Pickup basketball questions, answered

These are common questions about playing pickup basketball in metro Atlanta — where to find open gym, what courts cost, who can get in. Each one is answered from our court directory and from what the venues publish themselves. Where a venue doesn't say, we tell you that too.

• How do I find a pickup basketball game in Atlanta?

  There are three ways, in order of reliability: check a rec center that publishes its open-gym schedule, show up at a lighted public park court in the evening, or use an app to see runs before you drive. Metro Atlanta has hundreds of gyms and park courts, but only a handful post times, so calling ahead still beats guessing.

• How much does open gym basketball cost in Atlanta?

  Between free and $10 a session, depending on which city runs the gym. Brookhaven and Acworth are free. Gwinnett County charges $2.25 for adults, Peachtree City $3, Roswell $4, Decatur $5 — each roughly doubling for non-residents. Kennesaw sells a $20-a-year membership instead of a drop-in rate. City of Atlanta rec centers publish no drop-in price at all.

• Where can I play indoor basketball in Atlanta?

  Indoor basketball in metro Atlanta lives in four places: city and county rec centers, church family-life centers, school gyms rented by the hour, and private training facilities. We track 1,221 indoor gyms across Georgia. The ones you can walk into without booking first are rec centers and a short list of church gyms — everything else needs a reservation.

• Where can I play basketball in Decatur, GA?

  Decatur has the best-documented open gym in metro Atlanta. Ebster Recreation Center runs adult basketball Tuesdays and Thursdays 10am–2pm, Saturdays 10am–1pm and Sundays 3–5:45pm. Oakhurst adds Thursdays 7–9pm, Saturdays noon–2pm and Sundays 3–6pm. Drop-in is $5 for City of Decatur residents, $10 for everyone else. McKoy Park has the outdoor court.

• Where can I play pickup basketball on a weeknight in Atlanta?

  Four metro gyms publish weeknight basketball: Oakhurst Recreation Center in Decatur on Thursdays 7–9pm, Roswell's Bill Johnson Community Activity Building on Tuesdays and Thursdays 6–7:30pm, Kennesaw First Baptist on Mondays 6:30–9pm for men 16 and over, and Hembree Park in Roswell on Mondays and Wednesdays until 8pm. Everywhere else, call first.

• How do I rent a gym for basketball in Atlanta?

  Almost every school gym in metro Atlanta rents by the hour through its district's facility-use portal — Atlanta Public Schools, Fulton, Cobb, DeKalb, Gwinnett and Clayton each run their own. Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta rents its gyms through one central page. Expect to file a request in advance, show proof of insurance, and pay an hourly rate set by the district.