Al '51 and Barrie Zesiger Sports and Fitness Center - MIT

I swim here regularly, mainly in the mornings in the 6 to 8 AM timeframe, and it’s a great pool. When it’s set up short course, there are lanes in three different pools and you can typically get your own or share with one other person in the early mornings. In late April they switch the main pool to long course (through August) and you do have to share with a few people and circle swimming is required, but you can still get room in a lane. I pay monthly, but they also let people pay to come in for the day. There are a number of streets with street parking nearby and in the early mornings you can typically find a spot.

I visited on a Saturday in March, 2025 and swam in the 25-yard diving section with nice wide lanes – and there are lots of them. I saw no one who had to share, but sharing is common when it’s more crowded - they even have signs encouraging it. The lanes seem wider than at any pool I have swum in. One thing about Saturday morning is that there is a kids program in the warmer pool and there are LOTS of children.

The pool operates on a cashless basis. The people at the desk were very friendly. The locker rooms are clean but bring your own lock.

This is a great pool: 50m with wide lanes and fast swimmers. I checked schedule online and bought a pass online before visiting the facility.

This is a really nice pool. The locker room was clean, and it was open until 11 PM the day I went. Very friendly staff and students.

This is an excellent pool, with well regulated, speed-segregated lanes and a great temperature for a workout. Bring a padlock. Parking for visitors is available just across Vassar Street in the MIT West structure.

Beautiful facility. $15 gets an all day pass to the pool, a towel and nice two-level fitness center. $37 for a full week renewable card. The 50m pool was set up with 25y lanes, with Masters taking up the main pool and rec swimming in the diving pool.

This is the best pool in the Boston area, even better than Blodgett at Harvard!

A superior swimming facility. I swam here two days and was amazed that the pool was virtually empty in the late afternoon.