Tennis & Pickleball

If your group travels with rackets or paddles, you are in luck. One of the best public racket facilities in the country sits about five minutes from the nest, inside the same Holiday Park that borders the neighborhood. You can play clay-court tennis where a world champion learned the game, or grab a pickleball paddle and join open play before the heat builds.

The Jimmy Evert Tennis Center

At 701 NE 12th Avenue, the Jimmy Evert Tennis Center is Fort Lauderdale’s premier public tennis facility. It is a city-run center open to anyone, not a private club, and it sits inside Holiday Park, a large green expanse just west of the beach and a short hop from downtown. The center was recently renovated top to bottom and reopened, so what you play on now is a fresh facility carrying a very old and very famous name.

That name belongs to Jimmy Evert, who ran tennis here as the city’s longtime director for decades. He taught all five of his children on these courts, including his daughter Chris Evert, who started as a girl and went on to win eighteen Grand Slam singles titles, with a record on clay that remains one of the most dominant in the sport. He coached other touring pros who came through Fort Lauderdale as well. When he retired from the city, the complex was renamed in his honor. The “Home of Champions” nickname is well earned.

You do not need to be a champion, or anything close, to play here. The whole point of the place is that it is public. Beginners take lessons on the same clay the pros trained on, kids learn the grip for the first time, and retirees rally at eight in the morning before the sun turns serious.

What you’ll actually play on

The heart of the center is its clay. After the renovation there are around eighteen clay courts, plus a few hard courts, and a stadium court named for Chris Evert. Most of the courts are lighted, so evening play is on the table once the day cools off.

If you have only ever played on hard courts, clay is worth trying at least once here. It plays slower, the ball sits up a little higher, and it is far kinder to your knees and hips than concrete, which matters if you are on vacation and would like to walk the next day. The trade-off is that clay needs maintenance: courts get watered and dragged, footing can be looser, and a hard rain can close things for a bit while the surface recovers. The renovated courts are more consistent than the old setup, but clay is still clay.

Clay vs. hard, at a glance

	Clay courts	Hard courts
How it plays	Slower, higher bounce, longer rallies	Faster, lower bounce, more pace
On your body	Softer, easier on joints	Harder, more pounding
Weather	Needs upkeep; rain can close it	Dries and reopens quickly
Here	The main event, most courts	A handful of courts

Booking a court, taking a lesson

The center runs an online reservation system, and in the busy winter months you will want to use it. Fort Lauderdale fills up with snowbirds and vacationers from roughly December through March, and the good morning slots go first. Booking ahead is the difference between playing at nine and waiting around at noon in the heat. Fees, hours and the exact reservation window change from season to season, so check the city’s tennis page or call the pro shop before you plan your morning around it.

The center has typically opened early and stayed open into the evening on weekdays, with shorter hours on weekends. Treat that as a starting point and confirm current hours before you go, especially around holidays.

Beyond just renting a court, the center offers lessons and clinics for all ages and levels, from little kids to adults picking the game back up. If your group is mixed, with a couple of serious players and a couple who have not held a racket in years, a group clinic can be a good equalizer. There is also a pro shop on site, and you can usually rent a ball machine, which is the best way to get a solid workout when your hitting partner bails to sit by the pool instead.

Pickleball at Holiday Park

The fastest-growing sport in the country is covered here too. Holiday Park has a set of dedicated outdoor pickleball courts, a short walk from the tennis center, with restrooms, water and lights nearby.

The catch, and it is worth knowing before you show up: the pickleball courts generally cannot be reserved. It is first come, first served, and there is a rhythm of open play where regulars rotate in and out. That sounds intimidating if you are new, but pickleball culture is friendly. Paddle up, put your name in the queue, and you will get folded into games quickly. The city also runs classes and programs, including organized play for older players. Open-play days and times shift with the seasons and the programming calendar, so check the city’s pickleball page or call ahead rather than trusting any single posted schedule.

If your group is split between the two sports, the geography works in your favor: the tennis players can book a clay court while the pickleball crew walks over to the paddle courts, and everyone meets back up in the park afterward. It makes for an easy, social morning.

Tennis or pickleball this morning?

• Choose tennis if you want a real workout, you already play, or you want to say you hit on the same clay Chris Evert grew up on. You will want to book ahead.
• Choose pickleball if you have a mixed-ability group, you want something social and low-commitment, or you just want to try the sport everyone keeps talking about. Show up and play.
• Do both if you have a big group. Split up, then regroup for a walk around the park or a coffee run afterward.

The park around the courts

Holiday Park is worth a wander on its own, and it is one of the largest parks in the city. Beyond the racket courts you will find lighted ball fields, basketball and racquetball courts, sand volleyball, walking paths, and open green space that runs right up to the edge of Victoria Park. The War Memorial Auditorium sits inside the park too. The city has been rolling out upgrades across the park, so expect some construction fencing here and there, none of which should affect your game.

Because the park is so central, it slots neatly into a day. You can play in the morning, drive ten minutes to the sand for the afternoon, and be back at the nest with time to nap before dinner. If you would rather keep moving, the park connects to some of the flatter, easier riding in the area. See the cycling guide for routes that link the park, Las Olas and the beach.

When to play

This is South Florida, so heat and timing matter more than they would up north. From late spring through early fall, midday is genuinely rough, with high heat, high humidity, and near-daily afternoon thunderstorms that roll in fast and shut down outdoor courts in a hurry. The move in those months is to play early, ideally before nine, or wait for the evening window under the lights once the storm has passed and the air cools.

Winter is the sweet spot for playing outdoors here: dry, warm, and comfortable, which is exactly why the courts are busiest then. If you are coming in the peak season, book tennis in advance and get to the pickleball courts early to claim a spot in the rotation. For a fuller breakdown of what each month feels like, the best time to visit guide lays it out.

What to bring, and how to get there

From Turtle Nest it is a five-minute drive, and a very walkable or bikeable distance if you would rather not move the car. Holiday Park has parking, and it is generally free, though the lots fill on busy winter mornings and around events at the auditorium. Here is a simple morning plan:

1. Check court status and hours the night before or that morning. Book a tennis court online if you want one, or just plan to show up for pickleball.
2. Fill water bottles at the nest and freeze one; you’ll want it by the second set.
3. Head out early. The five-minute drive means you can leave the nest at 7:45 and be warming up by 8.
4. Play, then cool down with a walk through the park or a coffee stop nearby.
5. Back to the pool at the nest to rinse off the clay before the day heats up.

Pack list for a morning of play:

• Your own racket or paddle. Rentals may be limited, so bring what you have if you can.
• More water than you think you need, plus electrolytes.
• Sunscreen, a hat, and real sunglasses; the courts are open and the sun is strong even in winter.
• A towel and a change of shirt, because you will sweat.
• A few dollars or a card for the pro shop, court fees, or a ball machine rental.
• Grippy court shoes; skip running shoes, which slide badly on clay.

Making a morning of it nearby

The courts pair well with the rest of the neighborhood. After a hard morning, a big breakfast is the correct reward. The breakfast and brunch guide has spots within a few minutes of the park. If you are stocking up for the week, the groceries and markets guide covers where to grab water, fruit and recovery snacks close by. And for the non-players in the group, the golf guide covers the greens nearby.

Back at the nest

The best part of playing this close to home is what comes after. You are five minutes from a private pool with a shallow sun shelf, a full kitchen for a proper post-game breakfast, and a fire pit for the evening. Play early, beat the heat, and spend the rest of the day doing very little. When you are ready to plan the trip, check dates and book the nest, then travel with your rackets, because the courts are right around the corner.

Check Dates & Book