The US Open's late-August window lands during some of the best tennis weather Los Angeles sees all year—warm but not scorching, with marine layers that cool coastal courts and long daylight stretching past eight o'clock. While the pros hit Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York, LA's public courts stay busy with players who'd rather swing a racket than watch someone else do it. Griffith Park and Venice offer the city's most accessible pay-and-play options, each with different rate structures, reservation systems, and hours that matter if you're planning to fit a match into US Open week. Vermont Canyon closes at five, Riverside splits its weekday schedule, and Penmar runs the longest evening window on the Westside. Here's how to book a court, what you'll pay, and when to show up.
Karpo tracks live court availability, current reservation windows, and real-time rate changes at LA's pay-and-play tennis facilities so you can book the exact slot you want.
Vermont Canyon's daylight-only window
Vermont Canyon Tennis Courts sit halfway up the Griffith Park hillside at 2715 Vermont Canyon Road, a short drive north of Los Feliz Boulevard. The facility runs eight courts with no lighting, which means play ends at 5 PM every day—weekends and holidays included. During late August, that 5 PM cutoff lands roughly ninety minutes before sunset, so the final reservation block (4 PM to 5 PM) offers the coolest temperatures and longest shadows of the day.
Rates effective July 1, 2026, are ten dollars per hour on weekdays before 4 PM and fourteen dollars after 4 PM, though the after-4-PM rate applies only to that single hour since the courts close at five. Weekends and holidays cost fourteen dollars per hour for the entire 8 AM to 5 PM window. Permit holders pay an additional twenty dollars per court per hour if they want guaranteed access. The front desk at (323) 664-3521 handles walk-up reservations, but online booking through the LA Recreation and Parks system lets you claim a slot up to one week in advance.
Because Vermont Canyon lacks lights, it attracts fewer evening crowds than Riverside or Balboa, and weekday mornings between 8 AM and 10 AM see the lightest traffic. The Griffith Park location also means cooler microclimates than the Westside—expect temperatures five to eight degrees lower than Venice on August afternoons. Pack sunscreen regardless; the courts face southeast and gather full sun until mid-afternoon.
Riverside Courts and the midday gap
Riverside Courts occupy the east edge of Griffith Park at 3401 Riverside Drive, directly across from the Los Angeles Equestrian Center. The facility operates on a split schedule: Monday through Friday, courts open 8 AM to noon, close for the afternoon, then reopen 5 PM to 9 PM. Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays run straight through from 8 AM to 7 PM. That midday closure on weekdays leaves the courts empty from noon to five, a quirk that frustrates lunchtime players but creates predictable availability at the 5 PM reopening.
Weekday rates before 4 PM are eight dollars per hour; after 4 PM and all day on weekends and holidays, twelve dollars. Permits add fifteen dollars per court per hour. The phone number (323) 661-5318 reaches the on-site staff, though the facility shares the citywide online reservation system. Because Riverside sits lower in elevation than Vermont Canyon and closer to the concrete of the 5 Freeway, afternoon heat builds faster—plan for shade breaks if you book the 5 PM to 6 PM slot in late August.
The lights at Riverside make it one of the few Griffith-area courts where you can finish a match after sunset during US Open week. Evening slots from 7 PM onward fill quickly on weekends, but weekday evenings between 5 PM and 7 PM often have last-minute openings. The parking lot off Riverside Drive holds about thirty cars and rarely reaches capacity outside of Saturday mornings.
Penmar Recreation Center's Venice courts
Penmar Recreation Center anchors the corner of Lake Street and Walgrove Avenue in Venice, a ten-minute walk from the Abbot Kinney retail strip. The facility runs six lighted tennis courts that stay open Monday through Friday from 9 AM to 9 PM and Saturday from 9 AM to 5 PM; the center closes Sundays. Penmar's extended weekday hours make it the longest-operating public tennis venue on LA's Westside, and the lights mean you can start a match at 8 PM and finish under full illumination.
Penmar operates on a first-come, first-served basis for open play—no reservation system, no hourly fees. Courts occasionally close for permitted events or league play, so calling (310) 396-8735 before driving over saves a wasted trip. The recreation center also offers a gymnasium, baseball diamonds, and a multipurpose field, which means parking fills faster than at single-use tennis facilities. Arrive before 10 AM on weekdays or after 6 PM to find a spot within a block of the courts.
