, and work up a huge sweat. Then I meet up with my friends, and we either bike or drive over from U. Then cool off and in the pool and ahh, relax.
I like that there are 3 pools, one really deep one, a middle size pool, and a kiddie/​shallow pool. It’s a good crowd. A mix of families, straight people, and gays. We tend to hangout near the deep end with out kind. There is always some good eye candy. I love just relaxing in the sun, jumping in the pool, then getting back in the sun. I wouldn’t want to spend my Sundays any other way.
Oh, one thing I don’t like about this pool is the little foot path that runs between the pool and Rock Creek Park. There is a non stop parade of lurkers walking there, stopping and staring at everyone at the pool. Yesterday, I noticed this one guy just standing there for 10 or 15 minutes, staring at the pool. He kept looking towards the kiddie pool too, which disturbed me and my friends. I finally went over there and confronted him. I asked «Hey are you looking for someone, I notice you are just standing there staring at the pool.» In a creepy voice he said «No, just enjoying the day…» Nothing else I could do, really. Come on, if you are gonna stare at people, at least come onto the pool deck!

To be honest, I didn’t actually go IN the pools on any of my visits to this pool. I just have a thing against going in very crowded pools. But I did enjoy soaking up the sun on the lounge chairs of which there were many. I just presented my GW id and that was enough to get me in. I would say if you don’t have a DC driver’s license or an ID from a school in DC, bring a piece of mail, etc. They definitely do check!