James J. Harris Family YMCA, YMCA of Greater Charlotte Reviews

I love the Harris ymca! The facility is always clean and never over crowded. I love the indoor/outdoor pool. Also they have the best summer camp.

Personal training experience - Nathen is fantastic. He challenges and helps you achieve goals you never thought possible. Best trainer at YMCA.

Request to management : please do add him him to the trainer board.

Floors in workout area could use a better vacuuming. Always find dust even first thing in the morning. Otherwise, great place.

Came to the pool tonight and left feeling overwhelmingly frustrated. I've spent 10+ years as a lifeguard/lifeguard trainer myself, and would be disappointed in myself if these were guards I had trained. We were there for 90 minutes. The water slide wasn't open, the water features were off, and every couple of minutes, we were told we were breaking some rule. At guard change, the male guard (the only one there) told the next guard to "watch out for that one", and pointed at us, like we were doing something dangerous. I have 4 kids, aged 2 through 9, my oldest 2 can swim proficiently (green bands), and my youngest 2 had puddle jumpers on. We were the only people there, but you would have thought they were over capacity. Everything was too dangerous or made to sound like I was being negligent. My kids were following all the basic pool rules (no running, no diving, no rough play) but they and I were scolded several times by each guard (and they were rotating every half 15 minutes or so). It was exhausting. It almost felt like they were intentionally trying to ruin our time there. If you aren't kid friendly, just close the pool to kids and be done with it.

Excellent! Friendly staff. Great facilities. Clean and safe during Covid.

They have newer equipment and the facilities, while a little aged, are still very nice. They offer and ton of classes, many of which are child-targeted, but some for adults. They have a large free weight and machine area, but if you come during the peak hours, prepare to wait.

Most of the summer camps throughout the ymca are great but I would not recommend sending your children to the gymnastics camp because if you are thinking you are going to learn gymnastics you are quite wrong all they make make your children do is workout and that is supposed to prepare your children for gymnastics in conclusion don't sign your children up for this "camp"

Too many people. Not a comfortable workout environment. Constantly waiting on machines to be free then hurried after you get on.

Great facility. Dry sauna, steam sauna, indoor and outdoor pools. Lots of cardio classes. Updated fitness machines but unfortunately the cable tv seems to fail weekly.

I have never experienced a childcare center as amazing, nurturing, caring and loving as the Harris YMCA Child center. I ve been taking my son, Prescott, there since he was 18 months. And truly, each teacher goes above and beyond everyday to make sure my precious son is taken care of. The level of detail, and attention to care is immeasurable. Not to mention, they are so consistent, enough where they essentially helped potty train my son which was really hard for me to do given my work schedule. I m forever grateful to them, for their amazing work, being the watchful eye while we workout or run errands. I never worry for a second when Prescott is in their care. I feel a special connection to Adriana, Linda, Ashley and Tamara, but all of the teachers are beyond amazing! I m grateful for them!

I was part of the Harris YMCA Triathlon team for several years. The coaches were very through and made sure that everyone was having a great time and staying healthy as we trained.

Staff is so rude. Tonight was just another example.
The fire alarm went off as we were showering from the pool . I immediately ran to get my two kids dressed and out. The staff (with exception of a very kind young lifeguard) took it upon themselves to scream at us the entire 2 minutes it took me to throw a shirt and pants on my two wet kids, get our bag and carry our shoes running out.
I understand safety is always a priority but you would think they could help in some way instead of just yelling until we all cried.
Please note after the fact I came to learn it was a fire drill. Which makes this worse.
Try actually helping in the future.

New gym . Good size locker . Steam dry sauna . No towel service . Large selection of classes

The lifeguards, which I guess are moody teenagers, can be very rude. Today I saw this lifeguard, a girl, scream and I mean scream because I was almost by the exit doors towards the gym, to this 5 or 6 year old "DOWN!!". Like when pet owners yelled at their dogs... Awful. I was leaving with my family, but I wish I had turned around to get her name. Don't scream to a lil kid like that. Talk to her parents, there's no need for that... I'm reaching out to the Ymca as well, because it's not the first time I see this behavior from lifeguards.

My family loves going to the Y to swim, play soccer, work out and have been building friendships for years! The Harris YMCA is a great supporter of children in the community, specifically providing swim lessons and Zumba for my students as well as fitness classes for the staff at Sterling Elementary School.

