New indoor pickleball facility coming to Brier Creek. When it will open
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Pickles and Play will open a Brier Creek venue with eight indoor pickleball courts.
- Location will have tables throughout plus a social area with seating and possible bar.
- Memberships start at $55/month; potential new members encouraged to sign up early.
Pickleball offered Lane Ethridge a community that he wasn’t finding anywhere else.
The more he played, the better he became. His skills improved to the point where he began coaching, and he noticed a lack of court availability. As a player, he traveled hours to compete.
He wanted other people to find the same community he found through pickleball, and that’s where the idea for Pickles and Play was born.
“Being an entrepreneur, I figured there was a great way and a great opportunity to start to build more courts,” he told The News & Observer in a call. “And because there were no indoor locations, it made sense to kind of be the market leader in the space for that concept.”
The first Pickles and Play opened in 2023 in Wake Forest, and it has since grown to two more locations, in Johnston County and in Chapel Hill.
Now, the company is months away from opening a fourth venue, this time in the Brier Creek area, near Raleigh-Durham International Airport.
“We feel like Brier Creek is a very central location in the Triangle for residents,” said Etheridge, a founder and majority owner of Pickles and Play. “And a lot of people who commute and work down there will also find it convenient for their ability to access the facility.”
Pickles and Play will occupy 24,000 square feet of a 36,000-square-foot building at 10601 World Trade Blvd. It will include eight pickleball courts, each one 34 feet by 60 feet.
The new location will also have a dedicated gathering area with seating, available for players or rentals. The owners hope to have a bar there, too, Ethridge said.
Additional tables and seating will be spread throughout the space, around courts.
Construction is still underway, and Pickles and Play is expected to open in around four months.
Pickles and Play is open to members and non-members. Several membership levels are offered, starting at $55 per month. Pickles and Play will cap memberships, Ethridge said, so anyone interested is encouraged to secure a membership as soon as possible with a $100 initiation fee.
Indoor pickleball in the Triangle
Several community centers in the City of Raleigh, including the Brier Creek Community Center, have indoor pickleball courts. A four-month pass costs $15.
Select Durham recreation centers also offer drop-in pickleball play.
