I decided to check out Kempsville as an alternate to Princess Anne since it is closing for a couple of months. The lady that met me at the door when I arrived was very rude, she acted as though it was a burden that I had questions, and wanted to see the entrance to the pool and locker room. I only asked because Id never been there before. She annoyingly called someone over to show me around, which made me feel very uncomfortable. It was a good thing that the lady who showed me around was very friendly and explained policies etc... she was very helpful. I think a 3 evens it out.

The staff is fine but the community is terrible. There really should be a sign to remind people to keep unsolicited advice to themselves, do not interrupt peoples workout especially since it can be a safety hazard to the person working out, and do not under any circumstances touch people while theyre working out. If Im doing pull ups, the last thing I need is some self-imposed personal trainer wannabe walk up and tell me how to do pull ups while trying to support me by lifting my feet. No thanks, Id rather do it the way my actual coach taught me for the sport I train.

I was kicked out of this rec center this morning because I was wearing Tevas. I wasn’t in the weight lifting room as I would have worn tennis shoes if i were in the weight room because of common sense. I was upstairs walking the track and on the bike upstairs as well. I’ve done this about a dozen times and no one has said a word to me. People hike in tevas but I can’t walk an indoor track with them on without getting kicked out of their gym. I could definitely understand if I were in the weight room but I’m sorry I just don’t see why I would get kicked out of a gym for walking an indoor track with tevas on.

Locker room floors are disgusting. There was food all over the ground in the locker room and the bathroom. Obnoxiously loud teenagers screaming and playing around in the locker rooms. Out of all the rec centers in VA beach this one is one of the worst. It may look nice on the outside but dont let that fool you.

Love going to the Kempsville Recreation Center. They have lots of great classes and I love the personal training with Erin. She’s very knowledgeable and knows how to tailor the class to my needs and limitations.

We like the Rec center, I don’t give 5 stars because the bathroom floor is really gross and around the pool is full of hair is really unpleasant to look, wish they could take care of floor and bathrooms better

Our favorite rec center. Water play area for the kiddos is better than Ocean breeze

I wished there wad something like this place in Florida! We spent 4hrs here playing basketball, going to the pool, weight room and playing in the multi purpose room!

Love the workouts I get

ONE STAR IS TO MUCH! Very unsatisfied. I found out when classes started to resume, that because I chose the $11.00 senior membership my money wasn’t good enough to take the fitness classes. That is the one thing that I wanted when I joined. That said, when I signed up I “wasn’t informed “ of that. I told the young lady I spoke to that before shut down “I took 3 classes “. Walked in to the gym!!! The $11. membership was good for my budget, but apparently not good enough to take a fitness class a couple times a week. Extremely unhappy!!

Very nice clean Rec Center. Love the fact that it opens at 0500 for the early birds

I only really come here because of their Game Room. Its a great place to go whenever I need something to do. The Game Room has a pool table, air hockey, a Nintendo Switch (with Smash on it), and 2 PS4s. I enjoy beating people in Smash and playing billiards. The table is free to use, so Ill go up there to play on it for upwards of an hour because pool halls arent free. The table is great quality. The other parts of the rec center are pretty great too. I dont go there for much else, but the Kempsville Rec Center is the best of all of the rec centers.

Very beautiful establishment, enjoy the lifeguards enthusiasm and the workout experience. But the front desk staff can be on the down side, definitely room for improvement. Overall, nice experience.But, with that being said, why does the center close so early on the weekends? That is the time when more kids in the community need to be active and what better place than the Rec center? So many people without jobs, why not help the community with providing more jobs on the weekend and enhance kids/adult daily life with ability to enjoy the Rec center for extended hours?

This place is fairly fancy.

Cannot say enough good things about the facility and, more importantly, the staff! Booked my daughters birthday party for the 7th. That morning, the power was out due to the hurricane. Thought we would have to cancel the party. The electricity came back on 2 hours before the party and the staff scrambled to get the pool ready in time. In the end, they made it happen and my daughter and friends had an amazing time.Kudos to Johnathan who kept his cool while I had a mommy meltdown in fear of not being able to give my daughter her birthday party. He went above and beyond to make sure we were happy and everything was perfect!!Great staff! Great facilities!!

