Central City Recreation Center
Overview
Expert Summary
Detailed Insights
Central City Recreation Center stands out as a highly affordable, city-run facility that offers a low-key, uncrowded environment for both organized youth sports and general fitness. Its unique value lies in its exceptional price point, well-maintained facilities, and highly praised, patient staff, making it ideal for parents seeking structured outdoor activities for young children and a pleasant, clean space for family fitness.
Key Highlights
- ✓Excellent value with very affordable monthly ($20) or annual (~$130) adult memberships, including classes.
- ✓Specifically offers nice fields for organized youth sports like tee-ball and baseball for young children (ages 3, 5, and 7 mentioned).
- ✓Staff is consistently described as nice, super sweet, very patient, helpful, and constantly cleaning equipment.
- ✓Generally uncrowded facility, especially the weight room and basketball areas, providing a 'low key vibe'.
- ✓Well-maintained and clean facilities, including gym equipment and outdoor fields.
Standout Features
- ⭐Highly affordable membership options for adults ($20/month or ~$130/year) that include classes.
- ⭐Dedicated outdoor fields suitable for youth sports.
- ⭐Consistently praised staff for being patient, helpful, and diligent in cleaning.
- ⭐Quiet, low-key, and uncrowded atmosphere.
- ⭐Clean and well-maintained facilities.
Perfect For
Ideal For
💡Pro Tips from Reviews
- →For families attending youth sports, consider carpooling or arriving early due to limited parking near the fields.
- →If planning on frequent use, the annual adult membership (~$130) offers significant savings compared to the monthly option.
- →Take advantage of the dance room for stretching if available, as mentioned in one review, potentially useful for pre- or post-activity warm-ups.
Things to Consider
- ⚠Parking is a little bit limited, particularly for activities on the fields, which might require extra planning during peak times.
- ⚠The facility offers showers to the community, which some parents might want to be aware of when bringing children, although no issues were reported.
- ⚠Only a few classes are offered, which might not suit those looking for a wide variety of fitness classes.
Price & Value
Exceptional value. Adult memberships are extremely affordable at $20/month (no contract) or approximately $130 for an entire year, which includes classes like yoga (up to 3x/week). While specific pricing for children's programs isn't detailed, the overall 'dirt cheap' and 'you can't beat it' sentiment suggests a very budget-friendly option compared to private alternatives, offering high value for well-maintained facilities and attentive staff.
♿Accessibility & Special Needs
- •No specific accessibility accommodations were mentioned in the reviews.
🍎Food & Drink Policy
- •No food and drink rules were mentioned in the reviews.
🚗Parking Info
- •Parking is a little bit limited, especially for activities on the fields.
- •Located downtown, which can sometimes imply urban parking challenges, but one review suggests it has fewer 'parking hassles' than other commercial gyms.
👥Crowd Levels
- •Generally uncrowded and 'not too full'.
- •Weight room and basketball areas are 'never crowded'.
- •Described as having a 'low-key vibe' and a 'quiet atmosphere'.
🛡️Safety Features
- •Staff are described as constantly cleaning equipment, promoting a hygienic environment.
- •Staff are patient and helpful, particularly noted for children's sports programs.
- •One review explicitly states, 'Never had any issues' regarding safety or concerns.
⏰When to Avoid
- • If you require extensive, on-site parking for field activities, as parking is noted as limited.
- • If your primary interest is a wide variety of specialized fitness classes, as only a 'few classes' are offered.
- • If you are uncomfortable with community showers that are open to the general public, though no specific issues were reported.
Pricing/Package/Events
Events & Schedule
Special Events(Last 2 months - Next 6 months)
Closure for Salt Lake City Marathon
Saturday, April 20
N/A
Facility will be closed due to the Salt Lake City Marathon.
🍎Food Policy
- • No food or drinks allowed on Pickleball Courts.
- • Vending machines are available, selling healthy snacks and Pepsi products.
📅Booking Policy
- • An SLCo Rental Agreement must be submitted at least 14-days in advance of requested rental date.
- • All rentals must be paid in full upon approval of the rental agreement.
- • A rental agreement is required for facility rentals.
- • Salt Lake County Programs take precedence over any rental requests.
Photos
What People Say
What's Great
- Clean and well-maintained facilities (mentioned in 3 reviews)
- Friendly and helpful staff (mentioned in 6 reviews)
- Spacious play areas (mentioned in 2 reviews)
Areas for Improvement
- Can get crowded during peak times (mentioned in 2 reviews)
- Parking can be challenging (mentioned in 4 reviews)
Recent Reviews
Yvette Betancourt
5 months agoWhen I moved to SLC , I checked out some local gyms and was pretty disappointed in high sales approach , high density and parking hassles. This city run rec center is low key vibe, great equipment , not too full, well maintained facility. The staff is nice. There are only a few classes offered but they are pretty good. For $20/mo. no contract , renew as you wish, you can’t beat it. Quiet and atmosphere. You can use dance” room to stretch, if available and it has lovely lighting. It’s smack in downtown and offers showers to community, so be aware of this. Never had any isssues.
Chantel S
a year agoI really like this gym! I paid somewhere around $130 for an entire year membership, and that includes the classes. So I get yoga classes up to 3x a week, and a great gym to use for dirt cheap. No where else is going to beat that. The gym attendant is super sweet and he is always cleaning the equipment. 10/10 experience here so far. If any gym members bother you here just tell them to bug off, but I've had people bother me at every single gym I've been to so I'm not going to knock this spot for it, tell management if it continues.
Kyle Daley
6 years agoOur 3, 5, and 7 year old played rec tee-ball and baseball be on the fields here for a few weeks. The parking is a little bit limited, but the fields are nice, the staff is very patient and helpful, and it was overall a great experience.
William Nelson
2 months agoFree bar bench press is a little crooked but other than that the gym equipment was decent. Idk about the rest of the place
Jackson Oliver
2 years agoI go here almost every morning and it's great!! Both the weight room and basketball are never crowded and they're well-maintained (the staff is constantly going through cleaning things). Glad I switched from my previous crowded gym!