International Tennis Hall of Fame

Real Tennis World in Newport — one visit is never enough! Everything about this place is amazing. It’s such a grand and historic spot that makes you feel like you’re traveling back in time. The staff at the museum are the sweetest, especially Liz, who can share so much information about the history of tennis. It was an unforgettable experience that I will always cherish.

Great place for tennis enthusiasts to learn the history of the sport throughout the years. People also play court tennis here. They have a cool shop to buy tennis gear and merchandise. The people at the reception are so much fun.

Enjoyed the self guided tour, the history was interesting and I’m not a serious tennis fan. If you are a sports fan, this is a fun spot.

I enjoyed it and I am not a tennis fan. However... First, beware of parking! There is a large gated pay lot across the street attached to a strip mall of stores. My party stayed 1.5 hours and the parking was $24!!! MAKE sure you go to one of the list of stores in that mall to get your ticket validated or you may suffer the same fate. There is absolutely zero street parking available since the museum is on a busy commercial road. I found the pricing on par with many similar spaces with a few caveats. There was a cash price and a credit price. THEN there was an ADDITIONAL SERVICE FEE regardless of how you paid or if you were a senior or not. What's that for? Tariffs? The young man who took my folding money did not have a clue either. If EVERYONE HAS TO PAY IT, no matter how old you are or how you pay, just include it in the price. This is off-putting and messy. The museum is housed in the old and beautiful Rhode Island Casino. Spectacular is the word that comes to mind. Clean, spacious, and well-curated. There is something for everyone. If you like stats, interactive kiosks, or memorabilia you will find it here. Note that there are 2 gift shops. Everyone on the staff that we spoke to was pleasant and informative. Sorry for the sparse pictures. I did not know that Google was going to ask for a review. I usually do restaurants. Your mileage may vary.

The museum is small but it is pretty well maintained. Not a lot of artifacts but it is a good walk through it. It was a rainy day when we visited hence there’s no tennis match nor practice.

The new renovated experience was wonderful (priced well for tickets). For those who ask can we play on grass? The answer is Yes, $250 an hour and must be dressed in white tennis gear. I respect the price and formality, however it would also be neat to have a general experience (adults and kids) set up without all the formality -- come as you are with a few hits. Do like that you can in the general area without paying. Well done!

This is a must if you are in Newport, even if you are not a tennis fan. The museum and exhibits are great. And the grounds are fun to walk around. Great gift shop as well.

Museum was very nice. Presentation of archived equipment and autographed clothes and racquets was nicely done. Even the arrangement of topics and themes was very good. Video selection at the end of the tour was plentiful and highly interesting to watch. Tennis afficionados will spend a good amount of time here enjoying the artifacts, both old and new.

Absolutely beautifully kept. We did not go inside the museum but we did walk the grounds. They also have a lovely gift shoppe. Outdoor but well kept grass in the middle of the winter. They also have public courts that anyone can play on. This is truly a special place if you love tennis. Museum is pricey. Lovely staff. Great selection of gift store items.

If you're a huge tennis fan, this is a no brainer. This also may be one of the only spots to play on grass courts. As tourists, doesn't seem like there is any dress code. If you're playing, it looks like you must be in all whites. They also have a running "real tennis" court, which is funky and cool to witness players play this unconventional game. They run a ATP tournament in mid-July if you're lucky enough to catch that while the pros prepare to play at Wimbledon.

Stopped by this spot during my visit to Newport to walk around a little. There wasn't any events going on this day but thankfully it was open just to peek inside. It was used for the filming of Guilded Age so I wanted to check it out. It seems to be in very good condition considering how old the buildings are!

I am admittedly a tennis buff, but this spot truly exceeded expectations, and even my non-fan girlfriend enjoyed the time here (though I may have made her linger a bit too long). Roaming the exterior grounds really makes you feel as if you've stepped out of modern day Newport and back to the Gilded Age. Seeing the historic and well-curated grass courts felt quite special and left me jonesing to get out there and plan (which apparently is an option?!) The museum itself it quite a trove of historic tennis items--between the old equipment and outfits it almost works on its own as a history or folk art-type museum--which is probably the sense in which my girlfriend really appreciated it--but with plenty of unique items and tribute plaques to delight the tennis purist. I went with medium expectations, thinking it could be interesting at best but also perhaps thinking it might just be something to tick off the list that I "had" to do because visiting Newport--but truly and completely enjoyed my visit. I see it is temporarily closed until spring--make sure to visit once it reopens if you are up in Newport!

