McCarren Park Tennis Courts

McCarren Park Tennis Courts sits on the north edge of McCarren Park, straddling the Greenpoint and Williamsburg border, with entrances near Lorimer Street and Driggs Avenue along the North 12th and 13th Street corridor between Berry Street and Bedford Avenue. The facility has seven full-size hard courts, plus two permanent 36-foot QuickStart mini courts added during the 2010 renovation (some sources count eight total for that reason, but the full-size court count is seven).

Getting here by transit is straightforward. The L train stops at Lorimer Street, roughly 0.2 miles away, and at Bedford Avenue, about 0.3 miles away. The G train at Nassau Avenue is approximately 0.4 miles from the courts. Both options put you within a short walk.

Only three of the seven courts have lights, so evening play is limited. A local association has been working to add lighting to more of them.

In summer, roughly April through the Sunday before Thanksgiving, McCarren runs on the standard NYC Parks system: a $100 adult season permit (less for seniors and juniors) or a $15 single-play day pass, both good at any city court. There is no online booking. A Parks attendant manages a courtside sign-up queue, and peak afternoons and evenings get busy.

In winter, a private vendor covers the courts with a heated bubble under a lease that runs to 2035, so from about November through April the facility becomes paid indoor court time booked through that operator.

The courts have an unusually direct community history. In 2010, regular players privately funded the resurfacing of a single court. That grassroots effort attracted the attention of the USTA and American Express, who partnered through the Fresh Courts Initiative to renovate all seven courts ahead of that year's US Open season. It is a rare case of player-driven investment leading to a full facility upgrade.

The level of play skews toward high-intermediate and advanced, according to the Hard Hitting Brooklyn guide to the borough's courts. That reputation, combined with a manageable wait-time culture managed by the Parks attendant on-site, makes McCarren one of the more serious outdoor venues in Brooklyn rather than a casual drop-in spot.

For more places to play, see the best public tennis courts in NYC or browse every court in the city. Then find a partner at your level on Doyouplay before you go.