The facility is amazing! Its probably the best rec center in the area.

Staff was very disrespectful

The new Rec Center is great.

Very nice facility, read some of the reviews and I feel that the facility actually reads the reviews and addresses them, maybe not to everyone’s satisfaction, but I have seen improvements over the last year. Great variety of activities, exercise equipment and classes. I will say, recently, I have noticed more individuals sitting on exercise equipment texting for long periods of time, holding up other patrons workouts, which can be frustrating. Kudos to Kempsville Rec Center for making positive changes...

I was so excited for the renovation and was looking forward to getting a membership. The facility look so nice.But every single time we have come in here, we have a poor experience. Once, using a day pass, my elderly mother in law was asked to leave the swimming pool deck (she was watching my kids swim) because she didnt have on a swimsuit. She is 85 years old, people. She was not aware of the rule and it would have been nice for staff to at least offer her a chair to sit off to the side. OK, fine. It was a one off and rules are rules.Then I went back to inquire about a family membership and the front desk ladies are so. unhelpful. They act like you are taking up their very important time because they have walkie talkies to talk into and typing to type and they cant be bothered helping the needy folks that walk up to the counter. I observed this with the people in front of me as well as myself.I had a couple of questions about the childcare hours and I was told, Sometimes they are there and sometimes they arent. Well what does that mean? Can you elaborate? She seemed so annoyed to be dealing with my 3 questions that I was really put off and it was clear that was all the info I was going to get out of her.I dont expect hugs and a cup of cocoa but at least at the bare minimum, I expect a front desk to be able to provide basic information that was not made clear on the website.Kempsville Rec Center, you have a beautiful facility but the front desk is a customers first impression and sadly, they arent doing you any favors. Gym memberships are getting cheaper and cheaper and they offer more amenities. Probably wont be back.

Thank goodness that Kathy Staples is no longer the director! Her unprofessional incompetent ways needed to go and they have!

I have been going for 5 weeks and love it . Staff Jennifer is very friendly. Clean place and meet very cool people. Five Stars for Taylor lifeguard 👌🏊‍♀️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Would definitely recommend for anyone needing a place to workout, relax, or just to have fun. Price is very reasonable as well.

New to the area. Been working out her for several months. I don’t normally talk to anyone but had a few inquiries at the front desk today and was treated with no consideration at all. I would mention the name of the female at the front but I’m sure she’s earning a living as well and don’t want to jeopardize that. Expected a little bit more from this place since my kids go swimming also but maybe the other rec centers in the area treat their customers and members with respect.

It’s a beautiful facility and the staff seems pretty courteous. I wish they opened at least an hour earlier because I’d like to go before work. Also, it is very crowded after work, hard to get the machines and weights you want, and teenagers often walk in crowds on the track, blocking the path. I bet it’s great during the day.

Front desk staff in the mornings is wonderful! Always with a smile. Gym is clean and offers a variety of equipment for all levels!

Beautiful facility with nice equipment at a very affordable price. I think they need to put speed bumps in front of the facility for safety. Patrons are driving way too fast and I have seen a few near misses just in the last two weeks! Love the facility

I have been going there for 2 months and I have to put some names out staff . David Andrew Miriam lifeguards I enjoy them everyday so encouraging me. Thank you 😊❤️Katilyn front desk very helpful always. Thank you. ❤️ This place is a family place if you love in Va beach. Please join our family we are VABEACHSTRONG 💪

Our family uses this rec center a few times a week. It’s never too busy when we go in the mornings. The staff has always been very kind to us and the those working in the child drop off really take their time to care for our youngest when she’s there. Thankful for having a place so close to our home to workout, swim, and play ball.

