For the past 3 years, the Westwood Country Club has been host to the ATX Open, a 250 level WTA…read moreprofessional women's tennis tournament here in Austin, Texas. I decided to make a visit for 2025 to see what it's all about. Let me run down some details... For a 250 level WTA tennis tournament, the player field was full of well known contenders. This year they had Jessica Pegula (consistent Top 10 player), Petra Kvitova (2x Wimbledon champion), Ajla Tomljanovic (famously defeated Serena Williams), Peyton Sterns (hometown hero from the University of Texas) and other top 100 players competing. I attended for 4 days including 2 days of qualifying rounds and the first 2 days of the main draw. Unfortunately the first Saturday of qualifying was rained out so they packed a full day of doubleheaders onto Sunday with matches lasting well into the evening. Then I was surprised by how light the schedule was for Monday, but then returning Tuesday had all the big names and players back on the courts for my final day. The Westwood Country Club uses 3 courts for competition. The Stadium, Grandstand and Court 11. Then there were Practice Courts 1, 3, 4, 5 and 12. The Stadium is beautiful. It's built beside a rustic brick player clubhouse. It exudes old fashioned charm. Capacity is 1700 with spectators having their own seat backs. There were no bleacher style benches. Players enter the Stadium coming from the Food Court area in the back. When matches are completed, players return towards the Food Court and it's a good opportunity for pictures and autographs. The Grandstand is situated next to the Stadium and offers 6 - 7 rows to accommodate fans. You can stand and watch the action near the Cadillac Club venue where there's plenty of shade blocking the sun from trees stretching over the court. Btw...the Cadillac Club is a drink/food venue to socialize while watching the Grandstand action up close. Court 11 was confusing. It's located opposite the Grandstand. To reach Court 11, you walk up a hill and underneath the stadium stands to get there. But, there are no seats for watching at Court 11. You must stay on your feet, but the closeups of the tennis were unmatched. And...Court 12 is connected to Court 11. Practice Courts 1, 3, 4, 5 aren't too accessible to the fans (imo). They're pretty covered up with windscreens and I found it difficult to judge who was practicing on them. There were a few electronic monitors scattered around the grounds mentioning which players would be practicing on which courts and at what times. That was helpful but the problem again was that it was hard to watch players practicing due to the sharply tinted windscreens. It was $10 entrance fee for each day of Saturday and Sunday Qualifying Rounds. It was $20 entrance fee for Monday and Tuesday of the Main Draw rounds. I purchased tickets on my phone at the tournament's website...atxopen.com. I then added the tickets to Apple Wallet. Unfortunately, they don't have an App yet for the ATX Open. I'm believe that will change in future editions. Parking for Qualifying was at the HHSC Winters Building - 701 W 51st St, Austin. Parking here was free of charge. It's then a 10 minute shuttle bus ride over to the Westwood Country Club. Starting on Monday for the Main Draw, spectators parked at Camp Mabry (a military base) for $10 each day. Camp Mabry is located at 2200 W 35th St, Austin. It's then a 5 minute shuttle bus ride from Camp Mabry. You can also buy tickets for parking at atxopen.com. Some last extras.....during different intervals throughout the day, there were player Q&A's and autograph sessions for the fan experience. The Food Court area was composed of 4 - 5 Food Trucks. Behind the Grandstand was the Gift Shop. Prices for merchandise were typically high as they are now for all tennis tournaments. I paid $40 for an ATX Open tennis t-shirt. Hats and souvenir towels were $40 as well. Overall, I enjoyed the ATX Open and it's a good warmup tourney before the start of the Sunshine Double (Indian Wells and Miami). The quiet surroundings around the grounds made it feel like an intimate setting for fans. I was able to get up close to some of my favorite players which was rewarding. In the end, I think the Westwood Country Club is a fine venue for hosting a WTA 250 level tennis tournament. Although this was just the 3rd edition of the tourney, I anticipate it'll remain here in Austin for years to come.

Came out here for the ATX Open. Lovely venue to watch tennis. Drink prices were pretty outrageous,…read morebut there were food trucks that were semi reasonable, although some of the snack foods were already running out fairly early. The bathroom situation isn't ideal for large crowds so be prepared to wait in line. But taking an Uber/Lyft in and out was fairly easy, and can be an inexpensive way to watch some professional tennis!

The outdoor water play area at this YMCA is simply amazing! It's only open during the summer…read more There's a mini slide and water showers for kids and a couple of slides for adults or older kids (minimum 4 ft tall). The outdoor locker rooms are decent sized with 6-7 toilets and showers in the ladies room.

Good location for people who live in east Austin. Outdoor pools with family area and lap pool with…read morelifeguards. Group fitness classes are included with your membership, living up to the "Communities" name. Sliding scale pricing depending on your income. The locker rooms/showers are usually dirty/mildewy and that's unfortunate. The swimsuit spinner has a moldy smell coming from it and it leaks onto the ground so I don't recommend it and to be careful since the floor is often wet. But if you really need a gym or pool access in east Austin, this is a place!

