The city of Charleston, South Carolina is a tennis player’s dream. For 10 years in a row, Charleston has been named the #1 city in the United States by Travel and Leisure magazine.
Charleston has tennis on every scale, including big-time junior academies, ATP and WTA events, USTA league tennis, and free public facilities. LTP Academy, formerly the Randy Pate Academy, is one of the top tennis academies in the nation. And LTP – Daniel Island is home to the WTA 500 Credit One Bank Invitational.
The city is also a tourists dream – great weather, beaches, vibrant night life, rich history, great shopping, and world-class restaurants. And for a medium sized city, it seems there is a tennis court everywhere you look.
As I travel the world, I still consider Charleston home and it is where I go when I am back in the United States. When I am home, the first thing I do is start setting up matches at the wonderful, free, public tennis facilities that are in Charleston and the surrounding areas.
Colonial Lake
Officially called the General William Moultrie Playground, the Colonial Lake tennis courts are at one of the nicest landmarks in Charleston – Colonial Lake – a large manmade lake in downtown Charleston.
The playground has six hard tennis courts, a grass field for pickup games soccer/football/frisbee, two pickleball courts, and a basketball court. All this is located adjacent to the Colonial Lake pond, where joggers run laps around the perimeter.
The tennis courts, and other activities, are all free, open to the public, and have lights. They have a small parking lot at the tennis courts which is free, and they have a public restroom and water fountain.
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Sullivan’s Island #1 – J. Marshall Stith Park
Located on Sullivan’s Island, J. Marshall Stith Park is home to two tennis courts (with lights). They might be my favorite free tennis courts in Charleston.
Next to the tennis courts is a full basketball court, a two-sided tennis hitting wall, an open grass field, and a playground. Across the street are some of the best restaurants in Charleston – Poe’s Tavern, Mex1, and Home Team BBQ.
The only challenge is parking, although sometimes it is not an issue. Since the restaurants are on the opposite side of the street as the tennis courts, people park along the road. Sometimes you will have to drive past the tennis courts and park a half-mile away.
The park is less than a mile from the beach and has a great vibe all year round, but especially in the summertime.
Old Village
The Old Village tennis courts are some of my very favorite tennis courts in Charleston. They have three tennis courts and are in the Old Village in Mount Pleasant. The official name is the Julian Weston Park Tennis Courts just in case you want to find them on Google Maps.
As of 2022, the courts have been newly resurfaced and look fantastic. They have a full-court netting in between each tennis courts so that balls do not travel into your neighbor’s court. And they are lighted so you can play at night.
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Hazel V. Parker Playground
Want to play on the same court that Serena Williams once did? The Hazel V. Parker tennis court is the best and coolest located tennis court in Charleston. The catch is that it is only one tennis court.
Located on East Bay Street in downtown, the court is a short walking distance to the famous “battery” landmark in Charleston. There are no lights on the court. The rest of the park includes a basketball court, a playground, restrooms, and a water fountain.
With a bit of history, Serena Williams has played on the court. When she was in town for the WTA event, the Family Circle Cup (now called the Credit One Bank Invitational), she helped run some junior events there.
Sometimes I like to play there on the weekends. It is so cool because lots of people are there at the park and stopping by. You may find yourself playing in front of a decent number of spectators.
Jack Adams Tennis Center
Next to The Citadel (military university), the Jack Adams Tennis Center is good option if you want to play tennis in downtown Charleston. Although, Colonial Lake and Hazel V. Parker tennis courts are in a cooler location downtown, the Jack Adams courts will almost always have an open court to play on.
They have six tennis courts all in one row, with good parking, restrooms, and a water fountain. The courts are lighted and are free to use. Next to the tennis courts is the Citadel’s football stadium which is hard to miss when approaching.
Sullivan’s Island #2
A great thing about Sullivan’s Island is that it has a second set of free tennis courts. Sometimes the park mentioned earlier, the J. Marshall Stith Park, tennis courts are full. If you drive down the main road (Middle St.) on Sullivan’s Island, you will find a second set of tennis courts on your left-hand side.
These courts do not have an official name but they have been there for several years. They are free and open to the public. There is plenty of open space, so parking is very easy. The only downside is that they do not have lights so you cannot play at night.
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