A hobby crossover episode.
Honestly, just stoked to be here @ Madonna Inn
After tennis, my favorite hobby is traveling. Actually… traveling may be my favorite; it’s just a little harder to do every week. Either way, they’re pretty close contenders. Lately, I’ve really enjoyed getting to check out tennis courts and hitting or taking a lesson if I can squeeze it in.
It started in February of 2024.
Actually, that’s untrue. It started WAY before that, but it all culminated in such a fun experience in Feb of ‘24. It really started in the mid 2010’s… circa perhaps 2014-2016? I stumbled upon (maybe actually on StumbleUpon? remember that?) and subsequently pinned this dreamy, pink, Barbie-esque tennis court on my Pinterest board of travel aspirations. During the covid-19 shutdown, I also started a Google Map of beautiful or interesting tennis courts around the world that I wanted to one day visit. Even though I wasn’t really playing tennis regularly back then, I still loved the tennis aesthetic, and especially loved the idea of a hot pink court! Adding it to the map and seeing it was out in California, far from any of the major CA cities, I figured I'd never get to go play on it.
Fast forward about 10 years. It’s 2024, and we received an invitation from one of my very best friends, Dio, to join her and her husband, Brad, in San Luis Obispo, California. We would embark on a weekend good food, and even better wine tasting at the lovely Talley Vineyards. As I started researching the area and places that we might check out while out there… lo and behold, what is on the maps not 15 minutes from where we'd be staying?
THE PINK TENNIS COURT!
You do have to be a guest at Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo to access the courts, which is, of course, no problem at all if you enjoy whimsy and pink. So, I quickly booked a stay at Madonna Inn, scheduled a photography session with Jennifer Shaevitz of SLO Media Creations, and enlisted my husband Taylor to join me in what ended up being a silly and dream-fulfilling morning of not-quite-tennis on these vibrant courts.
They even loaned us the color-coordinating HOT PINK RACQUETS, although I did pack my own Wilson pink tennis balls for the occasion.
Photo credits: Jennifer Shaevitz @ SLO Media Creations, February 2024
Playing in a round robin at Kelvingrove in Glasgow (It was turf, not real grass, sadly.)
After that, I’ve begun adding a little side quest of squeezing tennis into my travels when I can. When we’re planning trips, I consult my handy little “Cool Tennis Courts” Google Map and see if I can find a spot to pop into a class, drills, or just go out and hit a ball with a friend. It’s led to some really fun experiences so far, and I’m looking forward to keeping it up.
After the Madonna Inn courts, I’ve visited a couple more, including:
Hammock Beach Golf Resort & Spa in Palm Coast, Florida – Home of the first annual Peach Retreat)
Kelvingrove Lawn Bowls and Tennis Centre in Glasgow, Scotland – Actually turf, not grass
Shiba Park Tennis Courts in Tokyo, Japan – Under Tokyo Tower, which I got to see, although play was foiled by rain
Wright-Patterson AFB Tennis Center in Dayton, Ohio – Private to AFB personnel and their guests
Cincinnati Open at Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio – Just to watch, obviously
Until this month, I had always borrowed/rented a racquet, but I actually took my own racquet with me to Ohio. Since I was staying with my friend Kristine, we were planning to go hit a couple times, AND I wasn’t going to be travelling around much, I figured it wasn’t super cumbersome to bring. I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to fly with my racquet, and ended up flying home with two extra vintage wooden racquets in tow that we had picked up on the cheap while in Dayton. (I’m planning something fun for those down the road!)
I’m currently planning a trip to Lima, Peru, and Quebec City & Montreal in Canada, where I’m looking for court/class options. If you have any recommendations in those areas, let me know!