The first courts we found in Austin :) They have a small pro shop that offers services such as…read moreracket stringing. There are eight lighted tennis courts available for reservation, as well as a wall. They also have clinics, lessons, a ball machine, and match play with on-site pros! Booked a first lesson with Nick this Sunday; we'll see how it goes. ^___^

Fun staff ! perfect for my niece who just moved across the street :) She loves her apartment and…read moreloves tennis so this was a perfect fit. You should do specials or fun activities for residence that live close

I come here for the kids judo program on Saturday mornings. Sometimes my husband plays basketball…read moreat that time. They are currently fixing up their basketball court, so I am sure that will be a huge plus. I don't really do a whole lot of other stuff here, but they are always advertising community events and hosting community events. If you are near the center, then I am sure you have seen or heard about everything they try to do for local citizens. But definitely try out judo with Kokoro Judo and try out their programs for kids and adults. You won't regret it!

Great park! It's changed a lot over the years. The tennis court use to be my favorite place to…read moreskate. Great times with friends and Fam. I never thought they would upgrade the tennis court. Now it's not the same with a soccer half and textured floor. As if there wasn't enough field around the park to play soccer there. What a waste of park funding.

Great facility, with friendly staff. Excellent way to practice your shots in a nice family friendly…read morefacility.

Terrific batting cages, very friendly staff and a great facility with great equipment. During a hot…read moresummer Texas day it's nice to have an indoor cool spot to work on baseball. Prices are better than other facilities in the area too. They do a great job of accommodating teams as well as individuals. We are regulars here and will continue to be.

Such a cute little neighborhood spot! My second time stopping by for a cold brew and Veracruz taco…read more The outdoor space is really nice - looking forward to coming here more when the weather cools off.

My impression of LIttlefield's is one of confusion…read more It didn't help that my reason for visiting Littlefield's was to meet with a friend to practice our French. I was already attempting to think in French most of the time. Before our visit, I did my due diligence and checked out the website, Yelp, and Instagram. Their website doesn't show any menus. Yelp showed some delicious sandwiches, and Instagram showed some cookies so I kind of planned on finding those when I got there. However, when I got there, all I saw were trucks for tacos, ice cream, and snow cones. I didn't want to take forever looking for other food trucks, because my friend was waiting and I was still thinking in French, and afraid to ask for clarifications about other businesses. I considered a quesadilla from Veracruz, but the novelty from Veracruz has worn off, as I've had their food tons over the years. I turned to Besame, and decided on some ice cream and a brisket Kolache. The ice cream was served first, because they had to warm the kolache. I realized I may never have had Besame ice cream before. I ordered the strawberry, which was mildly sweet and tasted like real strawberries, with a crumble running through it. The kolache was ready a few minutes later, but when I bit into it, it was still cold in the middle. I realized they must have been reheating frozen kolaches. I don't have anything against freezing food - you should see my freezer at home! Still, it made it feel like an afterthought, and not a special treat to go out for. After ordering all this food, I gathered Cookie Rich cookies that I wanted to try may have been sold out of the Besame trailer, but there was barely any signage about it. The sandwich place that looked so good must have gone out of business. The real draw is their pleasant patio and yard. My friend had her son with her, and she thought he'd want to play in the yard, but he didn't. Speaking of her son... She ordered him a snow cone which came in a cute but impractical take-out-box style container. Warning for any parents trying to serve young children! Being August in Texas, sitting on the patio was only enjoyable for a short amount of time. Attempting to practice French was quite awkward when we got into it. I've never heard a toddler say they want to go home and nap, but we were both secretly relieved when he announced that! It might help to add parking is limited, but I at noon on a Sunday I found some street parking just across the street. I'm not sure if I was supposed to park there, but it was in front of a house with a "for rent" sign in front so I don't think I was inconveniencing anybody. If I were in the area and wanted tacos, ice cream, or snow cones on a patio with a playground, Littlefield's might be the place. In our case, Littlefield's was a bit of a flop.

Been taking lessons here for a month and absolutely love it. Shawn is a great instructor!…read more They have a lot of courts that can also be used to rent out and play.

Some of the instructors here are very biased and if they don't like you or if you do something to…read moreupset them, be prepared to receive unfavorable treatment. I was informed of this and experienced it first hand. This place has had a high turnover rate with instructors and I can see why. I made the switch to Caswell Tennis Center 2-3 months ago and I'm glad I did. The players are nice and friendly and the instructors are nice and down to earth. Glad I made the switch to Caswell tennis center. I don't have to kiss up to the instructors there, just play and have fun.

Having just come home, fresh off our first win, I'm giddy like a little girl…read more Maybe it was tonight's pouring rain? Or perhaps, it was the kegger at home plate? Or possibly, it was a combination of all these things complete with the new friends we've made thanks to this journey. Old friends, new friends. Young friends, Old friends. Whatever the case, Monday night's have never been so much fun! Team IcyHots started out a smattering of friends, acquaintances, yelpers, complete strangers....a few short weeks later, we're teammates, friends, WINNERS! But to tell you the truth, even if we'd lost every single game, it wouldn't have made a bit of difference. WAKA rules!

I love WAKA. I love kickball. I love it so much I showed up last night after a Yelp event dressed…read moreas a tipsy French maid. (The tipsy part is DEFINITELY part of the costume....)They have great parties, and I love parties. Almost everybody is friendly (if you think you're not in this category, start being friendlier, please. I would love to edit this review.) I love Tom. He's a handsome fella who has big plans for Trapped in the Closet. (I also love R. Kelly). I love being catcher (not a euphemism), because I love chatting with all of the other kickball players that I love. There's nothing not to love about WAKA.