There are no shortage of public swimming pools east of the river, but this one in particular got a lot of love because it still has a diving board. Anacostia Pool also holds water aerobics classes.

This pool by Howard University is another one that has a diving board, making it a popular choice for daredevil children and confident adults. This is also one of the pools that observes doggie swim day.

This is another pool that celebrates doggie swim day but the humans of Mt. Pleasant, Petworth and 16th Street Heights also speak highly of this location.

The residents in D.C.'s northernmost corner have to travel southward for awhile to get to any public outdoor facilities but thankfully, this large indoor option in the Recreation Center is close by. The enormous facility hosts water polo matches and there's also a water mushroom to splash some of its younger patrons.

DC Department of Parks and Recreation calls this D.C.'s busiest public pool, even though last year's bleeding paint fiasco meant that it was closed for a little while. Francis Pool has two lap lanes and offers lessons and water aerobics. It was also name dropped in the movie Minority Report although for some reason, the writers opted a) not to film there and b) to claim that the pool was located in Baltimore.

The pool that serves Georgetown's residents has a dedicated lap lane at all times. That said, it's popular enough that getting there early on weekends is a necessity as seating can fill up quickly.

This pool has also been named the best public pool by the folks at Washington City Paper.

While Hains Point is enough of an attraction in and of itself, one reader described this pool as "amazing" and "pristine."

This isn't terribly far from the popular (albeit, non-free) pool at the Capitol Skyline hotel, but this free indoor option also comes highly recommended by reading tipsters. Also, this pool hosts lap swimming, aerobics and programming for children.