Filthy bathrooms. Rude personnel. Do not recommend.

Today I went to Harris Y with my son (11) and daughter (8). They both are good swimmers and can swim since each was 1 year old, and they have green swimming bands.
At some point I needed to go to the bathroom and I was told that my daughter cannot be in the pool because she is less than 10. Ok, I went back to her and asked her to get out of the water. When I was passing the guard again I was told that she cannot be sitting on a bench and she must be out of aquatic center with me. When I asked - what is the point then to have green swimming band, I was very unpleasantly told that they (guards, BTW there were five on duty) are not babysitters. She also threatened me to call the police if I won t obey.
When we returned back from freezing cold family locker room, everyone at the child s pool was out of the water for 10 minutes - looks like these 5 guards had some kind of recess.
I maintain Y membership for the last 6 years, moving from state to state, and have never been treated such way.

Update:
I contacted some Y leadership and had several conversations and they assured me that they will train staff members

Good place to workout and swim. Clean mostly but Sauna and steam bath should be clean daily.

There are so many classes to choose from on the group exercise menu. All the instructors are efficient, engaging and encouraging while still offering challenging workouts. The lobby boasts a small cafe that makes great coffee for before or after a workout. The KidCare center is nice and very safe with protocols to protect children. I would recommend this location to anyone!

After returning to the Harris Y after a lapse of 25 years when my kids played soccer then, the facility is both familiar and well appointed with new machines, facilities but the same wonderful staff!! Neena greeted me at the entrance, made no hassles on my out of town membership. The machines are updated from the hometown Y, the trainers friendly, the swimming pool was busy but well organized, But more than anything it was the friendly staff that made me nostalgic in how friendly the Harris Y remained after such a long lapse. Very welcome for out of town travelers and thank you Charlotte Harris Y!!

Too crowded now. Been going here 30 years, never heard the N word and F bombs as much anywhere as this gym, a Christian family institution.

This YMCA offers many classes to choose from on the group exercise menu. All the instructors are very efficient, and encouraging, while they still offer challenging workouts. Their lobby offers a small cafe that makes great coffee for before or after a workout. The Gymnastics program is excellent! My daughter loves taking this. I would recommend this location to anyone!

This place is amazing, always has been, staff is great super helpful, very kind. My daughter strives by being able to be a part of the Y. The counselors are amazing and the programs help us have balance in our life. It has been a rough year for them, and all and I am so thankful for them every DAY!

Everytime I go to the new branch of Y, I say that now this one is my favorite :) so for this moment I'm in love with Harris Y! great staff, nice premises, my kids love the childcare in there. everything seems perfect.

i do gymnastics here and i ve stayed here since 2015 and the coaches are amazing and nice.

I ve never been at a y swimming pool less accommodating to special needs kids. Even briefing the lifeguards they were unaware on how to function appropriately with autistic hundred. Maybe employ less untrained teenagers in your swimming area or have a policy to work with special needs families to assist and serve better highly visible so they can reference it. Complete fail and I won t even attempt this again. VER VERY disappointing.

Power Yoga in and of itself is refreshing and enlightening. Amy s teaching of Power Yoga is transformative. Combine that with a YMCA that operates efficiently and with the safety/wellness of its patrons as a focal point, you end up with 5 Stars! (And I won t even mention the wonderful, diverse, philanthropic community that I sense each and every time I walk in this Y...amazing.)

Nice facility. Indoor and outdoor pool. Big ground for walking. Also 2 parks for kids.

Now the worst Y in the Charlotte area. They run the A/C during the winter BC it's broken and only cold air comes out. Major disappointment, I use to love going to the gym there.

Great covid precautions! Lots of sanitizing stations, spaced out machines, and plenty of things to do for the gym area

Incredible facility, programs and staff. A staple in the area and a really great facility to be a member of!

Great programs! Great leadership! Gives back to the community! Especially impressed with Y Readers, Latino community partnerships!

Does anybody know what times are usually busy and what times are slow? Other than that this place is great!

Nice facility however the staff is not friendly African Americans even if we're supportive financially to the branch this location because is near our home I wish the world was a better place for all races however again I will continue to utilize the YMCA for all my needs thank you

Place is a bit old, but well maintained. Workout equipment is new, but gym after 5pm can be really full. Lockers and changing rooms look kinda old, but they serve their purpose. They have a great variety of classes (for me the best in the area) with great teachers. Pool is well maintained and clean. They offer child care too.

