Tennis Courts in the Western Suburbs of Minnesota

Tennis is an exciting, active, and rewarding sport. Whether you are an experienced player or someone who simply enjoys hitting a ball around with friends, you will need a court on which to play. There are a lucky few who literally have a tennis court in their backyard, but the majority of us take advantage of public courts.

One of the courts that I frequent is located in a small Maple Plain neighborhood park, Rainbow Park. Maple Plain is located about 15 minutes west of Minneapolis on Highway 12. Being a small community park, these courts are certainly not what professionals are used to playing on, but they have decent asphalt and nets. While they are not quite "match quality" courts, they are just fine for playing a relaxing game of tennis.

There are two courts, side-by-side surrounding by a chain link fence. Again, being neighborhood courts there is no lighting system or seating, save the occasional bench dotted around the park. It is expected that players respect a few common courtesy rules posted out of the courts (e.g. limiting playing time when people are waiting for a court, etc). This, along with the park around it, gives these courts a nice welcoming feel.

If these courts are not what you are looking for, the Orono School District has courts that are open to the public. These courts are located on Old Crystal Bay Road just off Highway 12 in Long Lake. There are six courts next to the Intermediate School and six more behind the High School, all of which the district maintains regularly.

The Intermediate courts are the more general courts, open to everyone. They, however, are not lighted and do not have any seating available. They are much more accessible than the Rainbow Park courts, directly off the highway rather than set back in a neighborhood and are much nicer. Gym classes will use these asphalt courts occasionally during the day and tennis teams use them after school so coming early (before noon) or later (after 4:30 p.m.) is advisable.

The High School courts are the most used courts of the three and, like the others, are asphalt. They are probably used more frequently than the Intermediate School courts, especially during the spring after school, as this is when the tennis team practices. The courts do have stadium lighting, as well as stadium seating and are nice, regularly maintained courts.

Any of these courts are good choices. The most important thing is getting some friends together to get out and have a great time playing tennis.