Newport is lucky to have this museum which is tennis's hall of fame. It's easy to get to and the architecture resembles English Tudor. When you walk in the front entrance you immediately see the grass center court that is surrounded by the museum building. On the day of my visit they had the nets down and were decorating the court area for some kind of party. Beyond that area are several more grass courts along with cement courts and one clay court. Here you can play on any of these court for a fee. The grass courts looked well kept. Like I said Newport is lucky. There is also another grass court that has stadium seating for a tournament. The museum requires a $20 fee to tour it which is located on the second floor of the building that surrounds that first grass court near the entrance. The museum has many rooms that covers the history of tennis, its transition to professional status and the money that comes with that. Also women's ascent in the sport which use to be a man's sport. I enjoyed looking at all of the exhibits and storyboards including my favorite player Jimmy Connors. That was back in the Golden Age of the sport with McEnroe, Borg, Evert and King among several others. I found the museum interesting and worth the admission price. To enter the grounds and just watch players on the court that is free.

My girlfriend and I bought tickets and when we got there we were informed that even though the tickets are valid for the entire year because there was a tournament we couldn't enter the museum. We spoke with a person at customer service and they said we could and when the manager Jennifer came she informed us that we couldn't. Extremely disappointed in the lack of professionalism and misinformation. On top of that we were told to contact customer support to "try" to get our money back.

This may not be my usual food review, but I need to give a special shout out to an incredible building and institution. This iconic building was the first commission for the architectural firm McKim, Mead and White, and it is extraordinary. It also launched an auspicious career for them. The grounds are also incredible, and the sense of history is incomparable. Newport is one of my favorite places in the world, and I always love coming back. Seeing this gem of a building this time, in its newly renovated state, made it extra special.

If you are in to tennis or not, you need to check this place out. Its amazing. The center court and buildings are photo gems. The hall of fame is extensive. There is so much here. There are all sorts of memorabilia showcasing the history. There are cool video and photos to watch. This place is a great place to visit when in Newport!

We are BIG Tennis lovers, especially because my daughter plays, and this was a great experience for us! So much history! And we loved the facility overall. We also loved the Roger Federer hologram. We wish we came when the courts were open so we can play. A great activity if you are in Newport.

How do you review a hollowed institution? Let's go for it. First of all it has a great location on a busy strip. Second of all the staff is exceptional. Special shout out to Julie, the volunteer Director, who answered all of our questions and even gave us helpful restaurant recommendations. Finally, the museum itself is beautiful without being too gaudy. You get the information you need in a concise and interesting manner. If you get a chance, go in the summer whenever their tennis tournament is going on. The vibe is incredible.

If you are really really into tennis then you'll enjoy the history of the museum. If not and you're more of a casual fan, save the money and walk around the grounds on the outside to see how beautiful the grounds are. Employees around the grounds are spot on. However, some of those in the museum could use some training in professionalism, maybe they were just having an off day. Otherwise worth a visit just to see the grounds.

The Museum itself is a little underwhelming. I didn't feel like the selection of artifacts was that impressive. But the grounds are really lovely and impressive. Ultimately, worth a visit, but not essential.

I love tennis and I was looking forward to visit this place.Tried to search more information about the parking online and couldn't find too much so I tried to call and find out more.There is parking available on the street in front of this building and more parking across but you have to pay.Hopefully our hotel wasn't that far so we walked.Off season visit so they only had 2 other visitors in the same time with us which was nice. I read other reviews and I can totally see that it would be nicer during the summer but I can only imagine how busy it can get. I like it overall and the people at the front were friendly and helpful.The hologram was nice but I enjoyed the "you call the shot" feature where you get to record a favorite match and play it back so you get to hear your own commentary!!Pretty cool!The VR spot could have used more cleaning wipes (we used our own) and one of the interactive digital tables wasn't working so that was disappointing.Lots of other beautiful features like stained glass windows,trophies and the actual hall of fame were I was happy to find my favorites tennis players.

