On the evening of June 2, 2025, Foley held a dedication for its new public pickleball complex just north of the Coastal Alabama Farmers and Fishermen's Market. Within minutes, 48 players had filled every court. The 12 lighted courts were free, impact fees paid for them, and they stay open every day until 10 p.m. They don't have a roof, though.
As of this month, the city has an indoor gym too. On Thursday, November 5, 2026, Foley dedicated the renovated Foley Activity Center at 315 E. Jessamine Avenue. The building is the old National Guard armory that sits behind City Hall. Its gym gives Foley indoor courts run by the city. Together with the outdoor complex and the private courts at OWA, it gives Foley three places to play that each cover different hours of the week.
A Gym Floor Inside the Former Fort William L. Smith
The renovated building covers 16,000 square feet. According to the City of Foley's dedication announcement, the new gymnasium can be set up for three pickleball courts, one basketball court or one volleyball court. Those sports share a single floor, so it holds one layout at a time.
The building also has:
- Classroom space for recreation programs and senior activities
- A sensory space for special-needs programming and events
- Climate-controlled storage for the city's museum archives
- Offices for Parks and Recreation, the Communications Department and Leisure Services administration
Paul Carpenter Davis Architecture designed the renovation, Del-Con LLC built it, and it cost about $1.97 million. Since the Leisure Services staff now work in the same building as the gym, questions about the courts go to the people who schedule them.
The classrooms are new, and they don't replace anything. The Foley Senior Center at 304 E. Rose Ave. keeps running on its own schedule, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Membership there is open to anyone 50 and older and costs $15 a year. Its posted classes include yoga at 10 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays, Tai Chi at 11 a.m. on Wednesdays and Zumba at 10 a.m. on Fridays. Exercise classes cost $2 for members and $4 for nonmembers.
What the November Calendar Shows
Foley's recreation registration site, Foley Recreation on RecDesk, has four drop-in entries for every day of November 2026 that the gym is open: Pickleball, Basketball, Volleyball and Walking. The calendar lists them under the Foley Parks & Recreation Office, which now has its offices in the renovated building.
- Weekdays: The drop-in blocks run from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Friday.
- Saturdays: The blocks run from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Sundays: The gym is closed. Its facility listing shows the same weekday and Saturday hours and no Sunday hours.
- Sign-up: The Volleyball Daily Drop In listing allows online registration, lists a $0 daily fee and requires the Foley Activity Waiver.
- Questions: Leisure Services answers at 251-970-5020 or [email protected]. Call there for pickleball details, including where each drop-in meets and how the gym floor is split during a given block.
All four sports are listed for the same time blocks, and the gym holds only one layout at a time. So the 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. window is the period when drop-in play is scheduled. It doesn't promise three pickleball courts will be set up the whole time.
The walking entry stands out. On a hot or stormy day, an indoor floor on the city calendar is somewhere to get your steps in without going to a store or a private gym.
How the Three Options Split the Week
Foley already had both outdoor and indoor pickleball. The armory fills in the hours between them.
| Outdoor complex | Foley Activity Center | Pickleball at OWA | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Address | 671 Kenny Stabler, by the Farmers & Fishermen's Market | 315 E. Jessamine Ave., behind City Hall | 200-A N. OWA Blvd. |
| Courts | 12 lighted | Up to 3 on a shared gym floor | 4 |
| Roof | No | Yes | Yes |
| Hours | Sunrise to 10 p.m. daily | Mon–Fri 8 a.m.–8 p.m., Sat 8 a.m.–2 p.m. | Staffed guest hours Sun–Fri 10 a.m.–7 p.m., Sat 8 a.m.–8 p.m. |
| Cost | Free | City drop-in; call Leisure Services | $10 per hour for guests |
| Run by | City of Foley | City of Foley | Pickleball at OWA |
Line the hours up and each place covers a different part of the week.
Weekday mornings in bad weather belong to the armory. It opens at 8 a.m., and OWA's staffed guest hours start at 10 a.m. on weekdays. For anyone without an OWA membership, the armory is the only indoor option during those first two hours.
Weekday evenings depend on the weather and what time you finish. The armory runs until 8 p.m., OWA's guest hours end at 7 p.m., and the outdoor courts stay lit until 10 p.m. On a clear night, the outdoor complex at the Farmers & Fishermen's Market is the last public place still open.
Saturday afternoons move to OWA. The city gym closes at 2 p.m., and OWA's guest hours run until 8 p.m.
Sundays come down to the weather. The armory is closed, so on a wet Sunday the indoor choice is OWA, with guest hours from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. On a dry Sunday, the free outdoor courts are open from sunrise.
The outdoor complex has its own rules. The Foley Sports Tourism listing for the courts says public play is first come, first served, and lessons, leagues and tournaments need city approval. When the courts opened, Leisure Services Executive Director David Thompson made the case for those long hours in the city's opening announcement:
"They're open every day until 10 p.m., so whether you're up early or out late, these lighted courts are ready when you are."
The lights handle the dark, but they can't do anything about rain. The armory covers that gap during the hours its doors are open.
Why the Gym Sits Behind City Hall
The building has been around longer than the drop-in calendar. Foley's first National Guard unit, the 106th Motorcycle Company of the 31st Division, was organized in 1926. The city's first armory opened on North McKenzie Street in 1935. The East Jessamine Avenue building went up in 1969 and was formally dedicated in January 1970 as Fort William L. Smith. Guard members used it until 2023. Over those decades, soldiers trained there, helped with hurricane recovery and prepared for deployments, including service in the Middle East in 2004.
The gym came to the city through a land trade. Foley's Guard unit moved in 2023 to a larger, modern armory near the Foley Beach Express. The city provided the land for that new facility and received the old armory property behind City Hall in exchange. That trade is how a downtown building with a big open floor ended up in the city's hands.
The armory was named for Sgt. William L. Smith. He graduated from Foley High School in 1948, played football for the Foley Lions and joined the National Guard as a teenager. He was killed in action near Kumhwa during the Korean War on November 4, 1951, and was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross posthumously. At the November 5 dedication, Mayor Ralph Hellmich presented Smith's brother, Nick Jones, with the Key to the City and a City Council proclamation. Local National Guard members, veterans and Foley High School JROTC students took part in the ceremony. FOX10 covered the dedication in a video report. The city also published a history of Foley's armories that traces 100 years of Guard service in town.
The City of Foley Beautification Board helped get a new historical marker honoring Smith, and it was unveiled at the ceremony. You'll find it at the building on E. Jessamine Avenue, and the weekday drop-in blocks there run as late as 8 p.m.
A lot of our clients split their year between Foley and somewhere else, and they want their routine in place before they arrive. If you're putting together your Foley week, whether that's an indoor game on a wet weekday or the lighted outdoor courts on a clear night, The Beach to Bay Group is happy to help you find a home that fits it. Start Your Beach to Bay Search with us.
