Harbour Town Yacht Basin

Longer days and warmer temperatures— combined with travel starting to feel more accessible—means the season is ripe for tennis getaways. Ready to get back into the swing of things? Pack your gear and point your compass towards one of these southern states.

Palmetto Dunes Oceanfront Resort, Hilton Head

  • When it comes to tennis in the Palmetto State, two words usually come to mind: Hilton Head. The Lowcountry barrier island is a tennis vacation nirvana. Palmetto Dunes Oceanfront Resort, one of the area’s most popular destinations for family getaways, personifies the beach town allure, with three miles of Atlantic Ocean beach, a marina, a lagoon-system, three golf courses—and a highly regarded tennis center, which boasts a whopping 19 clay courts, four lit for night play. Hilton Head is also home to Van der Meer Tennis, the academy founded by coach Dennis Van der Meer, and The Sea Pines Resort, where Stan Smith was once the touring pro.

Montage Palmetto Bluff, Bluffton

  • In between Hilton Head and Savannah, Montage Palmetto Bluff, in Bluffton, offers a fairytale-style retreat on what was a private hunting reserve of the Rockefellers. With access to three rivers and an abundance of pine and live oaks, Palmetto Bluff is a sprawling natural wonderland made for hiking, biking, fishing, sports shooting, horseback riding, golf and, of course, tennis. The Wilson Lawn and Racquet Club has eight Har-Tru courts, along with six pickleball and two bocce courts.

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Kiawah Island Golf Resort, Kiawah Island

  • Another popular vacation spot is Kiawah Island, where the Kiawah Island Golf Resort offers packages that combine accommodations with instruction or court time at the Roy Barth Tennis Center. This is both a serious and picturesque setting, with 22 courts surrounded by S.C.’s signature palmetto trees and fragrant blooms.

Wild Dunes Resort, Charleston

  • In the Charleston area, travelers looking to combine court and beach time with city exploration can stay at Wild Dunes Resort, where the Tennis Center has 17 Har-Tru courts. Accommodation options at the resort recently expanded to include Sweetgrass Inn, a new hotel of 153 rooms and suites. Also new is the Spa at Sweetgrass, a convenient place to unwind and pamper yourself post-match.

LTP Daniel Island, Daniel Island

  • While Daniel Island Club’s Tennis Pavilion is only open to club members, LTP Daniel Island, home of the Volvo Car Open, allows visitors to book court time and clinics via its Pate Academy. As for the city itself, it’s custom-made for springtime strolls, with classic Georgian, Victorian and Federalist architecture and lush gardens to explore. This is also hardcore foodie territory—just remember to make reservations.

Check out the other southern states featured in the "Have Tennis, Will Travel" Series:

  • Georgia
  • North Carolina