WOODBRIDGE, Va. — In this week's Love Where You Live series, WUSA9 heads inside the Chinn Aquatics and Fitness Center in Woodbridge to escape the wildfire haze blanketing the region.
“It's very unassuming from the outside, but once you get in, it’s this world of workout and exercise," Assistant Director of Marketing for Prince William County's Parks and Recreation Department Amir Wenrich said. "Just think of it as a beehive. Just everyone in and out and just having tons of fun in the summer.”
It's perhaps a metaphor for Prince William County itself -- full of hidden gems in Northern Virginia.
“I’ve been here since 1984," General Manager of the center, Kat Fish said. "I've grown up through Parks and Rec, and just kind of stayed where I love to live and love to work."
One of those places is the Chinn Aquatics and Fitness Center, where you'll see kids running from gym to pool and back.
"Today, we have a lot of indoor-outdoor action," Wenrich said. "Campers are in the gym, playing games, playing basketball. This is every day Monday through Friday throughout the whole summer."
Thursday, it offered a haven from the haze blanketing the region.
“It's a great place," 14-year-old camper Kristjan said. "And there are field trips every week. Teenagers get two field trips a week which is amazing. Ah, the counselors here are really nice, [too.]"
“I've been coming here for over nine years. One of the best centers in the entire Virginia area," member Kenneth Jordan said. "We call it the Chinns family. And we get together. We enjoy each other. We check on each other, and we love each other.”
Whether you're putting on your running sneakers or your life jacket, everyone is welcome.
"We watch over each other. I love it. That's why I love being in this county, Prince William County," Jordan said.
Both Fish and Wenrich agree that the diversity is Prince William County's biggest draw.
"It's the diversity of people, the food, the culture, the earshot away from D.C., and that's why I love where I live," Wenrich said.