The best places to play pickleball in Chicago

Taking up more than 551 acres on the city’s South Side, Jackson Park has a lot of amenities. One of them is the Jackson Park Fieldhouse, which is used for sports that can be adapted to the indoors, like basketball, tennis and of course, pickleball. The Jackson Park Fieldhouse has two indoor courts, both adorned with permanent lines and offering portable nets. Pre-registration is required to use the facilities.

Pickleball hasn’t just taken over the city’s parks—it’s also extremely popular at membership-based gyms like Lakeshore Sport & Fitness. The gym has pickleball facilities at both its Loop and Lincoln Park locations. In addition to the gym’s indoor courts, the Lincoln Park location has outdoor rooftop courts which can be rented by the hour. If you’ve never played before but are eager to get in on the fun, the gym also offers group, private and semi-private lessons plus classes focused on improving your skills.

Parks are mostly thought of as outdoor spaces, but many of Chicago’s parks also have indoor offerings, like Gompers Park in the city’s North Park neighborhood. In addition to the park’s outdoor pool, lagoon and baseball fields, it also has a gymnasium that houses an indoor, wood-surfaced pickleball court. If that’s not enough, head outside for the park’s two additional pickleball courts that are free to use and come equipped with permanent lines. Bring your own net or check one out from the fieldhouse.

Brooks Park isn’t one of Chicago’s biggest parks—it takes up less than a city block in the Kenwood neighborhood. But in that small area, the park contains a playground, a monument to its namesake, Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Gwendolyn Brooks, and four outdoor pickleball courts. The four courts are free to play on and come with permanent lines and permanent netting. A schedule is posted on both sides of the park’s outdoor kiosk.

Pickleball wasn’t booming in popularity when Fitness Formula Clubs (FFC) first began opening gyms in the ’90s. But as times change, so has FFC, and it’s adapted its dedicated basketball courts to also serve as pickleball courts at its Gold Coast location. FFC Gold Coast has three pickleball courts, each with permanent lines and portable nets. If Gold Coast is a bit out of the way, don’t worry. FFC also has pickleball courts at its Loop location, right next to Union Station, and in the nearby suburbs at its Park Ridge, Oak Park and Elmhurst locations. Memberships to the gym start at $149 per month, and include two monthly guest passes, allowing you to bring teammates along.

There are quite a few options for pickleball in Grant Park, and those options are continuing to grow. Maggie Daley Park, which is in the north end of Grant Park, has 10 tennis courts that are used to play pickleball on, and have permanent lines, but you must bring your own net. While the park is a great place to play a game now, it’s only going to get better. C3 Presents, the concert production company behind Lollapalooza, recently donated $500,000, which will be used to create eight new dedicated pickleball courts in the park.

In 2019, Little Italy’s Addams/Medill Park opened up the ComEd Recreation Center, a 100,000-square-foot multi-purpose indoor facility that cost $20 million to build. The recreation center is home to a wide-ranging array of activities, including basketball, fitness classes and, of course, pickleball. A new fall schedule will kick off on September 5 and players will be asked to pay a $5 drop-in fee. While the ComEd Recreation Center provides nets for players, they do not provide paddles and balls.

As the famous Village People song says, it’s fun to stay at the YMCA. But the song fails to mention that it’s fun to play pickleball there, too. Four of the city’s locations have pickleball courts—Kelly Hall YMCA in Humboldt Park, Irving Park YMCA, Lake View YMCA and McCormick YMCA in Logan Square. The YMCA locations offer an assortment of open gym availability for pick-up games, as well as pickleball classes for beginners. If that’s not enough for you, the YMCA of Metro Chicago also offers pickleball at five of its suburban locations in Palatine, Elmhurst, Lake Zurich, Downers Grove and Crystal Lake. Pickleball schedules vary for each location, so it’s best to check out the Y’s website before stopping by.

Lincoln Park is home to a zoo, several beaches and a museum, so it makes sense that it offers pickleball as well. The main place to start a game of the increasingly-popular sport is the Margate Park Fieldhouse, a gym and fitness facility that boasts fitness classes and open gym availability. The fieldhouse has two pickleball courts, which are free to play on. Both courts are made of a hard, wooden surface and have permanent lines and portable nets.

When it comes to playing pickleball in Chicago, some parks are more equipped than others to handle the growing popularity of the sport. With eight different courts, Warren Park is one of the city’s better parks when it comes to availability. The West Ridge park on the city’s North Side features six different outdoor courts, as well as three indoor courts in the park’s fieldhouse. Not only does it offer open time on the courts, but the park also has a pickleball league for deaf and hard-of-hearing players.

The gymnasium of a restored mid-century modern school in River North boasts three pickleball courts that can be rented for 90 minutes, with significant discounts if you’re available to play on a weekday. All the equipment you need is provided and there’s an all-day cafe on site serving cocktails, Detroit-style pizza and empanadas so you can chill out after some friendly competition. Book the whole space for a party and you can also get a lesson.

Pickleball can be played on the outdoor tennis courts or within the gymnasium in the Near West Side's Union Park, which is home to some of the biggest summer festivals. The massive 13.8 acre space has its own locker rooms and fitness center, plus a swimming pool, picnic area and horseshoe pit so you can make a game of pickleball part of a whole day’s outing.

Play inside at the gym in the West Englewood park and then cool off with a dip in the pool or visit the fitness center for some extra strength building. The sprawling 17.6 acre space, named for a philanthropist who helped organize the World’s Columbian Exposition, also features basketball and tennis courts, a picnic area, a walking path, and baseball, softball, football and soccer fields.

Drop in at the 12.2-acre Washington Heights park to play pickleball on its outdoor tennis court. You can cool off at the spray pool or with a dip in the indoor pool, hit the fitness center or get in some more competition at the baseball and soccer fields and basketball court.

Depending on the weather, you can play pickleball on the four outdoor tennis courts or the six tournament-quality indoor versions within the park’s air conditioned McFetridge Sports Center. Hit the locker room after and change for a dip in the pool or rent skates to take some laps in the NHL-sized skating rink. The facility also features an exercise class studio, basketball court and playground.