Didn't have time to stop and take a tour, but popped my head in after grabbing a cup of coffee near by. The grounds are pristine and if you're a The Gilded Age (HBO) fan, you'll immediately recognize it.

I am a huge fan of tennis so you know I had to visit the hall of fame when in town. The tickets were only $16 so why not. It didn't seem like a big destination since it was pretty empty when we came. The first thing that catches your eye when walking in js the nicely manicured grass courts. I have never seen grass courts before and these were cool to see. There is so much history here and I didn't even realize it. I think you can take lessons on the court if you want which is pretty cool. The museum itself is small but had a lot of cool artifacts in it. The Roger Federer hologram was fun and definitely a hit since that is my favorite player. They also have tv screens where you can watch highlights from memorable matches which we spent a lot of time at. They also have a couple fun little interactive games that are good for kids and adults. The one allowed you to do a play by play of a match and hear it back. Pretty fun. It was a fun time and you can be in and out of this place in 1-2 hours. We hung around the grounds a little and chilled out. They also have a little cafe where you can sit and have something to eat if needed. If you are a tennis fan you will like it otherwise I would skip.

7/23/2021 Came here for a cocktail party for a wedding that would happen on the next day. What a great venue for a cocktail party. There were a couple of guys volleying back and forth in early tennis gear. Very cool. This is a hall of fame/museum and I'm sorry to say we didn't get to explore the grounds too much. I'd like to come back another time and 'dig a little deeper' and see more of this place. If you are a tennis fan and in the area... don't miss this place.

Loved the vibe the openness and the history. Can't wait to rent a court and play . Looking forward to visiting more

I don't watch a lot of tennis games, but the International Tennis Hall Of Fame has a small self guided museum for both hard-core, casual, and non tennis fans. Admission is $15 for adult and $12 for student. The museum offers free docent-led tours each day at 11 AM and 2 PM from June to August. You can also opt to purchase an audio tour for an additional cost. For parking, I just parked the giant shopping center (Bellevue Gardens Shopping Center) located right across from the street and I believe 1st hour is free and 2nd hour requires parking validation from places like CVS. It took me about one hour to explore the entire museum. There are various small exhibits like the Birth of Tennis (1874 to 1918), the Popular Game (1918 to 1968), the Open Era (1968 to Present), and the Grand Slam Gallery. I thought the Roger Federer hologram was pretty cool (he went over 10 reasons why he loves the sport) and you can even read the teleprompter from actual tennis matches and record yourself. On a side note, you can visit the Pro Shop to reserve a court (2 players = $120 for one hour & $200 for two hours)! The Pro Shop also rent out ball machines and racquets. The Hall of Fame Tennis Club offers private & semi-private instructions as well as hosts round robin social on each Thursday from 5 to 7 PM (must sign up 48 hours in advance via the online Member Portal or call the pro-shop). It is a neat museum and I would recommend spending a hour or two here while visiting Newport. P.S. - There is also the viewing gallery for court tennis (aka "Real Tennis" or "Royal Tennis") located on the upper level of the East Porch.

This is a must while visiting Newport! You can walk the grounds and see people playing and in the grass courts without paying admission - but it's worth every penny to visit. They offer all kinds of discounts - to USTA members, students and seniors - and admission is worth every penny. So many cool tennis artifacts and interactive displays. The Roger Federer hologram is awesome - as is the Arthur Ashe virtual reality display. We were really pleasantly surprised. Top notch!! This was a highlight of our visit to Newport!

This is a real nice place to tour even if you're not into tennis. There is so much history here, it takes a bit of time to digest it all. The grounds are spotless, very well-manicured. The museum with its artifacts is something to behold. T The grass courts are akin to Wimbledon in England.

We are big tennis fans!! From Ohio, and this was SO cool. Everything abt it was really neat!

