Mantua Township opens new pickleball courts at Chestnut Branch Park

Mantua Township invited residents to celebrate the grand opening of new pickleball and basketball courts at Chestnut Branch Park, with the official opening set for Monday, July 27, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. The township framed the project as part of its push for “exciting new recreational amenities,” and it promoted the opening across Facebook and Instagram to draw both residents and visitors.

For players heading through Gloucester County, the value is simple: Chestnut Branch Park is becoming another public court stop in a region where accessible, community-run places matter. The mayor’s Message #14, published July 15, said the township would officially open the courts on that Monday morning and planned to introduce the play criteria for the pickleball courts. That detail matters because it signals the township is moving the site from construction into actual use, not just a photo-op announcement.

The multi-sport setup is the other piece that makes the opening useful for retreat-style travel. By pairing pickleball and basketball courts in one park, Mantua Township created a spot that can work for mixed groups, family outings, and players who want more than one court option in a single stop. That kind of layout is especially practical for South Jersey weekends, where one player may want a game while another stays active on a different surface.

Mantua’s announcement also fits a larger pattern across local parks: municipalities are leaning into bundled recreation spaces instead of isolating one court type at a time. Chestnut Branch Park now joins that approach, and the township’s public push suggests it wants the courts used right away by people who live nearby and people passing through. Nearby Gloucester County already describes James G. Atkinson Memorial Park as a 66-acre recreation area, a reminder that the county’s park network is built around active, family-friendly use.

For pickleball travelers, that makes Mantua Township worth a look on the way to Philadelphia, the Jersey Shore, or a regional weekend run. Chestnut Branch Park is not a private club and not a temporary pop-up. It is a township park with a formal opening, published play criteria on the way, and a clear spot on the local map for the kind of stop that turns a drive through South Jersey into a playable one.