Season: Open April 6 through November Hours: The Tennis Center is open daily
from 7:00am to dusk. • Requirements: Permits needed. All
players must have season or single-play
(one time use) permits. Permits are issued
from the last week in March and are good
for use until the end of the season.
Single-play permits are good for one hour
of tennis each day in any borough. For doubles play, permits are good for
two hours of tennis each day in any borough.
Cost of Permits: Season Permits Adults (ages 18-61): $100 •
Senior Citizens (age 62 and over): $20 Juniors (ages 17 and under): $10 • Single Play Permits: $5 for any individual,
can be purchased at the Arsenal or at courts
when open. Permit Office: (212) 360-8133
Nowhere else in the city can New Yorkers
experience the exhilaration of a great game
of outdoor tennis than at Central Park’s
Tennis Center. This facility accommodates
26 clay and four asphalt courts, which are
considered some of the best and well-tended
in the City.
Tennis was first permitted in Central Park
in 1884, on a meadow at the location of the
current courts. Park purists did not agree
with this decision, but the sport of tennis
quickly became very popular in the US and
so the meadow was eventually paved in
1911 and in 1930 a tennis house was built.
Today, these fenced-in tennis courts are in
great demand. The original tennis house
now offers tennis players and visitor's thirst
quenching drinks and snacks along with a
shop that sells athletic gear. There is also a
sitting area outside of the tennis house
offering a great place to spend some time as
a spectator watching the game.
