Bayfront Park Recreation Center — Attraction in Longboat Key

Beautiful park, vibrant pickleball scene. Went there seeking competitive pickleball play and you will find a very busy scene in the mornings with an all-level pickleball open play across 7 courts split across 2 court areas, and one challenge court that has a 2 win max. Level of play is 2.5 to low 3.5 on open play courts when we attended. Paddle racks split between the dedicated pickleball courts and the tennis courts using the rolling pickleball nets with no discernible difference in level among the two racks.

The challenge court is very popular and players using it ranging from 3.5-4.0 when we came over 3 days. Average wait for a game there was ~ 2 to 3 games. Winners are off after 2 wins which helps a bit. As time nears noon in February, the open play dissipates enough that the challenge court crew may disperse to an open court to reduce the wait for challenge level matches.

Water filler is conveniently courtside along with benches and some shade. There's also a clean bathroom steps away from the court. The tennis court area here has lights and a timer box to activate near the court door. The lights appeared to shut down around 9:30pm when we visited though posted signage indicated the park was open until 10. Finding others playing the late in the evening was hit and miss during our stay.

If looking for leveled open play, GT Bray park is a 20 or so min drive into Bradenton and has “upper level” and “lower level” open play in...

There is an amazing dog park here, where one of the Longboat Key residence donated a considerable amount of money to have turf put in. There is a very large crowd in the morning called coffee hour and then it slows down a little bit around 10 o’clock. My dog absolutely loves it here she is a boxer in fines lots of friends to play with and she knows when we leave the house where we are going she gets excited. Every once in a while, there is a dog we don’t want her playing with or vice versa and we are able to take her for a walk along the sidewalk right...

Located in Bayfront Park on Longboat Key, this a public recreation centre that offers a variety of affordable recreation for the local community. This includes leisure and recreational sports, organized sports leagues and activities, educational programs, cultural classes and seminars, social functions, and special events for all ages and interests. The rec centre sits on a beautiful and thoughtfully designed outdoor space, at the edge of the intercoastal waterway providing spectacular views. Lots of parking, restroom facilities,...