Benbrook Community Center YMCA | YMCA of Fort Worth
Overview
Expert Summary
Detailed Insights
Benbrook Community Center YMCA offers a range of activities within a large facility, consistently praised for its friendly and professional staff. While it provides good value with included classes and an enjoyable pool, parents considering it for summer camps should be aware of mixed facility conditions regarding cleanliness, temperature, and equipment age, alongside restrictive pool schedules and potential crowding.
Key Highlights
- ✓Consistently friendly, courteous, and professional staff reported across multiple reviews, which is crucial for children's programs and summer camps.
- ✓Generous sized space with multiple activities and resources, suitable for diverse camp activities.
- ✓Access to a pool, often enjoyed by families and campers, making it a desirable feature for summer programs.
- ✓Some equipment is noted as up-to-date and constantly upgraded, which can benefit various activities.
- ✓Classes (e.g., Yoga, Spin) are included with the monthly membership rate, offering good value for parents also using the facility.
Standout Features
- ⭐Consistent positive feedback on the friendly, courteous, and professional demeanor of the staff, which is paramount for children's safety and engagement in summer camps.
- ⭐Large facility footprint offering multiple activity zones, providing space for a variety of camp programs.
- ⭐Inclusive membership model where adult classes are part of the monthly rate, benefiting parents.
- ⭐Dedicated pool area for recreation and classes, a key summer camp offering for cooling off and water activities.
Perfect For
Ideal For
💡Pro Tips from Reviews
- →Always check the pool schedule in advance for open swim times, as they are restrictive due to classes and groups, impacting potential camp swim times.
- →If visiting during peak hours, expect potential crowding, which could affect a child's comfort or staff's ability to monitor large groups.
- →Be acutely aware of and strictly adhere to the no-photo policy, especially around children, to avoid misunderstandings and ensure child privacy.
- →Consider visiting the facility in person to assess current cleanliness and temperature conditions, especially if sending children to summer camp, as these are significant concerns.
- →Parents seeking newer equipment or specific upgrades for camp activities might want to inquire about recent improvements in relevant areas.
- →If a very strong, intimate 'family/community feeling' is a high priority, an alternative YMCA might be a better fit as suggested by one reviewer.
Things to Consider
- ⚠Significant cleanliness issues reported, including dusty treadmills, dirty windows, crickets in light fixtures, and stained ceiling tiles, which are critical for children's health and hygiene in a camp setting.
- ⚠Facility can be uncomfortably hot, potentially impacting children's comfort and well-being during summer camp activities.
- ⚠Men's locker room needs upgrade for finishes, lockers, and showers, which could affect changing facilities for campers.
- ⚠Much of the equipment is noted as older and needing upgrades, potentially affecting the quality or variety of some camp activities.
- ⚠Pool hours are fairly restrictive for open lane use due to daily classes and multiple group bookings, potentially limiting free swim time for campers.
- ⚠Facility can get crowded during peak hours, affecting overall experience and potentially supervision challenges for camp groups.
- ⚠A strict photo policy is enforced, which can lead to misunderstandings, with staff actively monitoring for unauthorized picture-taking around children.
- ⚠Some reviewers find the 'family/community feeling' less prominent compared to other YMCA locations (e.g., Ryan family YMCA), which might be a factor for community-focused families.
Price & Value
Monthly membership includes classes (e.g., Yoga, Spin), which one reviewer describes as 'unbeatable' value. No other specific pricing details for summer camps or other programs are provided, though military rates are inquired about, suggesting potential discounts.
♿Accessibility & Special Needs
- •No specific accessibility accommodations (e.g., sensory-friendly hours, staff training for specific needs) were mentioned in the reviews. One reviewer hinted that another YMCA might be better for those with anxiety/PTSD in crowds, suggesting potential limitations here.
🍎Food & Drink Policy
- •Not explicitly stated, but one reviewer sought a utensil for their lunch, implying that bringing outside food might be permitted, though no specific rules were detailed regarding packed lunches for campers.
🚗Parking Info
- •Not mentioned in any reviews.
👥Crowd Levels
- •Can get crowded during peak hours. Pool access is restricted due to multiple groups using the facility, which suggests high usage at certain times.
🛡️Safety Features
- •Staff actively monitors and addresses perceived breaches of child privacy, such as unauthorized photography, demonstrating a commitment to child protection, though this can lead to misunderstandings.
⏰When to Avoid
- • If facility cleanliness and air conditioning/temperature are top non-negotiable priorities for your child's summer camp experience.
- • If your child's camp experience heavily relies on consistent, unrestricted access to open pool lanes or free swim time.
- • During peak hours if your child struggles with crowded environments or if you prefer a quieter experience.
- • If you are highly sensitive to potential misunderstandings regarding photo policies in a child-centric environment.
What People Say
What's Great
- Clean and well-maintained facilities (mentioned in 2 reviews)
- Friendly and helpful staff (mentioned in 8 reviews)
- Spacious play areas (mentioned in 3 reviews)
Areas for Improvement
- Can get crowded during peak times (mentioned in 2 reviews)
Recent Reviews
Denise Martinez-Aleman
8 months agoThis facility is not clean and they need to do something about it. The treadmills are full of dust so thick you can see dirt all under and around the machines it’s nasty.. the windows are not clean and you can see crickets in the light fixtures and ceiling tiles are stained. It’s so hot in there ! 1 star because the front desk guy was nice.
Charlene Ledbetter
5 months agoUp-to-date facility, constantly upgrading equipment! Their classes are included with the monthly rate (unbeatable in my experience) and they are so well-attended and valuable. We especially love the Yoga and Spin classes. Clean, happy place with a great staff!
George P. Melas
4 months agoThis YMCA has excellent and courteous staff. We enjoy the pool but the men’s locker room needs an upgrade for finishes, lockers, and showers. Hours are generally convenient but one needs to have the pool schedule because daily classes prevent the use of the open lanes anytime.
Patrick Clay
5 months agoGreat friendly staff. Nearly everything is older equipment though and pool hours fairly restrictive due to multiple groups using the facility. It can get crowded during peak hours. Overall, needs upgrades and updates especially compared to facilities in Grandbury, Tulsa, etc.
C & K (TRAVELING VETS)
11 months agoI'll start by saying I have visited this YMCA in the past and had absolutely no issues. It is a generous sized space with multiple activities and resources. Today I entered the Y for information about military rates and programs. I was inside the facility for a total of maybe 5 minutes. I was assisted at the front desk then walked to the pool to see what water exercise classes were offered. I opened the door, took an up close picture of the schedule, then proceeded to look for an employee to request a utensil for my lunch. I answered my phone as I walked down the hall only to be stopped by the manager (very nice, professional, polite man BTW) and told that someone reported me for taking pictures of the children! Who I ABSOLUTELY DID NOT DO😮 I'm a nurse in my civilian life (20+ years) and a retired nurse from the Army (30 years), and I worked with women and children during my civilian career. I've been on the human trafficking team, advocated for those that were trafficked, worked on the sexual assault team and advocated for them. So for someone to accuse and report me to management for taking pictures of children is very hurtful and disappointing. ☹️ I understand that the privacy of the children should be protected, but the way the situation played out today seemed hateful IMO. To my fellow veterans, although this facility is larger, the Ryan family YMCA is a smaller facility with more of a family/community feeling...especially for those of you that may suffer from anxiety and PTSD in crowds.