Thousands of spectators are expected to descend on Cary Tennis Park starting Monday for the Veolia Pickleball National Championships, and organizers have one blunt message for anyone without a pre-approved pass: do not drive to the venue. There is no general parking at the park, and attendees will instead need to rely on a free shuttle running from an off-site lot more than two miles away.
The tournament unfolds at Cary Tennis Park, located at 2727 Louis Stephens Drive in Cary, as reported by the News & Observer. Reporter Kristen Johnson notes that the main Cary Tennis Park lot and the adjacent Green Hope Elementary School lot at 2700 Louis Stephens Drive are both reserved strictly for pre-approved vehicles, meaning credentialed players, RVs, referees, and staff. General spectator parking instead sits at Phillips Farm, 6800 Good Hope Church Road, where a free, ADA-accessible shuttle ferries guests to and from the park roughly every 15 to 20 minutes.
How the Shuttle Schedule Works
Shuttles begin running about an hour before the first matches each day and keep going until an hour after the final match wraps up, according to the same report. Match times vary day to day, so organizers point spectators to ppatour.com/events for the daily schedule before heading out. A limited number of on-site ADA parking spaces exist at the park itself, but guests are asked to shift to the Phillips Farm lot once those fill up.
Town officials have urged both attendees and everyday commuters to plan ahead for traffic changes along Louis Stephens Drive, warning that drivers near the park should expect delays and heavier pedestrian activity throughout the week. Uber and Lyft riders get their own designated drop-off and pick-up zone at the park’s main entrance, offering an alternative to the shuttle for those who would rather skip the Phillips Farm lot entirely.
What Fans Can and Cannot Bring
Security rules are fairly typical for an outdoor sports event. Small bags are accepted but will be checked at the gate, and personal cameras, hats, and sunscreen are all allowed inside. Tripods, coolers, and outside alcohol, however, are not permitted on the grounds.
A Season-Opening Slam With Real Money on the Line
The stakes on court match the logistical scale off it. The tournament serves as a Carvana PPA Tour “Slam” event carrying a total payout pool of $1,648,641, the largest prize purse and ranking-point allocation on the professional pickleball calendar, according to the Carvana PPA Tour. Slam winners collect 2,000 ranking points across the singles and doubles divisions, and the Cary event doubles as the official launch of the tour’s 2026–2027 global season, a distinction secured in part through a North Carolina state grant, per the Town of Cary…