Turkey Thicket Recreation Center

This place is pretty awesome. The pool and playground are phenomenal although I had somewhat warmer temps in mind when I elected to visit the heated pool here instead of the Takoma pool closer my home in December. That said they had a pretty nice kiddie pool and friendly lifeguards. The women’s locker room was relatively clean –ish with new showers… Not bad at all considering it’s free. I didn’t leave there feeling icky.

This rec center opened under Mayor Williams and gets a lot of use from Brookland neighbors.
The basketball court is always in use so don’t– as I did– naively assume you can stroll in and shoot some baskets.
The pool has a jacuzzi for 14 and older and a mushroom for little ones.
Locker room just got new showers.

My kids love the playground and the splash park! There is a super cool little garden plot at the top of the play ground for the kids to look at but that is fully functional. There is a sweet little splash park for when it is really hot outside and the weather is cooking. Lots of age range on the park out side as well. I have never been able to use the fields but they look great as do the tennis courts. The pool is indoor and heated but can be a tad unruly at times. A great treat for the neighborhood.

Used to go to triathlon camp here. It was a fun experience I finished my first triathlon there. Great place for children of all ages

What an awesome playground! I wish we lived closer to Turkey Thicket (or that it was closer to the metro stop) because we would totally come here more frequently.
There is equipment to suit pretty much every kiddie age, and it is all in terrific shape (I do wish there were more swings, though). Cool little splash pad for the summer months.
One complaint is that in the two times I visited, there were hornets EVERYWHERE. That is something I haven’t experienced at other playgrounds, so I don’t know what was going on or why hornets congregate there. Not a huge deterrent, but something to be aware of with little ones.

New playground and splash park is winning!!!
LOVE the renovated track and my daughter enjoys her swim lessons.

If you’re a parent looking for a nice place to bring your children on a sunny day, Turkey Thicket’s new playground should definitely be considered. The playground is large and has lots of different things for kids to enjoy, including swings, slides, make believe cars, a see-​saw, lots of climbing areas, monkey bars, and much more. They even have a splash area that sprays water during the summer — a BIG HIT with the kids. I have also seen groups use the space as a free picnic/​event spot, as there are plenty of covered seats and tables in the area just above the playground. The area around the playground is shaded by lots of large trees with benches underneath. Overall, a really pleasant place to bring your family.
On a non-​playground note, I enrolled my four-​year old daughter in one of the kids swimming classes, and she seemed to enjoy it. The instructor (Ms. Aisha) taught the basics (kicking, how to float, arm movements, etc.), which helped the kids gain courage with being in the water.
Overall, I would recommend going to Turkey Thicket for kid-​related activities.

I went to this location because its near my home. I thought I would join and workout in the gym. I arrived on May 6 th at 8:45 am and there was no one working at the front desk. I figured I’d wait a bit but after 15 minutes I decided to give myself a tour. The workout room with the machines was dark and locked and the gym was dark as well. The pool was opened however several pool staffers were cleaning the pool and deck as people swam.
I checked the schedule to see about aerobic classes and found the caters to 50 and older during the day. I did not find a class for under 50 between 8am and 5 pm. I ran into a janitor and asked if someone could help me and he was RUDE asking what I wanted and was it pool related. I said I wanted a tour to ask about the exercise equipment and aerobic classes. He took me to the same paper schedule I read. I asked if there was a class for people under 50 during the day. He yelled and said yeah and pointed at the schedule. I said there isn’t one on that schedule. He looked at the schedule and said oh well this isn’t my job. I mustered a smile and said goodbye. The man insisted I take that stupid schedule and I said no. The safest part is after all that nonsense I never saw the person who was supposed to work at the information desk. Must be nice to have a job but not be present tax payers money hardly working. They have the nerve to charge a fee. Who would I pay? The janitor? I would give no stars if I could.

I now take Shallow Water Aerobics in the pool at Turkey Thicket. This is amazing. The pool is amazing. It is huge. It is not all spa-​like (see Vonetta Y’s review of wilson pool) but it will definitely do because there previously was no pool here. And it does have a hot tub and as of Wednesday 12÷12÷12, it was super hot, super bubbly, aaaahhhhh.
For DC residents, admission to the pool is free and it only costs $ 25 for the shallow water aerobics class.
The instructor and the music are great. The water is usually perfect temperature.
Why only 4 stars? The locker room. Why build a huge pool but only build THREE showers and four toilet stalls? Why install lockers that will not even take a lock even if you bring your own lock from home. That’s right, there is no little notch for you to insert your lock onto (on the large size blue lockers). That is dumb. The tiny grey lockers do have notches so you can bring your own lock from home and use it like I do. But these lockers are tiny. Do not bring a lot of stuff if you need to lock it.
Overall, I love the rec center at Turkey Thicket. From the track to the pool to the gym (which was my early voting center for election 2012) to the tennis courts and the (groan) parking lot, I am a fan. Huge fan.

If you have something to lock up, it better be small.
I traveled here after work to take a swim. Unfortunately, their large lockers lack lock-​ability. It looks like the used to have combination locks which were gutted and there’s no alternative such as using your own lock.
What is a locker that doesn’t lock? A cabinet.
The small (shoebox sized, maybe 1 cft) lockers have tabs for a provided lock. So, if you can stuff your stuff into small lockers, it’s probably an awesome place.
I couldn’t fit my briefcase (even after attempting to stuff it in), so I won’t be going back.
Minus one star for inconvenient lockers.
Minus one star for the unattended pool desk.
Three stars because what I saw looked clean. Small locker room that was clean.
Didn’t even see the pool area, though from the window I glanced in it didn’t look crowded.
I feel safer walking around Washington-​Lee at night.
I’m willing to pay the non-​resident fee to feel safe walking to/​from, and to keep my stuff in a locker.

The four letter word everyone loves to hear… FREE!!! Turkey Thicket offers a fitness boot camp in the evenings at no cost just bring a positive attitude and be prepared to sweat! The instructor keeps you motivated but is not a drill sergeant and advocates everyone going at their own pace. The classes are coed and so far I have seen a variety of ages and size in attendance so no need to be shy, everyone is friendly and welcoming despite it being a large group. It’s a great alternative to going to a gym or spending oodles of money for a personal trainer.

Very friendly staff, never had issues with anyone.
The hot tub has been broken all summer though and it has me upset because I missed jumping into it after a tiring swim.
The pool is way too cold for my liking.

I love, love, love this indoor pool facility. I go on weekday evenings after work and it’s hardly ever crowded. The facility is always clean, and the employees are always nice and helpful.

The pool has a deep end, splash reducing sides, nice wide lanes and there’s a hot tub! There’s also a kiddie pool.
Also love the light coming in from the nice ceiling.