Padel Comes to Wilmington NC: The Club at Midtown 2026
Padel Comes to Wilmington NC: The Club at Midtown 2026
Coastal North Carolina is finally getting dedicated padel courts when this private sports club opens this fall.
The Club at Midtown Brings Padel to Coastal North Carolina
Wilmington is finally getting on the padel map. The Club at Midtown — a members-only sports and social club going up on the site of the former Holly Tree Racquet Club — is set to open in September 2026 with three outdoor padel courts. It's the first dedicated padel anywhere in the Cape Fear region, and a meaningful step for the sport beyond North Carolina's bigger metros.
The Club at Midtown
Tucked off Holly Tree Road in midtown Wilmington, the club is reimagining a long-running racquet facility into a full-scale private athletic and social destination. The three padel courts sit alongside an ambitious mix of indoor and outdoor amenities, and the location — a short drive from downtown and the beaches at Wrightsville — makes it an easy after-work or weekend stop for the area's growing racquet-sports crowd.
Courts: 3 | Type: Outdoor
What We Know: Three Courts, a September Open
The club held a ceremonial groundbreaking on May 18, 2026, with managing partner Mike Harms thanking the community for what he called an "incredible turnout." Construction is now underway, with doors expected to open in September 2026 — a few months later than the spring timeline floated when the project was first announced.
For padel players, the headline number is three: three outdoor courts, purpose-built rather than converted from tennis. That's a modest but real footprint for a city that, until now, had none. With courts in short supply across most of the country, even a three-court venue can anchor a local scene — enough to run regular round-robins, clinics, and an informal ladder.
A Private Sports Club, Not a Padel-Only Facility
Padel is one piece of a much larger plan. The Club at Midtown is built around a 33,000-square-foot indoor pickleball complex with 11 cushioned courts, plus covered outdoor pickleball, upgraded tennis courts, and the three padel courts. Off the courts, members get a resort-style pool and a separate lap pool, a new pool house with saunas and steam rooms, and a two-story clubhouse with an upscale restaurant, café, and bar.
There's also a "Sports Hub" with golf simulators and a game room, and even a real-grass outdoor putting green. In other words, padel here is part of a country-club-style membership rather than a drop-in court rental.
That model shapes access. The club plans Platinum and Gold membership tiers, each carrying a $10,000 initiation fee, with a limited number of memberships released through a presale process. If you're hoping to play padel in Wilmington, joining the club — at least for now — is the way in.
North Carolina's Padel Map: Charlotte, Raleigh, and Now Wilmington
Wilmington's arrival rounds out a fast-developing picture across North Carolina. The Charlotte metro has led the state's padel growth, and Raleigh-Durham is close behind — we cover both in our guides to where to play padel in Charlotte and where to play padel in Raleigh.
What's been missing is the coast. Until The Club at Midtown opens, the nearest dedicated courts for many Cape Fear players were a couple of hours away — including across the state line in South Carolina, where Charleston's padel scene has been picking up. A September 2026 opening finally gives southeastern North Carolina a home court of its own.
How to Follow the Opening
The Club at Midtown is gathering membership interest now ahead of its fall opening, with presale details rolling out through the club's official channels at theclubatmidtown.com. Padel-curious locals can watch for clinics and intro sessions once the courts are live — a common way new clubs convert tennis and pickleball players into padel regulars.
If you're new to the sport and want to be ready on day one, it's worth getting your own paddle ahead of the opening; beginner-friendly rackets from retailers like Racket Central won't break the bank. And once The Club at Midtown is open, you'll be able to check court details and availability on its Padel Browser page.
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