LYNNWOOD—Pickleball Kingdom, Lynnwood’s massive, 40,000-square foot, 12 court, indoor Pickleball facility is now open to the public following a grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony Friday evening, April 25.
Located in the old Bed, Bath and Beyond building at 3115 196th Street Southwest in Lynnwood, Pickleball Kingdom is the eighth location to open in Washington State but the very first in Snohomish County. However, Owners John and Mara Hylton said it could be the first of many to come.
The brother/sister Owner duo purchased a total of 21 licenses throughout the Pacific Northwest and informed the Lynnwood Times another Pickleball facility could be in the works somewhere in North Snohomish County (around Arlington) pending locking down a facility.
“We’re really happy to bring this here, we hope to keep adding value to you guys, we appreciate feedback. We are going to keep making this better through our programming,” said John Hylton.
Pickleball Kingdom operates like other fitness centers – with either a monthly or annual membership. Memberships will require a $100 initiation fee and will start at $129 a month with discounts offered for teams and families. First responders, such as law enforcement officers and firefighters, are eligible for an additional 10% discount on top of that.
Depending on the membership package, dues include court reservations, discounts on ball rentals, VIP invites for tournaments and events, and access to showers and locker rooms.
In addition to members-only access, Pickleball Kingdom will be holding four open plays a day where anyone can drop in, free of charge, to check it out. However, reservations are required.
Each of the 12 Pickleball courts are affixed with iPads and monitors which are used to record, reply, and track your game statistics – which can then be viewed, stored, and shared via the official Pickleball Kingdom app.
In addition to the 12 courts, the facility also has a dink wall, a pro shop, a community room where beer and wine will be served on the weekends, and a second-floor terrace.
At Friday’s grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony, Lynnwood Mayor Christine Frizzell, Tammy Dunn, Snohomish County Sports Commission Executive Director, Frank Percival, President and CEO of Lynnwood Chamber of Commerce, Owners John and Mara Hylton, and Pickleball Kingdom General Manager Pablo Granados welcomed the public for a free play while beer and wine from Poulsbo-based Western Red Brewing was served in the community space and food trucks parked outside.
“This is just a wonderful facility where we can have indoor Pickleball, people can play year-round, we love playing outdoors but what a great asset for Lynnwood, near the hotels, near the restaurants, and near the grocery stores,” Dunn told the Lynnwood Times.
Following the ceremonious cutting of the ribbon Mayor Frizzell kickstarted the free play event by making the first serve, and attendees watched the replay of that serve from the court’s monitor to showcase the state-of-the-art technology.
“I love this city, and I love Pickleball. I am so happy to have another venue that energizes our community,” said Mayor Frizzell.
Also showing up for a pickup game was Lynnwood City Council President Nick Coelho who was excited to inform the Lynnwood Times that he rode his bike to the ceremony.
Pickleball Kingdom’s first location was opened in Chandler, Arizona, on May 2, 2022, by founder Ace Rodriguez. The fitness chain decided to franchise out locations in 2023 and have since opened more than 100 locations all over the country with locations in Arizona, New Jersey, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Arkansas, Alabama, Wisconsin, California, Connecticut, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, Illinois, Kansas, Massachusetts, Missouri, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Utah.
An alternative free option to play pickleball, separate to Pickleball Kingdom in Lynnwood, are the vast array of pickleball courts opening county-wide. To find a court nearest to you, Pickleheads is a free-to-use website listing nearby courts, and players looking to team up.
SB-5615, designating pickleball as the Washington State official state sport, was signed by Governor Jay Inslee March 28, 2022, and went into effect June 9, 2022. The primary sponsor of that bill was Mill Creek resident Senator John Lovick, with the support of pickleball advocates Chuck Wright and Kate Van Gent.
Van Gent also helped secure the zoning variance for Pickleball Kingdom by personally reaching out to key stakeholders including Mayor Frizzell in April of 2024.
Author: Kienan Briscoe
One Response
To quote “In addition to members-only access, Pickleball Kingdom will be holding four open plays a day where anyone can drop in, free of charge, to check it out. However, reservations are required”
Nope, it’s not free of charge, it’s expensive