Are you looking for a family-friendly, affordable location to take your family that features a Water Slides, In-Water Playgrounds, Lazy River, Diving Board, Lap Lanes, Zero-Depth Play Area, and Obstacle Course? I’ve found it. Here are five amazing reasons to take your family to Onesty Family Aquatic Center in Charlottesville, VA.
Onesty Family Aquatic Center at Meade Park
Meade Park is best known for Onesty Family Aquatic Center. The state-of-the-art aquatic facility opened in the summer of 2009. The park also has a playground with tot area for children ages 2-5 years old and picnic shelter. The park is open 6AM to 9PM.
Amenities: Water Slides, In-Water Playgrounds, Lazy River, Diving Board, Lap Lanes, Zero-Depth Play Area, Obstacle Course, Lockers, Restrooms, Family Changing Room, Snack Bar
This aquatic center is great for all ages. I took my kids when my daughter when she was 4-1/2 and my son was 11-1/2. He brought a friend with him and they had a great time together. This was perfect for me so that I could keep my eyes on my daughter.
Our Arrival:
The lazy river brings two siblings together. This melts my heart to see my son taking care of his little sister. 🙂
5 Reasons to Visit Onesty Family Aquatic Center in Charlottesville, VA
1 – Activities for kids under 5.
Toddlers, Preschoolers, and younger elementary age kids will enjoy Water Slides, In-Water Playgrounds, and a Zero-Depth Play Area.
All of these activities kept my daughter self-occupied. I enjoyed watching her and snapping photos. I hung out with her in the play area. You won’t be seeing any photos of that!
I love her giggle when the water sprayed her.
Who doesn’t like getting spray by a pirate ship?
This time I think I will put on the life jacket in case I fall down while getting sprayed.
Sliding through the pirate ship
Let’s see what happens if I cover up the sprayer

Inside view of the pirate slide

2 – Activities for elementary age kids, tweens, and teens.
Older elementary age kids, tweens, and teens will enjoy Water Slides, Lazy River, Diving Board, Lap Lanes, and the Obstacle Course.
Here’s my son getting started on the Obstacle Course.
“Yes! I conquered the obstacle course.”


3 – Ample seating for parents.
I didn’t think to take a picture of this, but parents will love that there are plenty of seats. Often when you go to a pool, there aren’t enough chairs. That was not a problem here! We were able to lay our towels out on the seats and safely leave our shoes and bags by them as we enjoyed the center.
Parents will also appreciate the Lockers (small fee), Restrooms (clean, spacious with plenty of stalls), Family Changing Room (spacious with plenty of changing areas), and Snack Bar (reasonable prices).
4 – You can bring your own food.
We ordered pizza from the snack bar, which was delivered about 30 minutes later from a local pizza parlor.
I learned from the very friendly family that sat beside us along the pool that you can bring your own food. They brought snacks, drinks, and sandwiches.
I will definitely be doing that on our next trip.
5 – Summer passes.
This is a great deal if you plan to come to the pool eight or more times during the 14-week-season, which would be once every 1-2 weeks. I would think that most families could easily get their money’s worth.
Summer Pool Passes are valid May 27 – September 4, 2017
Pass Type |
City Resident |
Non-Resident |
Charlottesville City Student/Youth – valid for anyone under the age of 18 who resides in the City of Charlottesville. |
$29.00 |
N/A |
Individual Above 48” |
$56.00 |
$106.00 |
Individual Below 48” |
$36.00 |
$76.00 |
Couple – 2 person rate |
$91.00 |
$180.00 |
Each additional (after purchase of a couples pass)
Disabled |
$36.00 $10.00 |
$76.00 $20.00 |
Daily Admissions (Washington Park and Onesty)
City Resident |
Non-Resident |
|
Above 48” |
$6.00 |
$11.00 |
Below 48” |
$4.00 |
$8.00 |
Senior (60+) |
$4.00 |
$8.00 |
Disabled |
$1.00 |
$2.00 |
Age 3 & Under |
FREE |
FREE |
About Onesty Family Aquatic Center
Onesty Family Aquatic Center is located at 300 Meade Avenue in Charlottesville, VA. Website Phone number is (434) 295-7532. The Aquatic Center has a parking lot and street parking is also available. Dogs must be on a leash and under control.
Starting June 10, 2017, Onesty Family Aquatic Center will be open six days a week – closed on Wednesdays. The hours are 10:30am-8pm (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday; open 10:00am-8pm on Saturday and open 10:00am-7pm on Sunday.
Click here for a webcam showing the line conditions at Onesty Pool.
Thanks to Onesty Family Aquatic Center at Meade Park for the complimentary tickets we received.
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