Fantastic center, all the workout equipment you would generally need. Can be very crowded late during the week. The hours they have on the weekends are very restrictive though, they should be open more when people generally have more time off.

This crowded rec center never has tissue in the restrooms. Disgusting! How hard is it to check the restroom stalls every hour or 2? This is common sense! Everytime I want to use the female or family restroom there is no tissue anywhere to be found. Seems like a sanitation health code violation. Nasty!

Beautiful facility with a wide range of activities for every age group. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable. The weight room is well equipped. Theres an awesome pool, a gymnasium, and a track. Plenty of parking is available.

Got there a little before 11 on a slow Thursday with my 6 year old daughter. Happily paid the daily pass for the both of us to get in with the intentions of only her swimming and me standing pool side in gym shorts and a t-shirt. After about an hour or so, the pool manager comes up, talk to me about my inapropriate attire, and simply come to the conclusion that Ill dress more appropriately next time, about 45 minutes after that, another staff member asks islf someone talked to me about my attire, and I explain what the first one said, she says okay and walks away. Not 20 minutes after that Im being asked to leave because Im in gym shorts and a t-shirt standing on the outside of the pool watching the little one. Needless to say, will not be back.

I love coming here. The staff been so friendly except there is this new hire I think her name is Rebecca. She’s enforcing rules she made up and us, retirees, are feeling like we’re in a correctional facility. We came here to have fun and she’s just not the type of person you want to be around with. She needs to loosen up and smile to people who are using this facility. We’re okay with the rules just smile and relax; we’re not prisoners.

Great place but nobody observing this so sad...

This place is very fun and exciting for people and their families, and I have mainly enjoyed being here. My favorite place is the gameroom, but some of the things there are broken and/or glitchy to the point where it effects the gaming experience. If that could be solved, then Id rate 5 stars.

During the summer I was threatened by a male 18 year old who admitted this to staff but was not asked to leave. After him and a friend dominated certain exercise machines excessively he told me I had five minutes when I started using it! I’m not surprised reading comments about the staff’s lack of action.

Beautiful facility but all 3 members of the staff in the workout room are EXTREMELY rude. I’ve never been disrespected by a member of any staff anywhere as badly as with the 2 big black women and the tall skinny white male. ALL THREE OF THEM WERE MAKING FUN OF ME THE WHOLE TIME I WAS WORKING OUT. I was using the machines correctly & I didn’t say a word to them to make them want to pick on me. I was minding my business & working out. I went home and CRIED y’all... this is not ok!!! If it happens again there will be some problems I can tell u that!! They also kept asking me if I was lost then they’d all look at me and laugh. ALL THREE OF THEM. Its the day after & I’m still shocked that really happened in a place that’s supposed to be judgment-free. I wish I would have got their names but I just wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible because I had tears coming down my face. Completely unacceptable! Staff should not be making fun of people in the workout room!UPDATE: I have not been to any gym or rec center since this incident about 6 months ago because I feel so embarrassed but today I’m forcing myself to get back in the workout room, but this time I’ll go to a different rec center because to this day, NOTHING has been done about the staffs’ behavior!!!!!!!!!! Stay away from this place!!

This is the busiest of the VaB rec centers, but it is a fantastic facility and they do their best to accommodate the crowds. The leadership and staff have been been great and have found some time in the gym schedule for BADMINTON. 11am to 1pm on Sunday mornings. Thank you!

Reading the horror stories Below in the comments and seeing the owners response is just a pleasant thank you for responding and please give us more details over and over and over. These things deserve to be incensed over. This is horrible to read

The place is amazing except the Pool area. The life guards are horrible and they treat 13 year olds that stay by themselves unfair. The staff is horrible and the life guards at night do not pay attention to the kids.

Love the facility. Lifeguard staff is very friendly and pool area is clean. I often go right before closing and the sound of staff opening lockers and slamming locker doors incredibly loudly as they check for things left behind is very loud and disturbing. Wish this wasnt necessary while members are still in the showers and locker room and the facility is still open.

