Play Pickleball on this Iconic San Francisco Landmark—for Free

The pickleball craze has formally accelerated in San Francisco. And now you possibly can play the nation’s fastest-growing sport in one of many metropolis’s most iconic settings—at no cost. 

Starting July 11, pickleball gamers will have the ability to reserve newly minted indoor courts on the Palace of Superb Arts throughout peak morning hours. Even higher, the 90-minute slots might be free of charge. 

The three courts might be out there 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. Tuesdays by way of Sundays and may be reserved by way of the San Francisco Recreation and Park Division’s on-line reservation system. 

Rec and Parks owns the Palace of Superb Arts, which has an settlement with the pickleball group DinkSF to prepare paid courts within the Greco-Roman rotunda. The group soft-launched pickleball play on the venue on the finish of June, and scores of enthusiastic gamers confirmed up. 

The variety of pickleball courts has been steadily growing within the metropolis—going from 12 in 2018 to 67 in 2023—and that’s simply inside the public park system. Nonetheless, some say the availability is just not sufficient to satisfy the quickly growing demand. 

The Palace of Superb Arts was initially constructed for the 1915 Panama-Pacific Worldwide Exposition as an artwork gallery. Meant to echo a decaying Roman spoil, it’s the one construction to outlive from the exposition in its unique location. 

The sleek rotunda, stately colonnades and mirror-like pond entice scores of strolling and picnicking San Franciscans. The area, which at this time is managed by the corporate Non Plus Extremely, can now add pickleball fans to its ranks.