Atlanta Beltline-adjacent pickleball complex sets opening date

A warehouse-conversion project is set to open soon in West End with a goal of addressing what business leaders call a shortage of pickleball court space in metro Atlanta. 

Atlanta-based owners of the Dill Dinkers’ pickleball franchise plan to open a facility with 11 champion-sized courts in early March, broadening the offerings near the Beltline-connected Lee + White district beyond food, drink, and offices. 

For its first concept in Georgia, Dill Dinkers has claimed a nearly 36,000-square-foot space at 1200 White St., a former industrial building that’s being remade by Lee + White owners Ackerman & Co. An official grand-opening date is expected to be announced in mid-February, and memberships are now available. Expect clinics, lessons, leagues, and themed social events, among other offerings, per Dill Dinkers. 

Daniel Hardeman, a Chosewood Park resident and regional franchise developer, said the goal with the West End space is to “create an inclusive, community-centric environment for all ages, whether you’re trying pickleball for the first time, or are on your way to becoming a pro,” per a recent announcement.  

According to Hardeman, pickleball counts an impressive 1.1 million players in metro Atlanta today—with a nearly 52 percent year-over-year growth rate. “[That’s] because it’s easy to learn, highly social, excellent exercise, and can be enjoyed from ages eight to eighty,” said Hardeman. “There’s a shortage of court space and lack of structure for skills progression, so players are turning to places like Dill Dinkers.”

Future franchise locations are in the works for Fulton, Dekalb, Cobb, Gwinnett, and Cherokee counties, per Dill Dinkers reps. 

In West End, each court will be individually fenced, and other components of the club will include a pro shop and events space. The courts will feature Dill Dinkers’ Pro Cushion playing surface, which is designed to be easier on players’ joints, per project leaders. 

Dill Dinkers’ West End location will join others in metro Washington D.C., Maryland, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Texas.

The pickleball complex will consume only a fraction of the 1200 White St. building, which is being remade into a mixed-use hub with a new extension of the Beltline’s Westside Trail planned beside it.

According to property owners Ackerman & Co., the 211,585-square-foot facility is being designed to accommodate restaurants, retail, industrial uses, creative offices, and experiential concepts. 

Meanwhile, a couple of blocks south at Lee + White, an interactive experience called The Game Show Challenge is claiming a 3,889-square-foot space. It will be located in Lee + White’s Building 1000, next to Monday Night Brewing and Grady’s new neighborhood health center.

Expect two studios where “contestants”—typically six to 14 people (or more) at a time—can play interactive games hosted in styles that mimic famous gameshows. (Think: trivia, word puzzles, spin-the-wheel challenges, etc.) The West End location will mark the third for the gameshow concept, which is aiming to open 30 more over the next five years. Current locations are in Columbia and Greenville, S.C. 

Earlier plans had called for opening Atlanta’s outpost by the end of 2024, but The Game Show Challenge still lists the location as “coming soon.” 

Ackerman & Co. and MDH Partners, the development team behind the 11-building Lee + White district, signed another experiential tenant, Atlanta Golf & Social, last summer. 

That concept is hosting a soft opening today for its 3,767-square-foot space, joining a flagship location in downtown Chamblee. A grand opening will be announced once an alcohol license is granted, as Atlanta Golf & Social leaders recently relayed. 

Find more context and images in the gallery above. 

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