I'm really surprised the Tennis Hall of Fame has only 43 reviews. I figured it'd receive a lot more recognition for what this place is all about....including the fact that it's located in the wonderful town of Newport! Although I'm a huge tennis fan, anyone exploring Newport should stop on by....even if you don't spend much time at the museum, at least just walking the grounds is pretty iconic. I actually visited the week after Wimbledon ended in mid July. It was ideal timing because this place actually hosts an ATP Men's 250 level professional tournament. Some of the best players in the world come to Newport to compete in the Hall of Fame Championships as it's the last event for the year that's played on grass before the start of the summer hard court swing. For me coming here after Wimbledon, I got the best of both worlds. I was able to tour the Hall of Fame Museum, (which is a relatively small enshrinement to some of the greatest players ever to have picked up a racket) all the while enjoying professional tennis right before my own eyes! I purchased tickets for 2 days of the HOF Tournament Championships. Daily tickets cost $46. Since I was visiting from out of town, money didn't matter. I was excited to catch phenomenal athletes playing at the pinnacle of the game. Combine this with spending time discovering Newport and it made for a fun extended weekend. Btw, Newport is a great little seaside town located right on the cusp of the water in the heart of Rhode Island. The HOF and tournament are located in the downtown area. After you exit, you can leisurely stroll the streets and enjoy the sights. It took me a little over an hour to traverse around the HOF. I did this right after opening in the morning before the tennis matches got underway. It was a nice beginning towards my first day here. Ultimately, the pro tennis tournament was my favorite moment from coming here. It's a one of a kind experience to observe tennis being played on grass courts. In these modern times, grass courts are endangered. It's veritable that they still keep up with traditions. During this week after Wimbledon, and yearly on the last Sunday of this tennis tournament, they induct new members into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. It's a special opportunity to watch on as some of the best tennis players and ambassadors to the sport get immortalized into history. Besides Newport being known for yachting and all the incredible mansions located on Bellevue Avenue,...after seeing the Tennis Hall of Fame and spending time here at the HOF Championships, the best part about Newport was....The Cliff Walk!!! Briefly I'll mention, it's a 3.5 mile or so walk along the water's edge behind the mansions looking out onto the seacoast. It's a fantastic stroll and or hike and is an ABSOLUTE MUST while seeing this town. It's free of charge and the views and scenery are HIGHLY PHOTOGENIC!!! The Cliff Walk sort of punctuated my great vacation in Newport. I highly recommend coming here for a few days, especially in mid July after Wimbledon ends. Not only can you tour the HOF and explore all around Newport.....but you'll be afforded the opportunity as a spectator to world class tennis.

Bottom Line: A well curated museum that is a great place to learn about American history in addition to tennis. I don't really have any interest in tennis but I do really like American history, architecture and the Smithsonian Institute. For those reasons, I was glad to accompany my SO to the International Tennis Hall of Fame which recently became a Smithsonian affiliate. I enjoyed learning about the 100+ year old Casino and its original uses such as tennis, billiards, flower shows and dancing. It's very neat that this building is still in tact and that the Library had been restored to its 1880s look. Through the restored library and other exhibits, I enjoyed imagining what it was like to hang out at this opulent private club which was only open for three months of the year. The marble mosaic floor, original detailed woodwork and famous shingle exterior all made for a quaint experience. At the ITHOF, I also enjoyed learning about the evolution of tennis and seeing how women's dress evolved over the century. In the early 1990s women wore their ankle length Victorian dresses and used a clip to raise their hem a few inches for better mobility. Fast forward a century and Serena Williams was strutting her stuff in a black lace tennis dress that drew international attention. Oh how times have changed! The grass courts were really neat to see including the court that evolved into today's US Open. I can't imagine playing tennis on grass. (Although I can't really imagine trying to play tennis at all.). There is so much history here and even if tennis isn't your favorite sport, the ITHOF shouldn't be overlooked!

Among Newport's attractions, don't miss the Tennis museum Hall of Fame. I'm not a tennis player, however, I spent hours to discover it. This museum, housed in the Newport Casino, is GREAT to learn tennis history and its contributors. There are a lot of artifacts, explanations, and interactive interactions. The 1st U.S. National Championships was hosted here, so grab your racquet to play on the grass courts or the Royal tennis court! A must see! Discover more with : http://daydreamunderthestars.com/2019/04/28/match-point-the-international-tennis-hall-of-fame/

I was lucky to get on a 11 am tour of the ITHF museum and it was an hour well spent with our knowledgeable and friendly guide. I've learned a lot about tennis history and famous players of the past. For someone who has any interest of tennis this is a great place to visit! I also recommend watching the "Borg vs McEnroe" movie.

