Brandywine YMCA
Two indoor pools, a gymnasium, and drop-in child care — a membership facility first, and the day-pass math says so.
3 Mount Lebanon Road, Wilmington, DE 19803
Hours
6 AM – 6 PM
Show the week Hide the week
| Sat | 6 AM – 6 PM |
|---|---|
| Sun | 12 PM – 6 PM |
| Mon | 5 AM – 9 PM |
| Tue | 5 AM – 9 PM |
| Wed | 5 AM – 9 PM |
| Thu | 5 AM – 9 PM |
| Fri | 5 AM – 9 PM |
- Kids’ Club: 8 AM – 12 PM
- Kids’ Club (evening session): Closed today
- Kids’ Club (morning session, 6 weeks–5 years only): Closed today
Last checked 2026-08-24
- Cost
- $25 (age 18+) adult · $15 (age 17 and under) child
- Best for
- 6 weeks through 11 for Kids' Club; swim lessons and classes from 6 months up
- Indoor / outdoor
- Indoor
- Typical visit
- About two hours — Kids' Club caps at two hours of care per day, which ends up shaping the whole visit
The Quick Version
- • A membership facility, not a drop-in attraction. Guest day fees are $25 per adult (18+) and $15 per child (17 and under), non-refundable and non-transferable — one parent and two kids is $55.
- • Guests get one free visit per year, but it isn't valid at the outdoor pools.
- • Every guest 18 and older presents a valid physical ID and signs a waiver. Ages 12–17 need an adult along the first time to sign; children under 12 must be with an adult at all times.
- • Every child 14 and under completes a swim-skills assessment and gets a colored wristband before using the pools. Budget the first visit around that.
- • Hours: Monday–Friday 5 a.m.–9 p.m., Saturday 6 a.m.–6 p.m., Sunday noon–6 p.m. Holiday hours live on a separate Locations & Hours page.
Best Ages
6 weeks through 11 for Kids' Club; swim lessons and classes from 6 months up
Plan For
About two hours — Kids' Club caps at two hours of care per day, which ends up shaping the whole visit
Adults
$25 (age 18+)
Kids
$15 (age 17 and under)
What to Expect
The framing that matters: this is a membership gym that lets guests in, not a family attraction that happens to have pools. For a one-off Saturday, $25 for you plus $15 per child is a lot of money next to a free park, and there's no writing around that. This guide is really for families weighing a membership, visiting on another Y's reciprocal membership, or spending their one free guest visit of the year deliberately.
What's here: two indoor pools, a basketball gymnasium, men's, women's and universal locker rooms, and a sauna. There's a third pool — the outdoor one at the Hanby Outdoor Center — but it's a separate address on Chestnut Street with its own hours and its own guest rules, so don't drive to Mount Lebanon Road expecting it.
The first visit has more front-desk friction than parents expect. Every adult guest needs a physical ID and a signed waiver. Every child 14 and under needs a swim-skills assessment before the pool, which produces a colored wristband: green is full access to pool areas, slides and climbing walls, yellow is designated areas only, and under-12s still need an adult in the pool area either way. Non-swimmers stay within arm's reach of a guardian and wear a life jacket in deep water. And if you're planning on Kids' Club, both you and your child need photos on file first — the front desk can do it, but not in thirty seconds.
Who It's Best For
Kids' Club takes babies from 6 weeks, and the weekday-morning block is reserved for ages 6 weeks–5 years only — the calmest window for a little one. Preschool and elementary is the sweet spot: swim, dance and karate classes, youth basketball, soccer and volleyball, and group swim lessons starting at 6 months. Children 11 and under must be supervised by an adult 18+ at all times, so this is never a drop-and-go. Ages 12–17 can visit unaccompanied as guests, but only after an adult has come once to sign the waiver.
Highlights
Two indoor pools
Any age, with an adult in the pool area for under-12sFamily recreational swim runs regularly at YMCA of Delaware locations, with schedules published by branch. Children 14 and under need an assessment wristband first; 11 and under must be supervised throughout.
Kids' Club child watch
6 weeks–11 yearsAges 6 weeks to 11 years, up to two hours per day — science experiments, art projects, team-building games. A parent stays on site, and only adults 18+ may drop off or pick up.
Instructional children's classes
6 months and upSwimming, dance, karate and more, plus group swim lessons from 6 months through adults — though not every aquatics program runs at every location or session.
Gymnasium and youth sports
Elementary and upA basketball gymnasium plus youth leagues including basketball, soccer and volleyball. Spectators enter free with valid ID, limited to the program area.
Hanby Outdoor Center
All agesThe branch's outdoor arm at 35 Chestnut Street — swimming, hiking, nature exploration, kites, art, crafts and games. Separate address, separate hours, and free guest passes aren't valid at its pool.
Preschool, school-year care and day camp
Preschool through elementaryA preschool program, before- and after-school care, and summer day camp all run out of this branch.
Logistics
Admission
Adults
$25 (age 18+)
Kids
$15 (age 17 and under)
Under
Program spectators enter free but must check in at the Welcome Center with a valid ID, and are limited to the program area
Guest fees are non-refundable and non-transferable, and the one free visit per year excludes outdoor pools. Kids' Club is charged separately for guests: a pass for both the parent/guardian and the child, at $15 per child.
