Other Racquet Social Club has three tournament-regulation pickleball courts. | Photo by ATXtoday
If you haven’t tried pickleball yet, chances are you will soon. The sport is the fastest-growing in America, with millions of people playing regularly and Major League Pickleball popping up in Austin.
Due to the popularity of the sport — which is like a smaller version of tennis, larger version of ping pong, and twist on badminton rolled up into one — reserving a court in Austin can be challenging.
That’s what we’re here for. Here are nine places to play pickleball in Austin, based on your athlete style.
For the athlete on a budget
Austin Tennis Center | 7800 Johnny Morris Rd. | $4-$16 This center is the largest in Austin, with eight pickleball courts and 10 tennis courts. Singles players can play up to 90 minutes for $8, while doubles teams can play for as long as two hours for $16 total.
For the happy hour athlete
Ski Shores Cafe | 2905 Pearce Rd. | Free The pickleball court at this Austin institution (which has been serving Austinites since 1954, barring small closures) is first-come, first-served. Plus, you can play while munching on some fried okra and drinking a piña colada.
For the competitive athlete
Eastside Paddle Club | 979 Springdale Rd., Ste. #115 | $50 per day, $155-$269 per month With 30,500 sqft and 10 pickleball courts (six indoor and four on the rooftop), this facility is one of the largest in Austin. Plus, it offers corporate memberships and family memberships as well.
Small Talk: Small Business Mix & Mingle | Wednesday, Sept. 4 | 6-8 p.m. | Q2 Stadium in the Captain Morgan Club | Free | Talk about your small business with fellow owners from the community.
Buzz Kill Comedy | Wednesday, Sept. 4 | 9-10:30 p.m. | The Buzz Mill | Free | Hosted by Carlton Wilcoxson and Angelina Martin, this comedy show brings national + local talent together every Wednesday night.
Thursday, Sept. 5
“The Oath of the Sword” | Thursday, Sept. 5 | 6-10 p.m. | Zilker Botanical Garden | $20-$75 | Watch the Southern US premiere of a recently rediscovered silent film from 1914, featuring live accompaniment.
Friday, Sept. 6
Charley Crockett | Friday, Sept. 6 | 8 p.m. | Moody Amphitheater | $42-$45 | The "$10 Cowboy” tour will allow you to unleash your inner country star.
Saturday, Sept. 7
Class: Cook An 1800s Meal | Saturday, Sept. 7 | 9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. | Jourdan-Bachman Pioneer Farms | $75 | Learn how to cook a meal that would have been eaten by Texas pioneers in a historic log cabin.
Plan Ahead
Pediatric Meet + Greet | Thursday, Sept. 19 | 5:30-6:30 p.m. | Virtual | Meet with an Austin Regional Clinic pediatrician to learn more about breastfeeding, immunizations, safety guidance, and more.
Offline partners with 40+ locally owned restaurants in Austin. | Photo provided by Offline
Offline, Austin’s newest restaurant club, just launched. If you love sampling our city’s restaurants (guilty) and wouldn’t say no to money off your tab (guilty again), an Offline membership is a no-brainer.
Every month, you get two credits to redeem at locally owned restaurants that boast at least a 4+ star rating. Current offers include:
It’s official — Katz’s will return to Austin in its original location sometime after 2025. The owners of the mini-chain — which has four restaurants in Houston and a fifth on the way — re-purchased the building on auction and will develop the new location with Austin-based Michael Hsu Office of Architecture.
Development
Summer might have ended a little early. Barton Springs Pool will likely be closed for several weeks to repair two holes in the pool’s 1940s-era piping. In the meantime, Deep Eddy Pool will open at 6 a.m. daily to welcome swimmers. (KXAN)
Weather
Break out your sweaters, because a minor cold front is in the forecast. Low temperatures are expected to fall down to 63 degrees on Sunday, Sept. 8 and stay in the 60s until Friday, Sept. 13. (KVUE)
Tech
One of Tesla’s suppliers, Futronic USA Inc., is planting roots in Buda — just a few minutes south of Austin. The South Korean automotive parts manufacturer is working on $28 million worth of building improvements to be completed this year and will provide ~350 jobs. (Austin Business Journal)
Open
Fancy a (square) slice? Roman-style pizza restaurant Pizzeria Sportiva is now open on South Lamar Boulevard. In addition to pies with unique toppings like goat cheese, ham, pears, and grapes, the new spot also sells calzones, lasagnas, and desserts. (Eater Austin)
Number
$323 million. That’s how much Texas’ national parks generated toward local economies in 2023, according to a report from the National Park Service. The San Antonio Missions and Big Bend had the highest economic output, at $90 million and $48.5 million, respectively. (KXAN)
Sports
The Longhorns are favored to beat the Michigan Wolverines by 6.5 points when they face off on Saturday, Sept. 7. Get the biggest stories every day from the local experts of the Texas Longhorns with Locked On’s daily podcasts.
Finance
It’s almost fall — that chill you feel should be from the air, not your credit card bill. Experts recommend these four cards with 0% APR for up to 18 months (almost two years) on qualifying balance transfers.*
Wilson pictured during a visit to the Auckland War Memorial Museum in 2012. | Photo courtesy US Embassy New Zealand
A UT Austin alumna has been cut from SpaceX’s September space launch to make room for two astronauts who are stuck at the International Space Station.
Astronauts Stephanie Wilson (a Longhorn) and Zena Cardman’s spots on the flight will now seat Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who were left stranded in space after malfunctions on their spacecraft made it unsafe to return.
After what was supposed to be an eight-day trip, Wilmore and Williams will now return in February.
However, Wilson will have the chance to fly to space again. Here are some facts to know about her:
Wilson is an astronaut with NASA and has logged more than 42 days in space across three missions.
She grew up in Massachusetts, attended undergrad at Harvard, and achieved her Master of Science in Aerospace Engineering from UT in 1992.
When she’s not literally in space, she enjoys skiing, stamp collecting, and traveling.
I’ve got delicious news. Cosmic Pickle has three new food trucks setting up shop: Wow Poke, Biggie’s Yardbird, and East Side King. I can’t wait to try the first two — I already know I’m an East Side King fan.
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