Great visit. They have many interesting exhibits which are fun if you are a tennis psycho, like our family, or are a newcomer to the sport. The venue provides an opportunity for you to play on grass tennis courts if you'd like . Make sure that you check ahead if you would like to do this. Short walk from many of the other sights in Newport.

Tennis fan or not, this place is the shiz. FIrst of all, props to Rhody for having this gem to begin with. It's sa-weeet. So, there's a museum, a restaurant, and grass practice and match courts. Tournaments will occasionally come through here, most recently the Campbell's Championship. I was able to see Lleyton Hewitt and Dudi Sela and a few other big names--all in my backyard. It's also a great chance to see grass play, which is a rarity around here. The bleachers are scorching hot, but hell, aren't all bleachers, everywhere? If you can score seats under an awning, do it, because your level of enjoyment will increase exponentially. The cool thing is that you're super close to the action--it's a really fascinating experience on that end. You stroll right by the pros who play, so play it cool if you're a groupie. The museum is really cool, even if you're not a tennis fan, history buffs will like this place as well. They have some solid memorabilia, and the exhibits are really well done. It runs you the price of a movie ticket, so plan for that if you have a family. Overall, it's a lovely little gem that shouldn't be missed if you're in the Newport area for a vacation.

The Tennis Hall of Fame is a bit different than what I expected. When I think of a "Hall of Fame" I tend to think of it being about the inductees. Something along the lines of the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton. Really the Museum part of the title is more apt. There are small areas for the inductees (as an interesting twist, they have them on small video monitors where you can touch and pull up lifetime stats, watch a small clip of them playing, etc. Nicely interactive.), but it's more about the history of tennis. Many of the early rooms are set up with some exhibits about the evolution of tennis from the early days (and how it was played with different types of racquets, etc) through the modern era. Towards the end of the museum, there's memorabilia exhibits: Rafael Nadal's shoes from the French Open, Monica Seles' shirt, etc. With all this, the museum is fairly short and can easily be done in an hour or two. But the area is a bit more than the museum. There are some grass courts, including a center court tucked in between the museum and a restaurant. These are in playable condition and a pro tournament is held here in the summer. Touring the grounds are free, although the museum will set you back $11 ($9 for seniors).

Cyndy's Bottom Line: Tennis anyone? Or Anyone for tennis? Either one this museum is for the tennis player enthusiast. Great memorabilia galore. I enjoyed the history of the Guilded Age and tennis, the fashion, the architectural aspect of the building and the grounds were so beautiful.

One of the most unique spots in Rhode Island and that's saying something we are the home so some pretty unique things. The place is such a beauty it make me feel like I'm stepping back in time. I feel I should be in Victorian garb lightly capping my gloved hands together while holding my parasol to shade my precious pale skin. But alas its 2012 and my iPhone just chirped to tell me a friend just posted a semi inappropriate picture of Facebook. The last time I was here was for an IIDA (interior design association) event where we played croquet on the courts and had dinner. The staff of the Tennis Hall of Fame was fantastic. They had pros on the court to teach us the rule of croquet and they managed to hold their laughter when we all sucked. I'm not sure if everyone will get the opportunity to play croquet on the court but even if you don't and just go for a match the scenery is beautiful and the experience is unique. A must on anyone's first time trip to Newport.

I recently attended a work event here a few weeks ago during the Newport Food & Wine Festival and it was fabulous. All of the bite sized cocktail appetizers were absolutely delicious and there was no shortage of alcohol whatsoever from the cute mini bars set up. I'm not sure how much of the decorations were on them or us, but regardless it was a beautiful setting and all of the staff were so accommodating and friendly.

My fiancee had never been to a professional tennis match and I wanted to finally give him that gift...and I figured I'd enjoy it a bit too. As far as I'm concerned, we couldn't have had a better 4th of July. The weather was fantastic, we were watching professional tennis and we were in Newport! I would love to come back here again but if I know that the weather will be hot, here are the three things I'll do differently next time around: 1. Bring my big floppy hat 2. Try to get seats on the north, east or west sides otherwise it is *really* hot on the bleachers under the scorching sun 3. Bring a cooler with food and drinks! For $20 each, this is an activity I can certainly see us doing again!