The courts themselves sit on the northwest corner of the property, separated from Lake Street by a chain-link fence and a row of eucalyptus trees. Coastal fog rolls in most mornings, burning off by 11 AM; if you want consistent sun, book your mental calendar for post-noon sessions. Evening play benefits from the marine layer's return after 7 PM, which drops temperatures ten degrees compared to inland courts like Riverside. Penmar's proximity to the beach also means you can finish a set, walk to the Venice Pier, and cool off in the Pacific within twenty minutes.
Reservation mechanics across LA's pay-tennis system
LA Recreation and Parks rolled out citywide online reservations for pay-tennis courts in 2023, and the system now covers Balboa, Cheviot Hills, Poinsettia, Riverside, Van Nuys/Sherman Oaks, Vermont Canyon, Westchester, and Westwood. You create a household account, load it with credit, and book slots up to seven days in advance. Reservations open twenty-four hours a day, and you can cancel or modify up until 11:55 PM the night before your scheduled time. Walk-up players still get access if a court sits empty, but reserved slots take priority.
The permit system runs parallel to hourly reservations. Permits cost fifteen to twenty dollars per court per hour depending on the facility, and they guarantee access even during peak times. If you're planning to play daily during US Open week, a permit makes financial sense after three or four sessions. Contact the central tennis office at (323) 644-3536 to request permit paperwork; processing takes about a week, so plan ahead.
Open-play courts—facilities that charge no hourly fee—operate first-come, first-served with no online booking. Penmar falls into this category, as do dozens of neighborhood parks across the city. The LA Parks website maintains a current list of open-play locations, updated quarterly. During high-demand windows like US Open week, open-play courts fill faster than pay-tennis venues, but turnover happens quickly; if you arrive and find all courts occupied, wait times average thirty to forty-five minutes.
US Open viewing between sets
The US Open runs August 25 through September 7, 2026, with early-round matches starting at 8 AM Pacific and night sessions stretching past midnight Eastern. If you're playing tennis in LA during the tournament, you'll miss live coverage during your court time, but plenty of Griffith Park and Venice spots let you catch up between sets. The Trails Cafe on Fern Dell Drive, a five-minute drive from Vermont Canyon, opens at 8 AM and runs ESPN on a wall-mounted screen. In Venice, Groundwork Coffee on Rose Avenue—two blocks from Penmar—keeps the US Open on during morning and afternoon rounds.
For dedicated tennis fans, the combination of playing locally and watching the pros creates a natural rhythm during the tournament's first week. Book an early court slot at Vermont Canyon (8 AM to 10 AM), drive down to Los Feliz for a late breakfast with the second round on TV, then return for an evening session at Riverside if you've got energy left. The Griffith Park corridor keeps you within a ten-minute drive of both facilities, and parking meters along Vermont Canyon Road cost two dollars per hour.
Venice offers a different pattern: play Penmar's courts in the late afternoon (5 PM to 7 PM), walk to Abbot Kinney for dinner, and catch the US Open's East Coast night session (starting around 4 PM Pacific) at any bar with ESPN. The Townhouse on Abbot Kinney and Windward Avenue keeps tennis on their main screen during Grand Slam tournaments, and the kitchen stays open until 10 PM.
Practical notes
All three facilities require your own racket and balls; none rent equipment. Vermont Canyon and Riverside fall under Griffith Park's broader parking system, which means free street parking along Vermont Canyon Road and Riverside Drive but two-hour limits on weekdays. Penmar offers a dedicated lot on Lake Street with no time restriction. Restrooms at Vermont Canyon and Riverside stay locked outside of staffed hours (8 AM to 5 PM weekdays), so plan accordingly for evening sessions. Penmar's restrooms inside the recreation building remain open during facility hours (9 AM to 9 PM weekdays). Water fountains operate at all three locations, but bring a filled bottle during August heat. For current court conditions, reservation availability, or same-day closures, call the facility directly or check the LA Recreation and Parks tennis page, updated daily.
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