Play Beach Volleyball at Portland's Woksup Lounge

If you were asked to form a mental picture of summer fun in Portland, Oregon there is a chance you would imagine four swimsuit clad people in sunglasses playing volleyball on a sunny, white-sand court, but I doubt it. However, most beach volleyball enthusiasts throughout Oregon and Washington know about WoksUp Lounge, a place where that seemingly far-fetched vision is a reality all summer long.

WoksUp shares a building with Tio's Tacos located at 17527 SE Stark St., just before you leave Portland and enter Gresham. Tio's Tacos serves all of the typical Mexican food dishes and has adequate seating space available. Behind the restaurant you find "Woks," which has a full bar, a pool table, a large flatscreen television, and enough indoor seating to serve about ten customers. While seating for ten definitely seems insufficient for any normal bar or lounge, people who come to WoksUp are there for one reason: the volleyball.

Behind the modestly sized restaurant and bar is a pseudo-beach with enough sand to accommodate four permanent volleyball courts. The courts are lined with picnic benches where spectators and other players waiting to play can take in the games going on and enjoy excellent food and ice-cold beverages. The perimeter of the venue is a wall of net that stretches high enough to catch most errantly hit balls. There are also enough lights to ensure you can play well past nightfall.

If it is a sunny evening Monday through Thursday during the summer, and indeed some not-so-sunny evenings, it is reasonable to expect plenty of people out playing some ball. Mostly, people show up after working hours are over and play starts around 4:00PM and runs until they shut off the lights and close for the night. That time varies from 9:30PM to well after 11:00PM. You can show up and pay $4 per visit, or pay an annual fee of $60, which allows you to play anytime WoksUp is open, so long as there is not a league, tournament, or other event occurring. If you are new to the scene, or do not know a bunch of people in the community you can either be brave and join in on the drop-in play, or bring a handful of friends and strike up your own game. Courts are available on a first-come, first-serve basis, although typically some sharing of the courts occurs. Typically after each game, the winning team stays, and a waiting team comes on to challenge. For the most part there are not typically people that play on Friday nights, and the weekends are usually reserved for tournament play. If you contact WoksUp management they will reserve a court for you at an hourly rate, and will accommodate large groups and parties.

During the main summer months Woks runs a women's league once or twice a week, and sometimes has a men's league when the interest level allows it. WoksUp themselves, the North Pacific Beach Volleyball Association (NPBVA), and Extreme Volleyball Players (EVP) all host weekend tournaments at the venue starting in early spring all the way through September. Tournament entry fees and skill requirements vary, but whether it is drop in play or a tournament, you don't have to pay anything to stop by and watch some quality volleyball being played.

So if you have any interest in volleyball and you live in or are visiting the Portland Metropolitan area stop by and check it out. It's easy to sit in that white-sand, watch a great game of volleyball and imagine you are somewhere slightly more tropical, on a slightly more real beach.