Excellent place overall. My only complain is that several people are using the lockers but not paying the quarter. You cannot leave your personal belongings in a locker orherwise. The administration needs to do something about it.

It is a great family friendly place

The locker rooms are extremely cold especially when coming out of the pool. Wehave already talked to the staff about this but nothing has changed

Like the hours, don’t have to wait on machines for too long, if any. Friendly staff, not crowded!

Its really fun and every friday after school me and my bestfrend go here . 💞

I have been waiting for very long time for it to open. They did a great job. Love the in door track.

Update your hours! If you close at 4:45, then update everything to say so, and not state that you’re open until 5pm, and then harass people to leave so they can be out the door by 5. Absolutely ridiculous!

I joined because I play basketball. The atmosphere in the gym is not as inviting as the old rec center. The old rec center was nice because you knew for sure you could just show up and be put on a team regardless of who you were. So far I have found it difficult to get on a team and play at this new rec center. The new rec center is also more expensive than the old rec center. I hope things change. I was really looking forward to stop playing on the streets and play inside the new rec center here but so far I have been disappointed.

It is way over crowded, the employees are rude are not interested in helping you, they allow little kids to run on the track and couples to walk together when its not that big. Weekend hours need to be the same as during the week, so us early birds can get in and out and allow others to have access to the equipment. Its always too crowded for me. They make you pay for the whole year, when I really only need it for the winter. Its not enjoyable to me because how they set the hours its just too small and too busy,not enough space or equipment and your always spending more time waiting for equipment. There Should be a cap on memberships.

Great facility with friendly staff. Really appreciate the opportunity to enjoy such a great facility with my family.

Good place to come and get a good workout in for half the price of other places and a good place for teenagers to come and hangout instead of running the streets or playing video games all day. Weekend hours could be the same a weekday hours.

The updated look is awesome. Nice gym area. looks great!

Absolutely one of the worst rec centers in Virginia Beach when it comes to staff, organization, and customer service. I waited one hour for a staff member to get me a day pass. Employees Elizabeth, Rene and Anthony (front desk staff members) watched us stand in line for 40 minutes because we were signing up for a day pass and not an annual membership.

Love it here! The facility is awesome! I love the track upstairs!

Rain, snow, any weather you can come and enjoy your day at the center. With kids or without.

Great place. I was there during the first opening back in 1977 as a kid.Even though this one is smaller, it’s more efficient with space. Sign of the future and progress. Nice and clean.Love how the vending machines were changed to more healthier options.The beverages are at the perfect coldness which is how I like it.Some lockers near pool area should be free. Even the old rec center didn’t make you pay to use the lockers.Feels like you getting nickeled and dimed just for trying to get healthy. Why can’t people bring their own padlocks like yesteryears?Thank god the bathroom doors don’t need a quarter.A law enforcement officer is used occasionally during the basketball schedule, makes the place feel like a prison yard. Sad sign of our times I guess.Not a good look.The only thing I hate is the inner entrance.Seriously? Everybody has to come thru practically 1 door at the same time?Whoever approved that design needs to be fired!Majority of the time you have to bump into people trying to exit or enter.Didn’t they give any consideration to the disabled and elderly?My elderly mom who had trouble walking almost always gets practically knocked over by more able-bodied younger people thru that slim entrance.Make a secondary entrance or get rid of the sliding door and make it double the width.Common sense people.Just not smooth doing the studder step dancing when trying to get in.I suggest they remove the other exit door or prop it open to allow a smoother experience when coming and going.The old double sliding doors back in the day were way better.When I see the entrance, I am just befuddled on what the heck they were thinking.How about construct an entrance door on the right side of all that secondary glass wall near the health check area.Only thing inefficient about that whole building.You should also be able to exit any door without an ear piercing alarm as if you broke out of a bank vault.Come on, are they decorations or just emergency exits. You can still keep these precious delicate doors locked from the outside. Pretty ridiculous.Overall, a great recreation center.

