Darden Towe Park closes for pickleball expansion, courts to double to 12

Darden Towe Park’s busiest pickleball courts are off-limits now so the complex can come back with twice the capacity. Albemarle County closed the courts and facilities from Monday, April 27, through Thursday, May 21, for renovations that will expand the park’s dedicated public pickleball courts from six to 12.

The trade-off is immediate for players who have made Darden Towe a go-to stop in Charlottesville, but the payoff is substantial. County engagement materials estimated that 98% of court time at the park was already devoted to pickleball, with the courts hosting pickup games, lessons, special events and tournaments. The rebuild is designed to match that level of use, not just accommodate it.

The project moved forward after the Darden Towe Parks Committee approved it on March 11, 2025. Albemarle County Parks Foundation is partnering with Central Virginia Pickleball on the work, and the foundation says the plan is to create a 12-court dedicated pickleball complex with individually fenced courts. County materials also say parking may be limited during the renovation period, a reminder that this is a full site project, not just a quick refresh of worn surfacing.

Darden Towe’s rise as a pickleball hub has been years in the making. In 2021, two tennis courts were converted into six pickleball courts, a change that helped turn the site into one of the county’s most active court destinations. County records from late 2024 show officials were still asking for community input on whether the remaining tennis courts should also be converted, underscoring how thoroughly the sport had taken over the space.

Fundraising has kept pace with the demand. Central Virginia Pickleball said earlier that it had raised $20,000 in community donations for the project, and later reporting put that figure at $45,000. That kind of local backing helps explain how a county park can keep expanding even as Albemarle County parks and recreation receives only about 1% of the county’s annual budget.

The closure affects more than pickleball regulars. Darden Towe is a 113-acre park with a sports complex, river access, a dog park, playground, picnic shelter, trails and multiple field and court amenities, so the renovation touches a broad slice of park users. When the courts reopen on May 21, weather permitting, the park will return with a clearer identity: a public facility built for the volume pickleball has already brought to it.