If you are a tennis fan this is the place for you! While the museum itself is on the small side, there is much to see and learn about the history of the sport, the greatest players to have picked up a racquet, and some interesting artifacts. This is where they used to hold the US Open before it moved to New York. There are grass courts outside that are still used for tournaments. it's a beautiful sight, for sure. B of A offers a great deal for it's customers, who can see this museum for free one weekend per month (first weekend?). Visits are likely to take around 45 to 60 minutes, or more if you are really into tennis. Parking is not easy around this area but there is parking at the shopping mall across the street. The first hour is free, with the second hour free with validation from any of the stores there. A purchase of an ice cream cone at the creamery did the trick!. This allowed more than enough time to tour the museum and visit some of the nearby shops.

Great tournament with excellent view points from anywhere within the establishment. Multiple courts with singles and doubles play offer the game you want to see when you want to see it. The vendors although very highly priced are extremely nice and polite. The tournament spans several days and offers a chance to see some of the most impressive players in the world. I would highly recommend paying the extra dollars for a seat in the shade as the sun can be brutal this time of year. Along with your ticket purchase, complimentary access to the museum is included and has air conditioning! Overall an amazing experience; I will definitely be back next year.

Planned a day in Newport without even knowing this place existed but was pretty excited when we found out it did. I expected far less than what they had. What a cool place. I was more than pleasantly surprised and impressed. 100% glad we went and I really wish there was a large print of the awesome Billy Jean King painting in there. I highly recommend going here. A+!

Great trip down memory lane! I've been to Newport dozens of times in my life and never ventured into the HOF. My wife and I always did the museums. We ventured in today and it was a great decision. We are just modest tennis fans but know all the past and present players and how great they were and are. It's a self guided tour that takes you all the way back to the beginning and back up to the the current day. There are plenty of film clips, clothing worn by the greats, and little known facts about all the great ones. We enjoyed seeing the grass courts up close. I would love to come back when they have the induction ceremony. Front desk person was a pleasure and it took us about 75 minutes to get through. If you're a fanatic, probably longer. A must see for any level tennis fan.

This is probably the most unique attraction in Newport. Cliffs and mansions are cool to look at, but lots of places have cliffs and mansions. This is THE International Tennis Hall of Fame. If one has any level of interest in the sport and finds oneself in Newport, this is a must -see. Instead of giving a blow-by-blow of all the contents of the museum, I will tell you the two most interesting elements to me. First was the initial upstairs room, featuring a plaque for each of the 235 members of the Hall of Fame. There is a brief description with vital statistics, but even cooler is the interactive display showing more information, a personal quote, and match highlights. Unfortunately, I gobbled up all the content in the front on the more recent players with which I was familiar, so that by the time that I got to the far side of the room and the older members about which I knew little or nothing, I was itching to move on. I had burned myself out on reading and wanted to take in some objects. Next time I will read up on all those old-timers first; they deserve equal glory, if not greater! Fortunately, the later galleries covered many of the pioneers and early stars, so I got a good education on tennis history. The next portion was fascinating--displays of tennis-related artefacts from the early years of the sport, starting in the middle ages up through about the 1920s. Predictably (if you know me), my favorite piece in the entire museum was Lucas Gassel's 1538 oil painting "The Grounds of a Renaissance Palace," the first known work to portray tennis (so-called "real [i.e. royal] tennis" as opposed to its immediate descendant, the modern game of lawn tennis). I breezed through the later galleries from the 50s to the 10s, partially because of museum fatigue and partially because I was more familiar with those times. But no matter what period your interest, it's a great museum in which to spend two hours or so. We saved two dollars each with a AAA discount and paid three extra each for an audio tour. One criticism of the audio tour is that it could be better coordinated with the galleries. If you read everything and listen to everything, there is a lot of content to absorb, so you end up skipping some to keep up the pace. In any case, our total of $13 apiece seemed like a good deal for how much time we spent here and how unique the place is. Be aware that, like many other places in town, the museum and grounds close at 5pm.