Awesome pool experience. Plenty of lanes and a cool walking trail

Look so beautiful. Pretty fun and exiting. Cool Design.

Although it seems like its always packed, its a beautiful facility with a great staff.

Beautiful new facility. Be prepared to stand in long lines to obtain membership (even just a day pass). They could have set up entry alot different. Felt like I was at the DMV. Unfortunately my son and I left without working out, took too long. Another family of 5 left as well. We will go back when we have more time.

This is such a good location to have for a community center! I love it here!

Beautiful and the pool is nicely laid out so people of all ages get to enjoy it with ease.

Great place for both kids and adults. New and upgraded equipments. There are rooms to rent for parties and gathering. The gym has various weights and exercise machines, more than enough for people to use. The pool is updated and even has a rock climbing accessory... reach the top, let go and plunge to the pool. The pool also has shallow areas for toodlers/ babies. There is a gym use for indoor sport like basketball, badminton, dodgeball, etc. There is a playroom for toddlers and teenagers. The second floor has an indoor track and some more machines. The things that are missing are sauna, jaccuzi and heater in the shower/locker area. It gets really cold there specially if one is coming out of the pool.

Luv the Bamboo Gym Flooring...just wish for evening Pickleball Hours say Tue/Thur...

Can not see your children thru the obervation window due to an obstruction. The obstruction is cute but a safety issue. Not the best layout. They need to find a better solution asap. Some people can not use bathing suits. The only way to sit and watch properly is with a bathing suit on. Allergies, modesty, personal challenges, ect. This is a concern for many parents and nothing is happening to correct this issue.

New upgrades are nice. Staff is friendly. Great for families!

Love the upgraded center! Our new favorite place to be in our free time!

One of the newest rec centers in Virginia Beach. Opened in June 2017 It is ran by the city.

I wished I remembered the ladies name but I went in the other day with my two children. Wanted to get a day pass and all the lady said to me was were not open until 12. She didnt smile or seem thrilled at all to be there. So im sitting in the lobby as everyone is passing me and I see three or four people walk up and purchase a day pass. So finally after they all kept looking at me another front desk woman asked If I needed help I told her they other lady said I had to wait to purchase a day pass. She tells me I can purchase a day pass whenever I want but the pool doesnt open until 12, I told her the first lady didnt explain that to me (she was right next to this woman). The first lady just looks up and glares at me and continues helping the people she was with. I suggest you guys get friendlier front people.

Very nicely remodeled but seems a lot smaller than it once was before

I live about a mile from the recreation center and it is very convenient, but I will drive 30 minutes to get to a better facility, if needed. An organization is only as strong as their weakest link and Ms. Rebecca is really bringing this place down. Ms. Rebecca is a woman who wears a blue, STAFF shirt and works in Aquatics. Positive interactions with all the members of this facility are super important to keeping this place open. My daughter attends a great class with Ms. Margaret, but it is overshadowed by the distasteful interaction I had with Rebecca, who has a position of leadership that she does not uphold.***Her approach to policing parents coming in the pool with the work clothes on, seems to follow a line too close to approaching only people that she feels superior to based on race. I would love to remind her that there is only one race - the human race. So, if she gets to keep her position at this facility, some improvements need to be made to her motives of how she decides to police people.******Incident: earlier this evening. ***Details: My 2 year old attended her swim session and I accompanied her. My husband showed up some time after the lesson (about halfway through the 30 minute session) in his works clothes (Coca Cola Polo Shirt and grey, khaki shirts), like many other parents that come after work. Ms. Rebecca only had the courage to speak to my husband and ask him to leave, but seemed nervous to approach any of the other FOUR parents that stood by in every outfit ranging from business clothes to jeans and loafers. I know we are supposed to be in a post-racial society, but let me just make everyone aware that this woman only had the confidence to someone that she considered of lower-class than her. She isnt the most presentable woman in the world, as she had on loose, jean shorts with her STAFF shirt. So, she never approached any of the other parents who lacked melanin in their skin. My daughter and I left the swim lesson about 5 minutes early once I noticed what had occurred. My husband didnt say a peep and left, but he had the carseat tonight so I had to leave with our ride. Fortunately, he was fine with waiting outside but that should have never happened. I went back in after I got the go-ahead from my husband, but I only went to speak with Rebecca and to give my daughter a chance to have some more fun in the pool. Rebecca said that the other parents all had compelling stories of them picking up their kids early and so she let them stay (that was a lie that she made up because she never spoke with them!) I guess that my husband should have told his sob-story, too and he would have never been asked to leave. He was way off to the side, not in the way just like every other parent. MS. REBECCA TOOK NO URGENCY TO ASK ANY OF THE NON-BLACK PARENTS TO LEAVE THE SIDE OF THE POOL AREA. SHE ACTED JUST LIKE A YOUNGER CHILD WOULD BE NERVOUS TO TELL AN OLDER CHILD TO FOLLOW THE RULES, BECAUSE OF THEIR DIFFERENT STATUS. WHEN SHE APPROACHED MY HUSBAND SHE THEN ACTED LIKE AN OLDER CHILD CONFIDENT TO LAY DOWN THE LAW. She claimed she was doing her best policing the parents, but I stuck around about 45 minutes after the incident and saw none of that occur. In my line of work, Ms. Rebecca would be sat down to have an educated discussion of where her mindset is when it comes to matters of Equal Opportunity.

