Randall Pool - Washington, District of Columbia

James

A lovely public outdoor pool in DC that can get very crowded on hot summer days. The pool is not heated, so the water can be quite chilly.

The pool is separated into a deep end that goes from 10 feet to 5 feet, along with a shallower wading area. The deep end is where one can do lap swimming, but it's only about 25 yds long and there's a lot of people around and no designated lane lines.

What is great about this pool is that they have reserved "adult only" swim times where children aren't allowed.

The pool has lifeguards, clean and spacious changing rooms with curtained showers, although the water is scalding hot and one needs to pull a lever for water to flow, and plenty of lawn chairs for sunbathing. After 3 PM, the nearby building does overshadow the deep end

Alex C.

I ended up here after my local Rosedale Pool had an insufficient number of staff to fully open the pool. Friendly front desk staff here at Randall and a wide pool deck with plenty of chairs. It's pretty quiet here late in the day in mid-August. Something to keep in mind is that the pool gets covered by shadow as a nearby building blocks the sun later in the day.

Ashley W. L.

My family and I went to this pool on a whim because it was an outdoor pool and near somewhere we had planned to go later in the evening. I will say this: not all DC pools are created equal. This pool was overrun raucous, unsupervised and undisciplined kids. A young girl hit my husband in the face in the pool while jumping in and he called her out. She refused to apologize and swam away. When he told the staff, the lifeguard told him the little girl was her sister and dismissed him. Our infant daughter was almost run over multiple times (in the shallow end) by kids who didn’t care to pay attention. It was almost dangerous for her to be there. Then, as my husband was changing in the LOCKER ROOM, a group of teenaged boys harassed him for changing. In the locker room. Meanwhile, the locker rooms were unclean and showers don’t work. The baby changing table in the women’s restroom had DIRTY DIAPERS on it. This place is a mess. We won’t be going back.

Natasha R.

The other day, I visited the security guard at the door, which was really nasty and mean with one lady. The lady had a can on water, and she told her she couldn't bring it in. As she was finishing the water, the security guard told her to throw it away, or you don't have to come in at all! She was already in the process of finishing the water and throwing the can away. Perhaps she did it as the woman was white and felt the need to flex her power. However, it really wasn't called for as it put my children in a defensive mood as we approached to sign in. I didn't get her name, but she had on an awful wig and thick lashes, and she was tall and skinny.

My kids and I swam for about 2 hours and left. The pool itself is pretty clean. It was loose hair floating and a few dead bugs in the water, which I feel should be cleaned during the break but 🤷🏽‍♀️. The kids had fun!

Bobbi D.

3rd Dpr pool of the day! Langdon and Rosedale had really long lines! This one is good though

Rachel H.

I’ve only been to this pool a handful of times but I’ve had a great experience every time. The pool has a slanted entrance at one end of the pool, like you’re entering into the ocean, which is great for little kids to play in. The surface area surrounding the pool is huge so you can spread out nicely. There is a huge covered area for those who want shade. The water has always been clean and cool when I’ve gone. The bathroom area is big and clean. Lots of showers and changing rooms. I think they usually have three lifeguards there. Every 45 minutes or hour (I think) there is a 15 break where everyone has to get out of the pool. What I don’t like is that there is a building going up right next to the pool that will block a lot of sun that the area currently gets. That of course isn’t any thing that parks and rec can help, just an unfortunate change that is coming. I have been to Francis Pool in NW and I like this pool way better. Cleaner bathrooms, chairs that aren’t broke and are clean. I was surprised how poorly kept up Francis Pool facilities are compared to this one. Would definitely recommend Randall Pool!

Bartosz S.

The pool is OK and fun. But organisation is poor. It is catch 22 to buy entrance tickets for non-residents. Web site doesn't work, and if it works it puts you in the resident cathegory by default demanding documents to prove that you are resident (and you are not - this is the problem). Crew on the spot can do nothing or there is no one on the spot.

Mrs. F.

I didn't enjoy myself! The showers and restrooms were horrible, it had spider webbs and dead bugs. No tissue in the stalls. It was very disgusting in there. My children or I will not be returning to this pool. First and last visit!