The region’s first indoor facility dedicated exclusively to pickleball has opened on Plank Road in Spotsylvania County.
The Picklr opened earlier this month at 3700 Plank Road, a space previously occupied by Bed Bath & Beyond.
The Picklr features 10 indoor pickleball courts (nine full-size and one smaller one), retail sales of pickleball apparel and equipment, a private event area, locker rooms and more.
The Picklr’s membership model allows for unlimited play at the local facility or any other Picklr location (there are locations throughout the U.S., but Williamsburg is currently the only other one in Virginia). Membership also allows access to leagues, tournaments, clinics and guest passes.
The Picklr is among the businesses capitalizing on the surging popularity of pickleball, which is often described as a combination of tennis, ping-pong and badminton. It’s widely popular with older adults, but increasingly people of all ages have become enthusiasts.
The Picklr isn’t the only indoor facility in the region with pickleball courts, but it is the only one exclusively dedicated to the sport. Other indoor facilities offer some pickleball courts or courts that are shared between pickleball, tennis and other sports. There are also a number of outdoor pickleball facilities locally — including at Pratt Park, Curtis Park, Cosner Park, Kenmore Park, the Fredericksburg Country Club and the Falmouth branch of the YMCA.
It doesn’t appear to have taken long for area residents to find The Picklr. On Thursday morning, every court was taken.
Bill Freehling covers local business for the Fredericksburg Free Press. He can be reached at: [email protected].