What a great museum! Our son wanted to visit, and we all enjoyed it! Great tour guide, Liz, was so knowledgeable and gave a great tour! Recommend to everyone.

My wife and I are both tennis fans. We do not play too often anymore, but we do enjoy watching. So a visit to the International Tennis Hall of Fame was so worth it for us! We have been to Newport, RI twice and each time we made a stop here. On both visits here which were a few years apart, it costed us $10 each for us to enter the museum. The regular adult price was $12, but there was a $2 discount for AAA members. Kids under 16 are free. We were happily surprised that the entry price did not increase. On our visits here, we spent a few hours wandering the grounds and enjoying the museum. The museum has many wonderful displays of all the tennis hall of famers. My wife was especially thrilled to see the Steffi Graf section cause Steffi has been her favorite tennis star since the beginning. There are so much to see and learn here. If you like learning about the history of tennis, then this is the place to come. The grounds themselves are beautiful as well. There are plenty of terrific photo opps here. We were wishing we could play tennis on their grass courts. Oh well. The architecture of the buildings of the Newport Casino which houses the Hall of Fame museum is very impressive and photogenic as well. Check out the International Tennis Hall of Fame here in Newport, RI if you have a few hours to spare. It is fabulous!

Do you like amazing architecture, getting a glimpse of a forgotten era or anything to do with sports? Do you appreciate seeing something completely magical right in the middle of a tourist mecca, as opposed to encountering another J. Crew or Starbucks? If so, do not let your trip to Newport be all about the mansions, the food, drinks and bikini shopping for the beaches. Be sure to stop in to the Tennis Hall of Fame, which really is a stunning destination in the middle of Bellevue Avenue. Keep in mind that many architectural wonders on this very unique street have been demolished over the years, succumbing to the wrecking ball of progress. All that's left of many historic structures are pictures on old postcards and some of the old walls and driveways that belonged to some incredible buildings, both residential and commercial. While many remain, thank goodness, places like the Tennis Hall of Fame are a lovely reminder of a time that many people will never experience. If you want to, you can play tennis here or have a tennis lesson from the pros. This is not a private club. Playing on grass is really different, and much harder than you might expect. You can attempt court tennis, an indoor game similar to squash which has so many rules that you may have a melt down. It's great exercise, however, and this is one of the few places on the east coast where you can try it out. You can also watch tennis, visit the museum and even go to some concerts here. The opening night of the Jazz Festival has been especially memorable. You may see Steffi Graf and Andre Agassi, Chris Evert or Bud Collins wandering around in the summer. Do not miss this jewel when you go to Newport.

We rented a court for an hour and half for a whopping 175.00. Great court condition.....but when we see about to finish with about 5 minutes left we let the next players coming on the we were about to finish last point and game. Common courtesy in tennis, same as we did with the people in court before us. About 1 minute late one "member" walks behind our court and across the court and let's us know we can continue. Then the other group of men, one of them starts waving his hand telling us we have to leave. My guess is the 8 men in total had an issue with a woman playing on their courts. I have played tennis for over 45 years and am well aware of etiquette. Stay far away from this chauvinistic club and enjoy the many other beautiful things of Newport. May be the oldest tennis court in the USA but chivalry and class died a long time ago at this place.

The Tennis Hall of Fame was on my list of things to see while in Newport. I have been a huge tennis fan since I was a kid. I thought this HOF is great tribute to the origins of the game up until the present. For anyone that is a fan or plays tennis I would highly recommend experiencing this HOF.

The bf and I were very excited about visiting the Tennis Hall of Fame. Having both grown up with tennis being a big part of our lives, we were eager to visit this place and reminisce about all the great tennis moments of our past. The hall of fame museum is situated on the Newport Casino, the oldest lawn courts in the US. While the casino claims that the courts are still in use, I didn't see anyone playing on the courts. We also were not able to visit some parts of the club house as it was under construction. The museum itself was more about the history of tennis than about the hall of famers. When I asked the ticketer downstairs where I could find a listing of all the members of the hall of fame, they pointed me to a t-shirt in the gift shop. While it was cool to see the racquets, clothes, and posters related to tennis since it came to the US, I would have liked to see more info on the hall of famers. Overall, we were glad we went to see this place but were not wowed by what they had on display. The place was too focused on the history of the sport and not on the people who have made history in the sport. Additionally, there was so many trinkets and clothes cramped into the space that it was hard to follow the flow of the museum and understand what they were trying to highlight. I think this is a cool place to visit if you happen to be in Newport but I wouldn't go out of my way to come here.

