Love2Travel103
Beaver Dam is one of the treasures of Baltimore County. It's best visited on a weekday when the crowds aren't too heavy, but really it is large enough to accommodate a lot people. Parents of young children will want to wait til the kids are proficient swimmers. There are pools, but the quarry is not to be missed. The daring can swing out over the quarry on a rope and drop into the refreshing water. There is a lot of shade and grills to take your own cookout provisions. Admission is not cheap, so you probably won't want to buy food there. It's a great place for a relaxing get together with friends and family. Take chairs, etc. (they have picnic tables) and spend the day. The line for admission by car begins about an hour prior to opening.
Srmille12
This swim club was once a very proximate quarry, producing the marble the was used to build some of most historic structures and monuments in DC. There are 2 swimming pools and a baby pool, not to mention the rope swing that hurdles guests in to the waters of Beaver Damm. It's a little pricey and avoid the crowded weekends
AliceB796
A lot of fun, but if you are bringing children, make sure they have a life jacket. If they go under in the lake, you will never see them again. Bring food for the grill. It is a nice place to have a picnic. They do have pools if you don't want to risk the lake.
Piragua
Busy place during summer, gear to 10 o 25 year olds. May get too busy in the middle of summer. Not toddler friendly.
DominiqueS327
If you like to go swimming and you want the more natural feel, this place is perfect. You can set up shop and hang out all day. You can bring a grill but they have small ones on sight. They have picnic areas and a beach like area to choose from. If you don't like the natural watery feel, you can hang out in the reg pool with chlorine and all lol! My friends and I had a ball until the end. Parking is first come first serve so sometimes you have to park far away and walk a back to your camp site. Well the place closes at 7 and I was standing guard of our belongings while they went to get the car. Suddenly I had to use the bathroom. I was standing right at the bottom of the slope where the bathroom doors were. Like I could throw a rock in the door. Well when I asked could I go, I was told I needed to use the bathroom across the street at BP gas station. I asked again, it won't take long, I can be in and out in less then 1 min. The gentleman said again no then proceeded to tell me I should've thought of using the bathroom before now. So I was rather pissed off (no pun intended) by the time by bf got back with his truck. My bf asked what was wrong. I stated I needed to use the bathroom and dude said no. So my bf who's now mad because I could've gone to use the bathroom by now asked him again, to let me go. So the guys finally lets me go but proceeds to make smart comments throughout the whole ordeal. Even while I was on the toilet. I'm not saying a word. I apologize to the young lady who was cleaning the bathroom and thanked her for allowing me to go. In all of this when I was leaving, I decide to say thank you to him evennnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn when he was being the most difficult. Do you know he started up with the smart comments again? Welp I finally gave him a piece of my mind! I'm not sure if I left out any bad words when I let him have it! I've never been so disrespected in my life by someone in the customer service industry. It was definitely upsetting and I opted to not come back seeing as though I just wanted to see how it was because my son wanted to have a bday party out there. Needless to say, that was last summer. I may go back. I know none of my friends have been back either!
TowsonGirl50
We went the Summer of 2011 and had a blast. The water was so refreshing. My son at the time was 12 and absolutely loved it.
jr199
It's a club that's open to the general public. It is a very casual and comfortable "down home" kinda place. The place you take food for the whole day and just have fun.
Srmille12
Activities for ALL ages, rope swing, diving board, cliffs, snack bar, swimming pool, and most importantly attentive Lifequards
blaze_03
Seems like many of the camps in the Baltimore area take the kids weekly to swim. They have always loved it. It is just a great place to take the kids to cool down on a hot day.
oceanguy2821
Beaver Dam is a nice area to visit for picnics. They have quarry lake that is quite nice but very deep. A very small beach area with a small shallow end is accessible for children and non swimming adults. Capable swimmers can take a swimming test and then swim out in the deep end. The entrance fee is a little high and parking can be a premium on weekends.
PM107
Okay, so how many times have you ever been swimming in an old quarry? Really unique environment - definitely young family draw, or teenagers/young adults. Cool zip line-type contraption that drops you into the water from a small cliff . . . but didn't see many other couples in their 50s just hanging out. Lots of people bring their own portable grills and make a day of it. I enjoyed it just for the opportunity to have seen it once.
KimberlyONE
We made great time getting to the swim club from DC, arriving in just under 1.5 hrs. We did have to wait in a line of cars for about 20-25 minutes to get in, but it was worth it. Though there were a lot of people there the day we went (Sunday of the July 4 holiday weekend), it wasn't too crowded or a problem at all. I loved the anchored floating islands in the middle of the quarry, great for lounging and tanning. The big rope swing is also a plus, as are the short cliffs you can jump from. Heads up: Entrance fees are cash only!
TriRunnerCF
This is a freshwater swimming quarry and picnic area. There is a rope swing, diving board and places to jump into the water from. I normally have been going to their competitor, but thought I would give this place a try. They are bigger, cleaner, friendlier and run the place very well. They have many lifeguards including one who rides around in a boat to watch out for people. You can bring an inflatable tube or sit in the moored one that they have set up. They have a pool and another one that is really a kiddie pool. They also have volleyball courts and a basketball hoop. This place is more expensive, but has a better crowd. The only thing they are really missing is a zip-line.