Membership tip: The honest comparison isn't day pass versus free park — it's day pass versus membership. An Adult + children membership includes two hours of free Kids' Club child watch (ages 6 weeks to 11 years) while you work out, and for a lot of families it's the part of the membership that gets used most. Nationwide Membership from another Y does not include YMCA of Delaware outdoor pools.
Getting There
Parking
Dedicated accessible parking is available at every YMCA of Delaware location for vehicles with the appropriate sticker or identification tag. Beyond that the Y doesn't publish lot details for this branch, and we haven't verified how it fills on a weeknight.
Entrance
Front door only — the Y asks members to use it for both entry and exit and to present a membership card each visit; a member without a card is asked for photo ID and has a picture added to their account. Guests 18 and older check in with a valid physical ID and sign a waiver.
Parent Logistics
The Y's own pages don't describe the interior layout, so treat this as unverified rather than settled. If you're using Kids' Club you're staying in the building anyway — drop-off means scanning your child's membership card, giving your location inside the facility, and confirming emergency contacts.
Men's and women's locker rooms plus a universal locker room — that last one is the one to know about if you're changing a kid of a different gender than you. There's also a sauna.
Not addressed anywhere in the Y's published material, so we can't confirm them. Plan for the locker rooms and bring your own pad.
Indoor building, so shade isn't the question here. It is the question at the Hanby Outdoor Center — a separate site at 35 Chestnut Street, Wilmington, DE 19810 — and we couldn't verify what shade it has.
Food & Snacks
No food on-site. Nothing in the Y's published material describes a café or concession at this branch, so plan on nothing. What is documented is where food can't go: no food, drinks or gum on the pool deck, and nothing in Kids' Club except infant bottles and water bottles.
Snack strategy: Feed everyone before you come. A water bottle is the one thing that travels into Kids' Club with your kid, and nothing at all comes onto the pool deck — so the real snack happens in the car on the way home.
Pro Tips
- ✓ Bring a physical ID, not a photo of one — the policy specifically says physical, and every guest 18 and older signs a waiver at check-in.
- ✓ Do the swim assessment on a low-stakes visit, not the day of a lesson or a party. The wristband color decides where your kid can go.
- ✓ Save your one free annual guest visit for the indoor building — it's explicitly not valid at the outdoor pools.
- ✓ Kids' Club caps at two hours and you can't leave the property; at drop-off you'll be asked where in the building you'll be.
- ✓ Weekday mornings in Kids' Club are ages 6 weeks–5 years only — the quiet window with a baby, the wrong window with a seven-year-old in tow.
- ✓ Check the separate Locations & Hours page before a holiday weekend; the branch page points there rather than listing holiday hours itself.
Questions parents ask
Can I visit the Brandywine YMCA without a membership?
Yes. Guests are welcome with a day fee, and you get one free visit per year — though the free visit doesn't cover the outdoor pools. Every guest 18 and older must present a valid physical ID at check-in and sign a waiver. Guests ages 12–17 need an adult along on the first visit to sign the waiver for them; after that they may visit unaccompanied once they've paid the guest fee. Children under 12 must always be accompanied and supervised by an adult.
How much is a day pass?
$25 for adults age 18 and up, $15 for children age 17 and under, non-refundable and non-transferable. Kids' Club is charged separately: a guest buys a pass for both the parent/guardian and the child, at $15 per child. Outdoor pool passes are different again — an active member age 18+ must buy them in advance at the Member Service Desk, up to five per visit, and there are no rainchecks for weather.
Do they have child care while I work out?
Yes — Kids' Club, for ages 6 weeks to 11 years, up to two hours of care per day. It's free for families with an Adult + children membership and $15 per child for guests. A parent or guardian must remain on site, only adults 18 and older can drop off or pick up, and both guardian and child need a photo on file before drop-off. Brandywine hours: Monday–Friday 8:30 a.m.–noon (ages 6 weeks–5 years only), Monday–Thursday 5–8 p.m., Saturday 8 a.m.–noon, Sunday noon–3 p.m.
Do they offer swim lessons?
Group YMCA swim lessons run from age 6 months through adults, and this branch lists instructional children's classes in swimming alongside dance and karate. Not every aquatics program is offered at every location or in every session, so check current offerings for Brandywine. The YMCA of Delaware also runs S.W.A.M. (Swimming With Autism) in partnership with Autism Delaware, a water-safety program for children and adults with autism spectrum disorder.
When to Go
Best Time to Visit
Kids' Club hours are the real constraint: weekday mornings 8:30 a.m.–noon (ages 6 weeks–5 years only), Monday–Thursday 5–8 p.m., Saturday 8 a.m.–noon, Sunday noon–3 p.m. Coming for family swim instead? Check this branch's recreational-swim schedule first — schedules are published by location, and not every aquatics program runs at every location or session.
Seasonal Notes
The outdoor pool is at the Hanby Outdoor Center — a separate address with its own hours page — which also runs hiking, nature exploration, kite flying, art, crafts, games and fitness boot camps. Water Safety Week at the Hanby Outdoor Pool runs September 3–5, 2026: three free 30-minute water-acclimation sessions for beginner (“Swim Basic”) swimmers ages 3–12.
Upcoming Events
Know when something good is on near Brandywine YMCA
Free, one email a week — the weekend's best picks for New Castle County families, tailored to your kids' ages.