Round Rock opens $17 million pickleball complex, expands public court access

Nine pickleball courts are now open at the Adult Recreation Complex in Old Settlers Park, giving Round Rock players a new public place to play as the city’s $17 million tennis-and-pickleball buildout came fully online in April. The complex sits inside the larger park overhaul and is designed to absorb demand that has long pushed amateur players into crowded local courts and long waits.

The new facility includes 17 tennis courts and nine pickleball courts, with two of the tennis courts convertible into as many as four additional pickleball courts for tournament use. That flexibility matters in a sport where access is often the biggest barrier. Lighted courts, shade structures, seating areas, a hitting wall, expanded parking and improved pedestrian access make the site more useful for league nights, casual drop-in play and larger events.

Construction on the complex began in late 2024, and the public opening in April marked a major step in the city’s effort to turn Old Settlers Park into a broader regional destination. Round Rock Parks and Recreation also tied the opening to the April 25 ribbon-cutting celebrations at both the Adult Recreation Complex and the new Joanne Land Playground near Lakeview Pavilion and Stage, part of a Live at Lakeview event series that mixed the sports rollout with live music, food trucks and vendors.

The playground replacement is another sign of how the city is packaging recreation. Funded with $1.87 million in 2023 voter-approved general obligation bonds, the new Joanne Land Playground is more than twice the size of the original structure that opened in 2017. City officials said the earlier playground became one of the most heavily used in Round Rock and needed frequent repairs, a familiar pressure point for fast-growing suburbs trying to keep pace with family use. The new version is set to be the largest playground in the city’s park inventory, with integrated lighting for after-dark use, materials designed to reduce heat absorption and a Gravity Rail feature installed by WeBuildFun.

The broader Old Settlers Park project also includes an amphitheater area, Lakeview Pavilion and restrooms, road and pedestrian upgrades on Harrell Parkway, a recreation center and office complex, a track-and-field complex, multi-use flat fields and an expanded Rock’N River Waterpark. For pickleball, the immediate payoff is simple: more courts, more access and a public complex built for sustained demand rather than a temporary surge.