A true treat in the travelling life is to find an indoor pool, with no requirement to pay annual membership. I found one in Leesburg, VA at the Ida Lee Park recreation center. 2 pools, actually. The main pool is large with lanes for lap swimming and swim meets, with a shallow end reminiscent of beach with no sand for swimming lessons and kids... The secondary pool is warm, smaller, wheel-chair accessable I guess - long sloping ramp to walk in - I think 4 1/2 feet deep max, and is intended for therapy and relaxation. I relaxed for quite a while :) To make it even better, they have lots of hours - they're open as early as 5 during the week and stay open late. The surrounding park is large and pretty, and the Wi-Fi equipped library is in the same complex.

I've been to a number of towns with rec centers with pools and out of town / day use rates - and a much larger number of towns without. YMCAs are sometimes available by the day, but some (including, shamefully, the one at home in Lynchburg) are only by membership. What's an out-of-towner to do? (or for that matter, local people who can't really afford the annual membership or have only very limited time to swim.)

Well, if ya can't swim for exercise, pleasure and relaxation, ya can always hike and fish...

I found a tiny - very hidden - roadside? park just outside of Leesburg.


Small parking area, 3 picnic tables, path to the river. I parked and grilled chicken. Quite a number of local people parked and went fishing.







Another day I spent the afternoon at the Olde Izaak Walton Park on the south of town. This used to be the Izaak Walton facility until they moved a bit further from town. Now it's a public park with a pretty pond

and a building and trails to hike. Unfortunately it was raining so I didn't hike them - save that for next time.