Albemarle County doubles Darden Towe Park pickleball courts to 12

Darden Towe Park is about to become one of Albemarle County’s biggest public pickleball drawcards. The park’s dedicated courts have been expanded from six to 12, and the county will mark the upgrade with a grand opening on June 20 from 8:30 a.m. to noon, with remarks set for 9 a.m.

The project was funded through a partnership between the Albemarle County Parks Foundation and Central Virginia Pickleball, a community-backed effort that gave the renovation both financing and momentum. The Darden Towe Parks Committee approved the project in 2025, and Central Virginia Pickleball said that approval came on March 11, 2025. Local reporting described the work as a $75,000 renovation that repaved and repainted the surface while adding fencing and divider walls.

That kind of investment fits the scale of Darden Towe itself. Albemarle County describes the park as a 113-acre site with a sports complex, river access, a dog park, a playground, a reservable picnic shelter, trails, a boat launch to the Rivanna River and the Lewis and Clark Exploratory Center. It is also a busy tournament and league venue for soccer and softball, which helps explain why adding more dedicated pickleball space matters so much in a park that already draws steady use.

County materials say the courts are now predominantly used for pickleball, with an estimated 98% of court time devoted to the sport. A community survey on Engage Albemarle drew 730 participants on whether the tennis court should be converted for pickleball, a sign of how visible the demand had become before the expansion moved forward. County notices had said the renovated courts were expected to reopen by Thursday, May 21, weather permitting, setting the stage for the June celebration.

Opening day is designed as a true public invite, not just a ceremony. Players of all ages and skill levels can come celebrate the new amenity, play on the courts during the morning, grab cold treats and use the hydration area as the park unveils a facility built for heavier drop-in traffic. For a county park already handling soccer, softball and weekend tournaments, doubling the pickleball count gives Darden Towe a much bigger role in the region’s everyday open play scene.