Pickleball in Rochester, Minnesota

Rochester is Minnesota's third-largest city (121,395 people in the 2020 census) and the seat of Olmsted County. The City of Rochester's facility directory tags six sites for pickleball: five parks and the city Recreation Center. The busiest outdoor site, Cook Park, reopened in August 2026 after a rebuild funded partly by the Rochester Area Pickleball Association (RAPA), a volunteer-run 501(c)(3) club. In winter the city runs reservation-only sessions in the Recreation Center gym, and several private clubs add indoor courts. For courts closer to La Crosse, see the La Crosse-area guide and the Winona page.

Locations at a glance

The city's park pages list amenities only. None gives court counts, hours, lights or fees for the outdoor courts, so counts above come from RAPA and the Pickleheads directory, and "no fee listed" means no city page mentions one.

• Outdoor court
• Indoor court
• Lines on a tennis court, or planned

1. Cook Park: six courts, rebuilt in 2026 (City of Rochester).
2. Slatterly Park: two dedicated courts with permanent nets (RAPA, Pickleheads).
3. Goose Egg Park: two courts on tennis courts; Pickleheads says bring your own net.
4. Elmcroft Park: one court lined on a tennis court (RAPA, Pickleheads).
5. Allendale Park: the city lists a pickleball court but no source gives a court count.
6. Eagles Club: five lit courts at a private club; access rules differ by source.
7. Recreation Center: three courts marked in the city gym, winter sessions by reservation.
8. The city's sports complex in southeast Rochester: 12 pickleball courts in phase one, opening planned for May 2027. The dashed line separates existing courts from planned ones.

Cook Park: the rebuilt main courts

A Park Board president called Cook Park's courts "our main pickleball court presently" in a June 2025 Post Bulletin report. The record of the rebuild:

The final cost and surface material were not stated in the reopening announcements opened for this page. The city does not post court hours for Cook Park. RAPA's site posts an undated schedule image giving its members priority during set blocks:

• Daily 7 a.m.–noon, and 5 p.m.–dusk Sunday through Thursday.
• 7–9 a.m.: "Group Foursome" time for players who arranged a group of four in advance.
• Wednesday 10 a.m.–noon: novice play on courts 1–3.
• Visitors from outside the Rochester area are welcome during RAPA hours; anyone playing more than five days in RAPA hours must join, and non-members may be asked to leave the court.

The image does not say what applies outside those blocks. Singles is allowed in RAPA time only when courts are open and nobody is waiting.

Other city parks

Slatterly Park (950 11th Ave. SE) has two dedicated courts with permanent nets, according to RAPA and Pickleheads; KIMT reported in May 2024 that the city planned to build them, likely that summer. Goose Egg, Elmcroft and Allendale parks have pickleball on tennis courts. RAPA describes its Cook Park courts as the main ones and the other parks as "shared with tennis players." At Elmcroft, Pickleheads notes the tennis net is a little taller than a pickleball net, so a portable net helps.

The city's Outdoor Tennis Center at Kutzky Park (14 hard courts) is a tennis site; its city page does not mention pickleball.

Recreation Center winter sessions

The city Recreation Center at 21 Elton Hills Dr. NW has three pickleball courts marked in its gym. Its 2026–27 sessions run October 19, 2026, to March 26, 2027:

• Booking. Online registration only, no payment on site, one session per player per day; registration closes one hour before. Reservations open one week ahead. Check in at Door 3 (Rec Center Office) starting 10 minutes before.
• Fees. $6 per session, or a $30-per-month Pickleball Pass. The center's regular facility passes do not include pickleball. No membership is needed.
• Early mornings. Weekday sessions before 9:30 a.m. are run by 125 LIVE, an adult social and fitness center, for its own members only (6:30–9:30 a.m., Monday–Friday).
• Office: 507-328-2500, weekdays 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.

Indoor clubs and private courts

RAPA also lists the Rochester Tennis Connection as an indoor option, but its own page does not mention pickleball. The RCTC Field House appears in Pickleheads with five taped courts, reservable, with "open play cash at door"; no times or prices were published on the pages opened.

Leagues and the club

RAPA membership costs $50 a year and gives priority play time at Cook Park and the Eagles Club, plus access to leagues and ladders, which RAPA marks "members only." Its join page says both "over 900" and "over 600" members; RAPA's vice president told KIMT in May 2024 the club had 1,023 members.

What's coming: the sports complex

Phase one of the city's regional sports and recreation complex in southeast Rochester includes 12 pickleball courts. KROC reported in July 2025 that the outdoor portion would cost $65 million from the city sales tax, with opening planned for May 2027. KTTC reported the council approved the project 6–1 in January 2026; phase one has no indoor space. The two reports give the site as 160 and 158 acres.

Where the sources disagree

Where the city or a venue publishes its own figure, this page uses it. RAPA's site spells the park "Cooke"; the city spells it Cook.

Before you go: checklist

• Winter: reserve a Rec Center session online up to a week ahead; no walk-up payment.
• Cook Park mornings and weeknights: expect RAPA priority time.
• Bring a portable net for courts on tennis courts.
• Plan on daylight at city parks: no city page confirms lights.
• Bring outdoor balls outside (see indoor vs outdoor balls) and know the scoring for paddle-rack games.
• Private clubs set their own fees; check their pages before driving over. This site cannot take sign-ups.

Nearby: Winona, MN · La Crescent, MN · La Crosse, WI · Onalaska, WI.