It’s okay to admit you were wrong about pickleball. Sure, you dismissed it just a few years ago as a silly pastime meant only for retirees and out-of-shape adults. And then, like the 19.8 million other Americans who played in 2024, you picked up a pickleball habit.
Pickleball is the fastest-growing sport in the U.S. for the fourth consecutive year, says the Sport and Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) in its 2025 Topline Participation Report: Participation has more than tripled since 2022.
And it’s no longer just for retirees—pickleball is also catching on with younger players, according to the SFIA’s 2024 report. The sport’s largest demographic comprises 2.3 million paddle wizards aged 25–34, and one million children have also joined in on the fun.
More popular even than soccer and baseball, the sport is also breeding an entirely new brand of travel: pickleball vacations.
Smash, serve, repeat!
Let’s back up a second: What is pickleball in the first place?
Created in 1965, pickleball combines elements of tennis and ping-pong using solid paddles to hit perforated balls over a net. Situated on a standard-sized badminton doubles court (20 feet by 44 feet), players score points according to specific rules and boundaries, among them the “non-volley zone” (known famously as “the kitchen”).
The sport’s popularity swelled during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the SFIA, alongside other outdoor sports like tennis and golf. However, pickleball requires only open space, a net and inexpensive gear.
“At first, tennis players scoffed at the name ‘pickleball’ and [the] idea of playing a game with a wiffle ball,” says Karen Schott, director of racquet sports at the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs. “That was, until these scoffers tried it.”
Pickleball hits the “sweet spot” in the resort‘s environment because it’s easy to learn, she adds. Several generations can play on one court and have a blast—plus it’s more of a social sport than tennis.
“Just listen to an average doubles game of tennis compared to pickleball,” Schott says. “The laughter alone is telling.”
Pack your paddle
What exactly is a pickleball vacation?
Some players plan their own vacation by exploring new-to-them pickleball courts an hour or more away. Others craft entire U.S. road trips around exploring new courts or fly to far-flung spots to play worldwide. And if you search the Internet for “pickleball vacations,” you’ll find a cornucopia of businesses, organizations and players offering travel advice to pickleball devotees.
You can even hire pickleball travel specialists—like Gary Zins, a former college tennis player and mental health professional turned certified pickleball coach. After he started an online travel agency in 2021, friends and teammates began asking him where to visit unique courts, both domestic and international. So in 2022, he launched his new agency, Pickleball Travel.
“When I travel, I also like to play pickleball, and so I figured others would too,” he says.
According to Julie Ostergren, who booked a trip through Zins’ agency, the best part is that she and her 30-woman group can not only socialize on and off the court, but they can also travel together each January. They just pick the date and property and Zins books their travel and schedules courts and instruction.
“We like the all-inclusive [trips] because… people know how much it [costs],” she says. “And we’ve had so much fun.”
Dinks and drinks
Businesses throughout the country are clamoring to build courts, according to Pickleheads—the official court and game finder of USA Pickleball—and the Global Pickleball Federation. While there were more than 38,140 available courts listed on Pickleheads in 2021, that number grew in 2024 to 68,458 (a roughly 80% increase).
Increased demand has even inspired pickleball-themed “eatertainment” restaurants, which combine food and drink with pickleball in a social setting. Franchise destinations like Camp Pickle and Chicken N Pickle are popping up throughout the U.S., alongside independent establishments like Moodswing, a 43,000 square-foot space slated to open near downtown Denver in July 2025.
After a 2022 pickleball game, Colorado restaurateurs Justin Riley and Giovanni Leone noticed fellow players chatting and bonding over beers while waiting for their turn on the court. The duo, along with Colton Cartwright, then developed a concept to attract guests all day and night long: Moodswing.
During daylight hours, Moodswing is a haven for remote workers and coffee enthusiasts. But by night, it transforms into a social hub with a full kitchen and bar program, the city’s largest outdoor patio (33,000 square feet)—and, of course, pickleball.
Spots like this can draw tourists to large cities because they’re more likely to be seated faster than at a smaller boutique bar or restaurant. Customers also don’t have to be pickleball players before visiting—but it might be tough to resist the sport’s appeal.
“You’re able to go out on a Saturday with another couple… hit the ball around, sweat a little bit, be out in the sun and still have kind of full conversations,” Giovanni says. “So I think it just checks a lot of boxes in that regard.”
Serving up courts from coast to coast
Pickleball fanatics who want to play away from home have an array of travel options, even in the great outdoors.
The sport has become a core recreation choice for travelers at Kampgrounds of America (KOA), says Stacey Campbell, KOA’s director of campground design services. Such amenities are key to the camping experience—and according to KOA’s 2025 Camping and Outdoor Hospitality Report data, 20% of Gen Z and Millennial travelers say that access to outdoor sports (golf, basketball, tennis, pickleball, frisbee or disc golf) boosts their well-being.
“As interest in pickleball continues to surge and drive consumer demand, we are actively adding courts to our campgrounds to enhance the camping experience,” Campbell says. “The response has been overwhelmingly positive.”
A bit closer to home, long-standing tour operators are also entering the fray—like Zephyr Adventures, which added its first Arizona Pickleball Adventure to its suite of tours last October.
“Our whole theme is that, as an active tour operator, we’re not just running pickleball tours,” says Allan Wright, who founded the company in 1997. “We’re running pickleball adventures that include other activities.”
Featuring a four-night stay in Prescott, Arizona, this trip includes daily pickleball play with an instructor for all player levels, plus time for hiking, biking or soaking in the Southwestern culture.
Luxury is served
If all-inclusive options are more your style, there are endless opportunities to play pickleball in paradise.
You can book an adventure with Holland America, the official cruise line of the Professional Pickleball Association, or AmaWaterways, the first river-cruise company to feature a full-size pickleball court. Companies like Pickle Escapes also offer exotic pickleball tours, from oceanfront courts in Spain to an African safari.
Or if you’d prefer to take a “dink by the beach,” you can try an all-inclusive resort like Club Med Ixtapa or Club Med Turkoise, which feature 11 and 10 pickleball courts, respectively.
Driven by pickleball’s widespread popularity and broadening appeal across generations, Club Med has added more than 40 courts across five North America resorts, says Carolyne Doyon, CEO and president of Club Med North America and the Caribbean.
Properties like Club Med Cancún have also upgraded and expanded their courts to optimize flow for both casual and competitive play, says Damien Sejourne, Club Med’s AVP of product and services and asset management. “The response has been incredible, with an 11% increase in the number of hosted pickleball groups so far in 2025, compared to the total number hosted in 2024,” he adds.
According to Doyon, “pickleball has quickly become a cornerstone of the Club Med experience and a reflection of how we stay closely attuned to our guests’ preferences.”
Photo courtesy of Club Med
