Riverside Clay Tennis Association

What makes this place great are the people. And the red clay, if you’re a clay purist. Remember clay is a slow surface and you’ll need to adjust to that, think more tactically and shotmaking. Coming out of the subway go to the North side of 96^th Street, the cars coming off of the Westside Highway is constant and you’ll never make it or if you do, it’s quite scary. I was here for a junior tournament and it was a delight. Cathy made us cookies!

As all of the other reviewers stated, the courts are great and well maintained by RCTA. My child plays tennis here and the fees are very modest. The instructors are great and the children all seem to have a wonderful time.
Some of the classes sell out very quickly and you may have to be subjected to being placed on the wait list.

These beautiful red clay courts are part of the NYC Parks Dept and are located at the bottom of Riverside Park at 95^th Street, right along the Hudson River, it’s an oasis in many ways. There are 10 courts, perfectly maintained and run by a nonprofit group. Anyone can play, either with the $ 200.00 city season tennis permit (for access to all public courts in the city) or for $ 15.00 for a day permit that you can pay for there, which is a great convenience. Racquets can be borrowed and balls are available for sale.
There are 2 courts available for reservations through the city web site. Go to
for the link. The reservation cost is $ 15.00 for 1 hour; this is in addition to the day pass or if you have a city permit, you just pay the reservation fee. There is also a first-​come, first-​served for the next hour of time, on the hour, and then you can to sign up again if courts are available. The day pass guarantees one hour of play per person and after that, you can repeat on a stand by basis if courts are available. There is an attendant who manages things. It sometimes gets crowded, especially on gorgeous weekends after work, so you need to get there early to sign up and obviously prime times have longer waits. See the web site for full details.
It is simply great to play here. The views are fantastic, the surrounding lawns and garden are well landscaped and maintained, the clay is real, and the river creates magic. the air is great.
they occasionally have events there: tournaments, concerts, picnics, etc. the usual nonprofit stuff.
this is a hidden gem of the city.

as of 8÷14÷13, $ 15 per person for non members. gorgeous setting, great courts, and pretty quick court-​access

Don’t understand Michael D’s comment about being hard to reach from the subway. It’s a 10 minute walk. Maybe he’s secretly trying to keep the courts to himself ;-). From the 96^th street exit of the 1,2 3 trains, walk down 96^th to Riverside park, turn right, then left at your first opportunity (about 4 blocks) down to the river. Turn left and go 3 blocks. Can’t miss ‘em.

These courts were great… awesome location, and the’re public. I would have thought they would be a rip off, since most clay courts are private, and impossible to get a time slot. Only $ 7 for the hour, and it’s based on a first come first serve basis, so be prepared to wait for a while. Other than the wait, the guys who run the place were friendly, and the courts were well kept. I’ll be going back!

So these courts are located in the bottom section of Riverside Park that’s impossible to get to if you’re coming from the subway. They’re great courts, though. Playing on clay is pretty fun and they’re well kept, and wind blows off the Hudson, which is about 3 feet away, adding extra difficulty. The waits are pretty Manhattan standard: long. Expect to play 2 time slots from when you sign up. As far as organization goes this is one of the best, the people running it are pretty good and you won’t get lost in the haze of confusion surrounding some of the courts in the city (East River Park, perhaps).
There’s also an ice cream guy just outside.

I believe these are the only public clay courts in Manhattan. Located at the bottom of Riverside Park at 95^th Street, right along the Hudson River, it’s an oasis in many ways. There are 10 courts, perfectly maintained and run by a nonprofit group. Anyone can play, either with the $ 100 city season tennis permit (for access to all public courts in the city) or for $ 7.00 for a day permit that you can pay for there, which is a great convenience. Balls are supplied too. There may be racquets to rent.
There are no reservations or advance signings. It’s first-​come, first-​served for the next hour of time, on the hour, and then you have to sign up again. There is an attendant who manages things. It sometimes gets crowded, especially on weekends and after work, so you need to get there early in the day, and obviously prime times have longer waits. but if you get there early or on weekdays, you can usually show up a half hour before and get in on the next hour. i arrived at 9:15 on a sunday morning and got the last 10 o’clock court. call the hotline above to check weather-​related closings.
It is simply great to play here. The views are fantastic, the surrounding lawns and garden are well landscaped and maintained, the clay is real, and the river creates magic. the air is great.
they occasionally have events there: tournaments, concerts, picnics, etc. the usual nonprofit stuff.
this is a hidden gem of the city.