Nice stroll around the outside track. Very enjoyable.

Extremely busy location. Spacious locker rooms, however, not as many amenities as far as space to get ready for work like the uptown location. The pool is hard to get a lane for laps. They generally keep 3 lanes outside while the whole rest of the pool is empty. The inside lanes people don t bother to swim on one side and swim down the middle. The gym is difficulty to get a squat rack. Again this location is extremely busy. I do not recommend If you are busy or have an inflexible work out routine.

Good staff. Nice location and it gets the job done. Lots of summer camps. All the necessary equipment. Several classes to attend for fres. Sauna. Swimming pool and aerobic classes. Etc.

Dirty facilities, especially, the locker rooms. Wash yourself well when you have finished your workout.

We spend a lot of time here, it's like our second home....people are great and so is facility

Don't take swimming courses here for your child. The staff constantly cancels the swimming classes without considering makeup days, nor refunding your money. You basically pay them a lot of money for the swimming courses and your child ends up not learning much due to the disorganization and bad planning of the staff at Harris YMCA. They do not even notify you earlier prior to the cancellation.

It is really nice especially if you want to do gymnastics I've had a meet their and it was nice

May have been the worst gym experience I ve ever had. The staff was very unprofessional, not kind, and super judgmental. I felt very uncomfortable working out in the gym due to the staff. They didn t make you feel like you were apart of a community but rather gave unwelcoming looks as you walked in. I terminated my membership with YMCA due to this location. I m sure other YMCA s in the area like the Dowd wouldn t treat there members like this.

the best YMCA I visited so far not 5 star because this location needs some remodeling especially looker rooms...

Great facility with friendly staff, knowlegeable employees. Have a large team of personal trainers with flexible schedules. Have a "Beyond Limits" program for Parkinson's participants through Atrium Rehabilitation which partners uniquely qualified personal trainers with those affected by Parkinson's to improve their strength and mobility. Variety of group classes. Pick up basketball at lunch hour. Indoor and Outdoor Pool (seasonal) with lessons and classes. Senior area near indoor track with blocked out times during the week. Boxing Heavy bag. Spin and Yoga rooms. Outdoor track. Child watch, pre-school and after school and summer camp programs. Special events for members and community. The best kept secret in South Charlotte for staying fit!

Pools look incredible! It was good to see some of the staff, Dana, William, Marta & Ellie! Social Distancing was in place as well as temperature checks! Of course you cannon use the indoor pools, but please outdoor pools! The Harris Y has done an incredible job to make it feel like home!

YMCA such a lovely family friendly environment. Love it

Great outdoor pool, indoor pool, fitness center, and a sauna! Not hugely impressed by the toddler gymnastics program. One of the most busy Y s I ve ever seen.

This is a very clean facility. My son has been enjoying the soccer program here.

I can only speak to the outdoor track, which is great. Bits definitely better to go earlier in the morning when it's not so crowded. It's always clean and easy to maneuver.

Simply an amazing YMCA with an incredibly positive and helpful staff!!!

My favorite YMCA to go to. I feel super comfortable when I come to work out here. Even though it is quite busy all of the time, there are still plenty of things you can do if you are unable to find open machines. The only thing I can say that needs improvement is the sauna in the women's locker room and the upstairs can have better equipment added. Other than that, I love it here!

Right now it's disappointing... For all the right reasons. They are so restricted as to what they can allow. But help is on the way, especially for us older folk. Hopefully they can restart exercise classes for us once we've had the vaccine (s) Oh, I do have a complaint though. They have started back drafting money from my bank account even though I haven't been there a single day since this pandemic started.

Ventilation in the Men s Locker could be improved. With all the sweat and steam, sour smells start to accumulate.

I came to swim in the outdoor pool.
Could use an extra lane, but it s nice. Lots of lounge chairs, plenty of space.
Enjoyed the steam room in the ladies locker room, which was also well kept.
There s also a massage studio, prices are affordable. Lee was offering complimentary chair massage, great job! My neck and shoulders feel so much better, Thank You!

Busy...but big, especially compared to the weight area we have in the SC YMCAs. I've been happy with my workouts here as they have a variety of strength training equipment as well as a CrossFit room (that is available when there is no class scheduled). The staff are incredibly friendly. They have both a dry sauna and steam room. I've noticed that the gym is busier from 5-6am then it is from 6-8am so that helps.