Out-of-towner here, and I came to play! I loved this place so much. From the vibe and the people to…read morethe paddles, everything about this spot is awesome for pickleballers. I visited last month on a recommendation from my husband, who follows the pickleball community online. When I first checked the website to reserve an open play spot, it was a little confusing: Level 1: Beginners (newbies and advanced beginners); there aren't many options for these sessions in the morning. Level 2: 3.0 and up (intermediate to advanced). This is the level my husband and I played, and we were right on par with the other players. Level 3: The advanced-elite level. Overall, we had fun from check-in to check-out and even walked away with some great T-shirt swag. I was so happy I didn't have to pack my own paddle since I could rent a Selkirk Broomstick Elongated there.

Don't get me wrong, I like Pickle Ranch. And I'm no expert in pickleball…read more Pros: Music is fun and lively. Plenty of courts to go around. Seems consistently clean and amenities are fine. Cons: Maybe not so much cons, I just think APR has become a bit stagnant compared to East Side Paddle Club. ESPC is cheaper, with more courts, and just as many events, clinics, and open plays. ESPC also has family plan, which is very nice on the wallet. Level of play seems more challenging at ESPC compared to APR, and just generally more buzz. Still very solid place to pay, I just think they need to be more innovative or come down in price.

Staff and Austin recreation center work to help homeless as best they can it provide showers a…read moreplace to cool off in the air conditioning and a place to charge your phone and all the staff are exemplary at being nice and trying to help

Free showers, that's good. Lockers to use while you shower, and a seat/shelf in the shower stall to…read moreset your stuff, and hooks to hang your clothes. All great. But the place STAYS filthy, and cannot be healthy. I talked to four people, including the supervisor, Marco Olivares, about the situation week before last, and nothing has changed. Mr. Olivares seemed to get an attitude with me when I said it had been filthy for a long time. He's like " is this your first time here?" I said no, that's how I know that it's been this way a long time, (just adding another layer of dirt each week). Mr Olivares told me they would take a look and "if" anything needed to be done it would be done. Two weeks later, there is still mold growing up the walls of the showers and the floors are so dirty, when they get wet you're walking through muddy footprints

As of Jan 2025 the owners rent caused the food to be super expensive. It's not beneficial for…read morestartup companies.

A little UT gem!…read more Games and shoes are cheap (~$8/game and shoes per person). The bowling made me feel like a kid again, and it was even more fun when they turned off the bright lights for glow bowl (Thursday and Fridays after 5 pm). One star down for being a little outdated, but still fun times!

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.

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!

This recreational center just recently reopened in 2022 after an extensive remodel. This center is…read moresandwiched between Overton elementary school and Colony Park (see separate review of the park). The center boasts of some very nice amenities such as a workout room, teen room, spacious kitchen, arts and crafts room, and a multipurpose room. This center is open to the general public without fees although you may need to sign a waiver if you use the facilities. On Fridays, they have bingo for seniors, and even a free breakfast. The bathrooms are very clean and modern. They have an indoor basketball court facility, which is very well designed. The elementary school next-door makes good use of this basketball gymnasium area. They even have a covered outdoor basketball court behind the building. They also have an afterschool program for three surrounding schools which involves a hot meal. There is another building next-door, which is another gymnasium with a small kitchen. Behind the smaller building is a wonderfully designed and extensive playground with covered picnic tables, baseball field, and soccer field. It should be pointed out that unlike some other recreational centers, there are no homeless camps within its boundaries. This is definitely one of the nicest recreational centers within the city limits of Austin. Check out the photos below, and read my review of Colony Park, which adds the finishing touches.

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!

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.