When Greg Llewellyn participated in Tennis Tots at age 6, his father gave him a piece of advice: If you learn this game, you can do it for the rest of your life. His words proved true — more than 45 years later, at age 53, Llewellyn is still playing. He’s also the head pro at Towpath Tennis Center in Akron’s Merriman Valley, where he helps those around ages 4 to 85 develop a lifelong love for the sport.
“It is challenging. You don’t need a lot of people to play,” he says. “It’s a good feeling to make people appreciate the game I’ve played my whole life.”
Pay to play or become a member at the 11.5-plus-acre center, which features six indoor tennis courts — which can convert into 14 indoor pickleball courts — six outdoor dedicated pickleball courts and two outdoor tennis courts. Towpath is currently adding two more outdoor tennis courts that can be converted into pickleball courts.
Many pickleball players are flocking to Towpath to play the fastest-growing sport in the U.S. “Pickleball may prove to be less challenging, but it’s a terrific gateway to the world’s healthiest sport: tennis,” Llewellyn says.
You can also take tennis lessons from instructors like Llewellyn, during which you might work on rallying the ball, perfecting your forehand and backhand groundstrokes or developing your serve.
Guests can also learn to play for pure enjoyment.
“The beauty of tennis is that you can have fun just hitting the ball back and forth with no score,” says owner and manager Dallas Aleman.
For those seeking more excitement, the center also offers competitive matches and tournaments. In the summer, Towpath has 26 United States Tennis Association teams, in which players 18 and older and at a 2.5 skill level and higher can participate. In the fall and spring, there are 12 to 13 USTA teams. Clay Rexrode, who worked with Llewellyn, is in a 55-plus 6.0 league. He took just a few years to grasp the sport and won nationals with his team in 2021. Towpath is hosting 16 USTA tournaments in 2026. There are eight signature pickleball tournaments a year. It hosted the Akron Open Pickleball Championship in June and is hosting the Akron Open tennis championship on select dates from July 12 to 26, with both drawing hundreds, including those from out of state.
Towpath makes tennis accessible. It offers a Tuesday ACEing Autism program, which received a national award. Plus, there is also adaptive tennis for children and adults with disabilities. Those with post-traumatic stress disorder can play with the help of service or therapy dogs. Volunteers work with students to adapt the game to their abilities. For example, one student cannot use his left side, so he shifts actions to the right, and a partner throws the ball so he can serve. For this student and others, tennis director Katie Orlando has seen great results.
“He used to not be able to hold the racket by himself. Now he’s swinging by himself,” she says. “He smiles every time he plays.”
Children especially can enjoy the innovative 10-by-16-foot Multiball, which combines tennis with over 40 wall-projected games. Kids can participate by hitting targets with tennis balls — an exciting way for players to improve their accuracy, precision and speed while enjoying the fun of technology that’s rare in Ohio.
Open since 1967, Towpath overhauled its Tennis Lodge clubhouse, featuring its courts and pro shop, in 2021 — with a new biophilic design inspired by the surrounding Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Encounter high ceilings, abundant plants, natural light and wooden floors.
“It’s all woods, stone, light — man’s inclination to be drawn toward nature,” Aleman says. “When you come in here, you have a warm feeling.”
The rentable 2,500-square-foot Tennis Lodge mezzanine event space on the second floor has large panoramic windows overlooking the valley, a kitchenette and an accessible lift.
Styled like a cedar cabin and displaying CVNP photos, the recently renovated Basecamp building has more rentable event space with wood-paneled walls, a kitchenette and a string-lit patio from which you can see kayakers on the Cuyahoga River, runners on the nearby Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail and trains chugging along the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad across the river.
Towpath is a haven where you can renew your body and mind. People who play racket and paddle sports on a regular basis are said to live an extra 9.7 years, according to studies. The Towpath team wants to keep passing on those benefits.
“It’s a healthy way to keep the brain active,” says Orlando. “The stresses of the day are gone. You’re just doing the sport you love.”
2108 Akron Peninsula Road, Akron, 330-928-8763, towpathtennis.com
Maggie Harris
Towpath Tennis Center
Maggie Harris
Maggie Harris