This place is awesome. I'm a huge sports fan but wasn't expecting too much, to be honest. I didn't think there would be too much genuine memorabilia from the biggest stage in the game. How wrong I was. Roger Federer's kit from the 2009 French Open and Wimbledon finals is pretty big stage. And remarkably recent. I wonder if they washed them. Still, very impressed was I. I like the way they build up from old trophies and recollection of the history of the game up to the modern day, with interactive videos and stats to browse. Additionally, the grounds are really well kept and the kids playing around the back were pretty handy! Well worth the $10 entry fee.

You will "LOVE - LOVE" this place! Get off the beaten path and venture into the Tennis Hall of Fame. It is a remarkable display of some of the finest individuals sports have revealed. Just a few minutes off the bay shopping, dining and mansion gazing sits this little gem. Well, it's not so little. Plan to spend a couple of hours ... you might get drawn in by the pictures and stories and want to stay a little longer. The Museum is very well done and almost gave me a magical feeling to be where the tennis greats once walked. It's a place some only get to see on TV, but come here to get a view from the surprisingly small grand stands. It puts it all into perspective. Be sure to bring a jacket to walk a little outside.

My husband is an avid tennis player and coach who is out this season after back surgery for a tennis-related injury, so we thought that a visit to The International Tennis Hall of Fame was in order. We had tickets for the tournament on Tuesday, June 9th - it is worth noting that you can only visit the museum on a day for which you have tournament tickets. The museum was interesting. We went through it pretty quickly, having just skimmed a lot of the stories and glanced at the pictures. There wasn't much on the more contemporary players, but we enjoyed really seeing the history of tennis through the museum. Articles like letters to Arthur Ashe, Randy Snow's wheelchair, double-strung racquets, and various trophies and outfits were a lot of fun to see. We had North Courtside tickets to the tournament and I don't know that I would buy those seats again in the future. A good amount of view was obstructed by the ball-boy and ref, but if we craned our necks we could see. My husband eventually moved to an empty seat. The third match, in which Hewitt played, moved to another of the three courts and we were able to clearly see that entire match. The bathrooms were really clean and beautiful, considering the sheer number of people coming in and out of the place all day. The grounds were also lovely. I never felt overwhelmed, like I can sometimes feel at the US Open, because there wasn't a massive amount of ground to really cover and the organizers did a fantastic job of setting everything up in a way that made a lot of sense. Parking was a bit tricky, but we ended up parking in the lot across the street - a tip: the first hour of parking is free, and the second hour is also free with validation from any of the stores attached to the lot (CVS, Newport Creamery, etc,). We ended up paying $5 because we went slightly over the second hour (which was free because we bought ice cream at CVS) on Monday. However, on Tuesday we were able to find free parking on a residential street a short walk away, which was lovely because we got to see some beautiful houses and a very old cemetery.

This is a definite must see for tennis fans. An ATP tournament is held here as well which is pretty cool but it doesn't usually see the top ranked players. You can reserve a grass court to play on for a mere $80 for 30 minutes (really steep rate). You can also go on a self guided tour for $12 (usta, student) to $15 (adults) which has some great historical exhibits on evolution of the game, clothes, and racquets, and bios on inductees. The ITHF shop had a very poor selection of merchandise (both for clothes and souvenirs). I wish they had a better variety to choose from

I'm not a huge fan of tennis, but my boyfriend is. We decided to stop here after our mansion tour since it was included in our Go Boston card. The museum has an intensive collection and history of tennis. Pretty interesting. It took us about 30 mins inside the museum, but if you're really into tennis, it could probably take you a couple of hours reading through everything and learning the history of tennis and about all the all star players. Seeing an actual professional tennis field was pretty neat also. Would have been really cool if we were here and able to see an actual tennis match!

WOW! For a tennis player this is quite a treat! The history, the items on display -awesome. For my family the highlight was being able to play on the grass courts!