Pools in NW DC? (real estate, neighborhoods, elementary school)

[njmom8]

Thanks to everyone for all of their advice so far! We are relocating to DC this summer, and have narrowed it down to NW DC: chevy chase, dc, AU park, palisades areas. Are there any nice, clean private or public outdoor swim clubs? We have a town pool where we are now in NJ, and go every day in the summer (I have young children). They offer swim lessons, swim team, olympic and toddler pools, and a waterslide....

If not- what do the kids do in the summer?

[claremarie]

There are community (usually private) swim & tennis clubs all over Montgomery County, including Chevy Chase. Unfortunately, they don't appear on most maps. Go to the Montgomery County Swim League website, and you should find a list of member pools. Please be aware that the private pools sometimes have waiting lists, so it makes sense to put your name in asap when you know approximately where you'll be living. Even if you live in D.C., you can join a pool in Md.
There are also some nice county-run outdoor swim centers, but they tend to be further out than Chevy Chase. Rockville has quite a nice one, with a fun water play area for small children. I think it's called the Rockville Aquatic Center.
D.C. public pools are not very nice, and tend to have shortened hours or seasons due to the extremely poor financial management of city rec services.

One quick way to find nice neighborhood pools is to call the public elementary school in the neighborhoods you are considering, and ask the person who answers the phone in the office where the school kids swim in the summer. Summer swim teams are a HUGE deal in this area (even more so in northern Va where we live), and the school personnel will most likely be able to help you. Good real estate agents should also have this info handy.