The Best Public Pool in Richmond: Pocahontas Aquatic Center

If you're looking for a public pool in Richmond, Virginia, you have to check out Pocahontas Aquatic Center. Located inside Pocahontas State Park, this aquatic center is the best public pool in RVA! That's right - it is open to the public, no membership required.

While it has a daily admission fee, it has a LOW price & LOTS to offer. The fenced in pool area has a spray park, 3ft & 5ft pools, toddler pool & activity pool. It also has two, large water slides that are a hit for thrill seekers!

2025 Opening Date: Saturday, May 24 at 11am

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About Pocahontas State Park:

Covering over 7,900 acres, Pocahontas State Park is Virginia's largest state park and it is worth the visit for all families around the Richmond Metro Area. In addition to the aquatic center, it has three lakes where you can fish, and you can rent boats on the 225-acre Swift Creek Lake seasonally. Heads up: lake swimming is prohibited!

The park has over 90 miles of trails for pedestrians, horses and cyclists. There are multiple camp sites and even cabins that are available for rental. Pocahontas State Park also has a Nature Center with turtles and snacks plus an education room with pretend play spaces.

How to find Pocahontas State Park's Aquatic Center:

Pocahontas State Park is 20 miles south of the City of Richmond, and about 35 minutes from Short Pump.

The Pocahontas Pool is located in Pocahontas State Park at 10301 State Park Road, Chesterfield, VA 23832.

When to visit the pool at Pocahontas State Park:

The aquatic center is open the Saturday of Memorial Day through the Monday of Labor Day. It’s open daily from 11am-6pm on weekdays & 11am-7pm on weekends. 

The pool also has a concession stand. It is open 11am-6pm weekdays & 11am-7pm weekends. Concessions sell popcorn, ice cream, pizza, hot dogs, etc. Prices are $6.39 or less! You can bring your own food, drink & coolers - no glass or alcohol. 

Parking at Pocahontas State Park's Aquatic Center:

All Virginia State Parks have a parking fee. Parking at Pocahontas State Park costs $7 on weekdays & $10 on weekends. 

If you'd like to learn how to get free parking at any one of Virginia's 42 state parks, check out my guide on How To Visit Virginia's State Parks for Free.

Cost of visiting the Aquatic Center at Pocahontas State Park:

In addition to paying a parking free, the aquatic center charges a per person swimming rate. It costs $9 per adult & $8 per kid (12-3) on weekdays. 2 and under are free. It costs $10 per adult & $9 per kid on weekends/holidays.

Pocahontas State Park offers a 10 visit pass for $50. This is a good value if you are planning on visiting multiple times. Your family of 4 could visit 2x with 2 spare visits. 

You can also purchase an unlimited season pass costs $55 for adults & $50 for kids. 

If you are camping at Pocahontas State Park, you receive one FREE day of swimming for each night over overnight camping for each registered guest in your party. Group cabin guests do not receive free swimming, but they do receive discounted swimming prices.

The Aquatic Center at Pocahontas State Park has 6 main sections.

The Spray Park:

The Spray Park is in the center of the aquatic center - you will see it as soon as you walk in. It has multiple in ground spouts and spouts spraying water down. This water area is great for little kids - preschoolers, toddlers, and babies.

The ground is concrete, so it can get hot on summer days - especially walking between the baby pool, activity pool and spray park area.

The Toddler Pool:

The Toddler Pool is a circular pool with 1 foot of water. This pool has it's own lifegaurd too. This pool is perfect for babies and toddlers.

The Activity Pool:

The activity pool is the main attraction for families with kids 9 years old and younger. The pool is zero entry, going to 2ft. It has tube slides & small slides. There are spray features, including hoses & sprinklers. It has two tunnels that children can swim through them.

There are multiple life guards watching this section - they walk around constantly, keeping an eye on children. This area can get very crowed - I usually stay with my kids the entire time.

The Water Slides:

There are two, large tubular water slides for thrill seekers. Kids have to be able to do the water slides by themselves, and life jackets are not allowed.

The 3 feet pool and 5 feet pool:

There are two, large swimming pools. One pool is 3 feet deep - you use stairs to get into it. There is also a 5 feet deep pool.

Covered Seating Areas:

The Pocahontas Aquatic Center is full sun. There are not many spots with shade; however, you will find a covered picnic area near the activity pool and couple large umbrellas that offer shade.

Overall, I find that there is not enough seating for the amount of people the pool can accommodate. Typically, we arrive when the pool opens on week days to make sure we have seating. If you're visiting during a peak time like a weekend, bring your own camping or tailgating chairs.

Other Things to Know about Visiting Pocahontas State Park's Pool with Kids:

This list includes things we've experienced and the official rules of Pocahontas Aquatic Center.

1. There are bathrooms with showers/changing areas. There’s also a family bathroom. 

2. Daycares and camps regularly visit the pool, so there can be a crowd during the week between 12-1pm. When we visit during the week, we arrive at opening and we usually have about an hour before the large groups arrive.

3. Weekends can get packed! Try to arrive as soon as the aquatic center opens or come mid day around nap-time.

4. Only appropriate swim attire is allowed in the pools: swim suits, swim shirts and pool shoes. This applies to adults and children. No cotton materials -- proper swimwear includes nylon and polyester swim trunks.

5. Babies and toddlers in diapers must have rubber pants over the diaper OR be in a swim diaper.

6. Children 12 & younger MUST have an adult with them on the pool deck. No drop offs. 

7. A supervising adult must be at pool edge or closer for any child 5 or under.

8. No smoking or alcoholic beverages are allowed in the pool complex.

9. No floats other than Coast Guard approved Portable Flotation Devises (PFDs, life-jackets). We have used a puddle jumper in the past.

10. Life-jackets are NOT allowed in 5 foot pool or slides.

11. Hard balls, hard frisbees, water guns, regardless of the size, automated self propulsion devices, diving sticks are not allowed in the pool.

12. Only a limited number of lounge chairs are available. In our experience, there don't seem to be a lot of seating options. Arrive early!

13. No pop-up tents with metal frames or enclosed camping tents are allowed in Pool Complex.

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Looking for splash parks around Richmond, Virginia? Check out my 2024 guide to RVA's Splash Parks!

Looking for private pools around Richmond, Virginia? Check out my RVA Pool Guide for Families!

For more things to do with kids around Richmond, follow me on @thewestendmom on Instagram!