Where to Play Pickleball in Washington DC

If you’re looking to play pickleball in DC, read on for helpful tips to discover info and resources on where to play.

I spent 3 weeks traveling in DC and was looking for places to drop in for open play.

Turkey Thicket for evening open play with a more competitive lineup of players

If you’re looking for more competitive play (i.e. 3.5+ you can most easily find this at Turkey Thicket). Can you also find beginner play? Well, yah, kinda like you can find a dollar slice of pizza amongst the expensive restaurants in NYC. You can ALWAYS find the outlier.

Does it mean every player here is an intermediate player? No. But you’ll be able to quickly figure out who’s who and which side of the court (which the 2 permanent pickleball courts are separated by a fence) and you can paddle up on the side you find the level of competition that fits your desire.

The paddle racks are broken, but simply stick your paddle into it to show you want to play and jump onto a court.

In addition to the 4 courts, when tennis players move off the tennis courts, additional pickleball nets can be setup (there is a pickleball club that has a locked cabinet with nets that can be used by the members) and I’ve seen as many as 8 courts setup at a time.

Most people here play in the evenings, and you’ll find open play generally after 5pm with people staying late given the lights (I stayed till 10pm on a Friday night once).

Helpful to know: Turkey Thicket has a What’s App group that is fairly active and you can ask questions amongst the group.

Also helpful to know: there are many players here that are deaf and use sign language for the score. It’s helpful to refresh your memory on how to say numbers 6-10 with a single hand.

Kraken for a full bar, food and more than just pickleball

A huge indoor space with 14 courts, you’ll find some beautiful pickleball spaces at this newly opened indoor facility.

The upside? It’s an experience – you’ll find a fully stocked bar, food, couches or seating spaces with each court, and more than just pickleball (indoor roller rink, ping pong, cornhole and more).

The downside? Given it’s new, it’s still getting started and no one is showing up for open play. When I showed up, I was the only signed up to play. If you have your own personal group of 4, you’re in a perfect position to play here

The other downside? The low ceilings. The lights are a little rough and if you love that lob game, you’ll be annoying with the low ceilings.

This is a great place for brand new players who want to rent a court with friends and rent paddles and balls and learn to play – or seasoned players with a group that want a more social game given the atmosphere.

Helpful to know: the parking lot in front of Kraken is HUGE. You are guaranteed going to find a spot and can pay for parking on the app (there is a QR code in the parking lot).

Also helpful to know: you’re in the same parking lot as other interesting experiences (like the Van Gough Experience and the movie theater Alamo Drafthouse)

To find their open play schedule checkout their website here (during the time I was going, they had open play 2-3 times a week).

Palisades Recreation Center for the friendliest players around

At Palisades you’ll find 3 tennis courts with pickleball lines over them. Yes the courts are cracked and if you’re there at the “right time” the sun will peak through the trees in a way that makes you totally blinded. 

However, you’ll find a parking lot out front that almost always has a spot waiting for you (especially if you’re there early) and it’s part of a larger park that is quite nice.

This was hands down my most favorite place to play pickleball in DC. Here’s why…

At Palisades, you’ll feel like family. You’ll find a group of highly seasoned players that have been coming here for a long time. This means everyone knows each other and knows each other so well there isn’t a paddle line up. People simply just “go on” in a highly civilized and friendly “would you like to go on?” Kind of way.

It also means you have a group of people who are excited about new people coming to visit and will help show you the ropes, invite you into games and genuinely want to know your name and where you’re from.

The USA Pickleball Ambassador, Scott, is almost always on the court making sure all is well and nets are setup. 

Generally you’ll find seasoned 3.0+ players and they play MWF and Sat in the mornings with as many as 6 courts depending on the tennis schedule. I never had to wait to play here.

The upside? This organized group has pickleball nets in a locked box which everyone helps out to setup the nets.

Helpful to know: Palisades has a chat on Team Reach (app) which you can find with code PPDC

Driving a bit out of DC to get EXACTLY what you want at Dill Dinkers

If you want to guaranteed get in some solid games at your skill level with little to zero waiting and potentially play for 4-6+ hours, then Dill Dinkers is for you.

This chain is opening locations throughout the area, but their North Bethesda location is about a 35 minute drive north of DC.

When I went to visit, I was able to easily park in their free lot, check in with the friendly front desk, then signed up for 2 back to back open plays at my level.

What’s cool? Once you find some people you really mesh with, simply jump onto a court and rent by the hour to keep the play going. I spent 6 hours here and loved the high ceilings, great lights and quality courts.

Helpful to know: You’ll find the entire calendar of their events and open play on Court Reserve

Discover More Pickleball Destinations

Zoom in and click around on the map below to discover places to play pickleball. Once you’ve found a destination, click on it to find the helpful blog post with helpful tips on how you can play there! Or see all the blog posts by clicking here!