Pickleball Courts in Sarasota
Quick Answer: Sarasota County runs 94 public outdoor pickleball courts across 17 parks, first come, first served, year round. The flagship is Pompano Trailhead with 12 lighted dedicated courts next to the fairgrounds, and Nokomis Community Park added 8 lighted courts in 2025. Several county parks add indoor sessions in season.
Public pickleball in Sarasota mostly means Sarasota County parks, and the county has built one of Florida’s deeper public court systems.
Where are the best public courts in Sarasota?
Pompano Trailhead is the center of gravity. The county facility page lists 12 lighted pickleball courts, open 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., first come, first served, and local players run open drop-in play there mornings and evenings. It sits next to the fairgrounds off Fruitville Road, which makes parking easier than at most court complexes.
The wider county system, per the parks department, covers 94 outdoor courts across 17 locations, including Fruitville Park, Colonial Oaks, Twin Lakes, Siesta Beach and the Englewood Sports Complex. No reservation system applies to outdoor courts: show up, rack your paddle, rotate in.
What opened recently?
Nokomis Community Park, and it is worth the drive south. The county cut the ribbon in May 2025 on 8 new lighted pickleball courts there, alongside a new restroom and refreshed playground. The Ronald Foxworthy Campus in Venice also came out of a 2025 rebuild with 3 new lighted courts plus lighting added to its existing ones.
That is two lighted complexes added in a single year, which tells you where the county thinks demand is going.
Is there indoor pickleball in Sarasota?
Yes, seasonal and modest. The county lists indoor courts at several parks, with the Englewood Sports Complex the largest at 6 indoor courts running sessions year round. Colonial Oaks, Laurel Park, Longwood Park, Newtown Estates and Woodmere Park add indoor blocks roughly August through May. Session times shift by season, so check the county pickleball page before driving.
The City of Sarasota adds gym pickleball at the Arlington Recreation Center on weekday mornings, with registration through the city’s system.
Do the courts cost anything?
The county publishes no fee for outdoor play, and the courts operate first come, first served. Local club sessions sometimes carry small fees for indoor space they rent themselves. As of August 2026 the only regularly published fee in town is a three dollar indoor session run by the local club at a rented facility.
How do you find open play?
Sarasota Pickleball, the local players’ group, publishes drop-in schedules for Pompano, Longwood and Colonial Oaks, and the paddle-rack system governs busy mornings. First time at a new complex, watch one rotation before jumping in; every big venue has its own rhythm. The general playbook for that is in what open play is, and finding public courts anywhere covers the tools that keep this list current.
What should you know before you go?
Three local realities shape a Sarasota session. Summer heat pushes serious outdoor play to the bookends of the day, which is exactly why the lighted complexes at Pompano and Nokomis matter: evening play is the season’s workaround, and the 6 a.m. openings exist for a reason. Snowbird season flips the math the other way. From roughly November through April the county’s population swells, morning paddle racks at Pompano run deep, and the parks that feel sleepy in August get competitive.
Court surfaces vary across 17 locations too. The newer builds at Nokomis and Foxworthy play true; some older shared-line courts show their age. If a first visit lands you somewhere worn, try a second park before judging the county system, because the spread in quality is wide and the good end is very good.
FAQ
How many public pickleball courts does Sarasota have?
Sarasota County lists 94 outdoor courts across 17 park locations, plus seasonal indoor courts at several parks.
Where is the main pickleball complex in Sarasota?
Pompano Trailhead, next to the fairgrounds, with 12 lighted dedicated courts open 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Are Sarasota pickleball courts free?
Outdoor county courts are first come, first served with no published fee. Some indoor and club-run sessions charge a few dollars.
Do any Sarasota courts have lights?
Yes. Pompano Trailhead’s 12 courts are lighted, Nokomis Community Park’s 8 new courts are lighted, and the Foxworthy Campus in Venice added lighted courts in 2025.
Is there indoor pickleball in Sarasota?
The Englewood Sports Complex runs 6 indoor courts year round, and five other county parks add indoor sessions roughly August through May.
Can you reserve a pickleball court in Sarasota?
Not the outdoor county courts. They are first come, first served year round.
The county keeps building, so this list grows. Our public court listings track what is open near you, Sarasota included.
Written by the Pickler Junction Team.
