I enjoyed and liked going to the Y for years but in the past 2 years it has, despite the attempts at remodeling and the like, continued to go downhill. The equipment is not at fault nor the cleanliness. What I most take issue with is that there is little or no enforcement of keeping small children off the equipment the rules indicate they are not allowed to use, constant loitering on equipment by people who are checking their phones, and an indolent staff more interested in standing at the front desk chatting or flirting to take notice of anything going on around them. The facility is good but the staff running it is poor. The most recent example of how this site caters more to their own convenience than that of their clientele is opening for only a few hours in the middle of the day when virtually all other businesses are open normal hours due to inclement weather. They were open 12-4 or 9-5 or not at all which is convenient to the staff but not to most people who work normal hours. So, for days the facility has been either closed or only open for hours which amount to the same thing for most working people but they will of course continue to charge the same rates. The tired line about being about safety does not seem legitimate when all other businesses are open.

I loved this facility minus a few drawbacks like not enough room for people to congregate upstairs when waiting for a class.. But I loved the pool (the sloped entrance for my toddler to wade in) and the beautiful track that overlooks the workout room so you can "people watch" as you walk in circles. However, when I first started attending this Y, the employees had to come get me from my workout EVERY DAY because my toddler was crying and upset. Why? We'd been at the Bellevue Y for over a year, every weekday, with no problem for up to two hours while I exercised and showered. I could never do a full class at the North Rutherford Y because I knew they'd have to come get me because he was upset. I felt that it was just transitional anxiety and he would do better really soon. I did shorter workouts. I requested that Toddler be allowed to go into the "bigger" kids' area instead of the baby area, where I thought he may be bored. But when I'd go to pick him up, he'd be back with the babies. "He was standing up in the chair," "He tried to eat the mulch when we went outdoors," were some of the reasons I got for why he was back in the baby area. Umm.. so tell him not to do that. That is called "your job". The straw that broke the camel's back, though, was one morning when I was walking around the track and I could see down into the YPlay area (a floor-to-ceiling glass window) that my toddler (about 16 months at the time) was walking and tripped and fell, hitting his head on the glass window. No big deal, no blood, but he reached up to the young woman working there to be comforted, and she looked down at him, then looked back up at the adult she was talking to and continued her conversation. UNACCEPTABLE. He just sat there on the ground crying. I muttered some very inappropriate-for-family-gym words under my breath and raced down to check him out and take him home. I told myself I would never come there again, and we haven't. Instead we go to the Rutherford County facility on Thompson, and we LOVE it. I have since had the baby that was in my belly last year, and the employees at the Rutherford facility are AMAZING. You can tell they love the kids, I know my children are in great hands when I go to exercise, I know that if Toddler fell or got hurt he would be IMMEDIATELY comforted, and guess what? I have not once been pulled out of a workout for EITHER child. So what's the North Rutherford location's problem? Well, for one, obviously they're hiring people that don't give a damn about their job, as evidenced by the employee who would rather chat than hug the child she's being paid to care for. Secondly, there is no area for the "in-between" toddlers, like age 2. There is a baby room with swings and soft toys, and then there's a "big kids" room right next to that, with crayons and some things that they obviously did not want a small toddler playing with. Why is that? At both other locations I've loved, there was a baby area, toddler area, and big kids' area, and they worked great. My toddler was probably just bored in the baby area and that's why he was upset every day. He was used to some more advanced toys like he had at home, but the employees were too ignorant, or lazy, to pay attention to what he was playing with in the bigger kids' area. At any rate, ignoring my baby when he's hurt or wants comfort is a total dealbreaker for me. In the 300+ days that I've attended the Bellevue Y and the Rutherford County Y combined, I have NEVER had an issue with the childcare. North Rutherford has a lot of improvement to do; if you have a small toddler, I highly recommend you check out the YPlay area before you commit to making this your "home Y". Their employment choices leave much to be desired.

I really like the YMCA in Smyrna. My kids love the swimming pool.

I love this location! :)

I really hate the childcare hours, only opens for few hours a day that I have to either force myself to go early morning or late afternoon to work out!!