The facility is beautiful but thats just it. But will not coming back due to the treatment our group received in this facilty. Some staff has attitude problem and very unfriendly. Stay away if I were you.

Beautiful facility! Always clean - staff has always been friendly. The only reason I didnt give it a 5 star rating is due to the Wi-Fi. When I first joined the Wi-Fi worked great - but for the past two months it has not worked at all. I use the Wi-Fi to stream my playlist while I work out. I left Anytime Fitness because they would not fix theirs and I was told by a staff member that the Rec Center will most likely NOT fix the Wi-Fi other than that the Rec Center is a wonderful facility.

Love coming here with the family. Great facility

Open and newly renovated. Very nice facility!

All new machines, each equipt with large displays, bluetooth capable, Netflix, Hulu, internet, live TV, games.... The pool is fantastic, along with the regular swimming lanes and diving board area, it also has a water walk/swim track, water basketball areas anf a fantastic jungle gym for children. Its the best rec center ever!!!

I love this place since it has been rebuilt!

Limited access in the facility; older teenagers are obnoxious

Staff customer service is lacking. Waited half an hour for someone to get off a machine in the weight room. When I complained to the staff member at the desk she just smiled and ignored my complaint.

Front door layout is weird. Long lines for just a day pass. Weight room is small, dont understand why they wouldnt of made a second level weight room for how packed it gets in there.

Way to small of a gym. Always a struggle to get on the equipment you want

Over crowded*Update: I wasted my money and bought 1 year membership... I havent worked out here yet. Always busy day or night doesnt matter

Great place to work out for an amazing price!! 😀😁

The rock wall is so fun!

Great facility. Can get crowded at times.

Once construction is done itll be perfect

Nice facility, handful of the same gym trolls hog significant amount of free weights / rack equipment each evening.

Very crowded with teens in the afternoon and most of them are just standing around texting. Employees need to enforce the no cell phone use in the weight room - especially to people who are “resting” during sets. On the track, I’ve seen kids goofing off and people talking on their phones as they walk. Seriously, please stop allowing cell phone use in the exercise areas.

I love this place but your staff are so unprofessional and unaccomadating. Time to clean house.

Love the underwater track, its the best thing to happen to me since my sciatica left!

This gym is nice and clean.

Great value and facility.

Awesome workout venue and pool

No thanks. Teenagers run the place, and the staff is useless. How about we monitor the kids, someone is going to hurt themselves, if it hasnt happened already.

Nice new clean place

Super stoked for 5am opening starting July 1st??!!

Very fun for the kids

Beautiful facility!