Palm Bay Recreation Guide

Palm Bay has two city community centers, Tony Rosa on Port Malabar Boulevard and Ted Whitlock on Championship Circle, both open Monday to Friday 9 AM to 8:30 PM and Saturday 9 AM to 4:30 PM.

The Tony Rosa Community Center, at 1502 Port Malabar Blvd. NE and (321) 952-3443, has a full basketball gymnasium, a weight room, a cardio room with treadmills and locker rooms; its saunas and racquetball courts are closed until further notice (Tony Rosa Community Center). The Ted Whitlock Community Center, (321) 952-3231, is an 18,000 sq. ft. building inside Fred Poppe Regional Park with a gymnasium, a banquet kitchen, a divisible banquet room and a billiards room (Ted Whitlock Community Center). Both close on Sundays and holidays, and a membership bought at Tony Rosa also works at Ted Whitlock.

Age rules at the Palm Bay centers are strict: no one under 13 may use the weight or cardio room, teens 13 to 15 need a parent beside them, and 16 and 17 year olds need a signed waiver (Palm Bay Community Center Memberships). The two city pages disagree on day passes for the weight room: the memberships page lists a $5 daily weight room visit at Tony Rosa, while the Tony Rosa page says daily fees are no longer available for the weight room, so a call to (321) 952-3443 before a visit settles it. The Palm Bay community centers guide covers classes, open gym times and the waiver process.

Turkey Creek Sanctuary, at 1518 Port Malabar Blvd. NE beside the Tony Rosa Community Center, is the main Palm Bay spot for walking, biking and paddling, free and open daily from 7 AM until sunset.

The 130 acre Palm Bay sanctuary, established in 1981, has a 1.85 mile boardwalk through wet hammock, moist hammock and sand pine scrub, 1.5 miles of jogging trails, and a 1 mile mountain bike trail that connects to an additional 8 miles (Turkey Creek Sanctuary). The Margaret Hames Nature Center, (321) 676-6690, is open 9 AM to 4 PM and is staffed by volunteers, so a call ahead saves a wasted trip. Pets are not allowed in the sanctuary; only service animals are.

Paddlers reach Turkey Creek from the Turkey Creek Kayak Launch at 815 Briar Creek Blvd, where the city lists guided tours and rentals by Melbourne Kayak Rentals on Saturdays and Sundays, reserved in advance (Turkey Creek Sanctuary). Goode Park at 1300 Bianca Dr NE has a boat ramp and dock on Turkey Creek (Palm Bay City Parks). The sanctuary now has new restroom facilities and a drinking fountain with a bottle filler. The Palm Bay trails and mountain biking guide and the kayaking Turkey Creek guide map the routes and launch points.

The City of Palm Bay lists dog parks at Fred Poppe Regional Park, 1951 Malabar Rd NW, and at Ken Greene Memorial Park, 550 Riviera Dr NE, while Turkey Creek Sanctuary bans pets.

Fred Poppe Regional Park, phone (321) 952-3231, pairs its dog park with a fully accessible playground, ball fields, cricket and a disc golf course, and Ken Greene Memorial Park, phone (321) 952-3443, adds lighted basketball courts and a combo pickleball and tennis court (Palm Bay City Parks). The Palm Bay dog parks guide covers park rules and hours.

Palm Bay Recreation runs adult pickleball leagues at the Ted Whitlock Community Center, with a Winter Adult Pickleball League starting Wednesday, November 4, and a summer camp for ages 6 to 12 at Tony Rosa.

The Palm Bay winter league is for players 16 and older, plays on Wednesday or Thursday evenings with games starting between 6 and 8 PM, takes registrations until Wednesday, October 21, and costs $50 per team of two plus $5 for each extra player, with four players at most (Palm Bay Pickleball). For drop in play, the Tony Rosa Community Center has three pickleball courts and Ted Whitlock has four (Palm Bay Community Center Memberships).

Palm Bay Summer Fun Camp at the Tony Rosa Community Center runs Monday through Friday from 7 AM to 6 PM and costs $110 a week, with online registration on a first come basis (Palm Bay Youth Camp Programs). A YMCA Summer Camp at Ted Whitlock offers eligible families 25% assistance toward weekly fees, and families approved for free or reduced lunch can ask about a city camp discount. The Palm Bay pickleball, athletic leagues and summer camps guides list seasons, divisions and registration dates.

Palm Bay pavilion rentals run from $25 a day for a small pavilion to $105 a day plus tax for a large pavilion with electric and water, such as those at Fred Poppe Regional Park and Liberty Park.

Palm Bay reservations are first come, first served and are generally accepted up to one year ahead; every renter is subject to pre-approval and a contract is required (Palm Bay Rentals). Pavilions are available every day from dawn to dusk, including holidays, but the two community centers and the Captain's House are not rented on city holidays or on the Holiday Parade day, the first Saturday of December. The Palm Bay facility rentals guide covers room rentals at both centers.

McGriff Skate Park at 1146 De Groodt Rd SW closed on October 5, 2026 for ramp repairs and recoating, with reopening anticipated in December 2026, while Driskell Park and a new Liberty Park hockey rink opened October 3.

The renovated Palm Bay park at 2155 Monroe St NE, Driskell Park, reopened with a fully renovated restroom interior, about 1,000 linear feet of replaced and upgraded sidewalk, and new basketball court surfaces and goals (Palm Bay Recreation). The Palm Bay Recreation events list also shows a gym closure for elections on October 15, 2026. The December date for McGriff depends on weather and project conditions, so the city page is the place to confirm before a trip.

Eight Palm Bay recreation guides cover the section, from the community centers guide to the facility rentals guide, each answering one question in depth.

Every Palm Bay recreation guide in the table links from the related content block below this answer. Last verified: October 15, 2026, on the City of Palm Bay Recreation website.