Spotlight on the Hershey Tennis Community
Hershey's tennis community is shaped, more than almost any other Pennsylvania tennis town's, by the deliberate design of the place itself. Milton S. Hershey built Hershey as a model company town — complete with planned housing, schools, a theme park, a hotel, and recreational infrastructure intended to give chocolate workers and their families a meaningful quality of life — and the long-running Hershey Racquet Club and Hershey Country Club tennis programs are part of that legacy. The result is a small town with the tennis amenities of a much larger one: an eight-court indoor club open year-round, a private country club tennis program with both clay and hard surfaces, and a high school program that consistently competes at the state level. Many Hershey-area players compete in tournaments and doubles leagues organized through Tennis Circuits®.
The Company Town Effect: Why Hershey Has Outsized Tennis Infrastructure
Most American towns of Hershey's population could not sustain a year-round eight-court indoor tennis club. Hershey can — and does — because the town was never sized purely by its resident population. Hershey functions as a regional resort destination, a major employer through the Hershey Company and Hershey Entertainment & Resorts, and a magnet for visitors drawn by Hersheypark, the Hotel Hershey, the Giant Center, and the Hershey Bears AHL hockey program. Tennis facilities here serve a much wider catchment than Derry Township alone.
The Hershey Racquet Club, with its eight indoor hard courts and balcony seating, has long been one of the most active year-round indoor tennis venues in central Pennsylvania, drawing members and competitive players from Harrisburg, Hummelstown, Palmyra, Lebanon, and beyond. USPTA/PTR-certified instruction and ITA-affiliated junior tournament hosting give the club a reach that extends well past local membership.
The Hershey Country Club, a private golf-and-tennis facility tied to Hershey's broader resort tradition, offers a six-court tennis program with a mix of four Har-Tru clay courts and two hard courts — an unusual surface combination in central PA private clubs and a particular draw for players who want regular access to clay. Combined, the two clubs give Hershey a tennis tier most cities ten times its size struggle to assemble.
Notable Tennis Programs and Figures Associated with Hershey
Hershey has produced competitive tennis programs and community organizations that have shaped central Pennsylvania's tennis identity for generations.
Program / Figure
Affiliation
Level
Recent Highlight
Home Facility
Hershey Racquet Club
Private Indoor Club
Adult & Junior Programs
Eight indoor hard courts; year-round programming with USPTA/PTR-certified staff
Hershey, PA
Hershey Country Club
Private Country Club
Member Tennis Program
Four Har-Tru clay courts and two hard surface courts; tied to the Hershey resort tradition
Hershey, PA
Hershey Trojans
Hershey High School (Derry Township SD)
PIAA 3A High School
Perennial PIAA District 3 contender; consistent state tournament representation
Hershey, PA
USTA Middle States Central PA District
USTA Middle States Affiliate
Adult & Junior
Coordinates leagues, junior programs, and tournaments across central PA, including Hershey-hosted events
Central PA Region
High School Tennis Programs in the Hershey Area
The Hershey-area high school tennis scene is concentrated around Hershey High School (Derry Township) and the surrounding Dauphin and Lebanon county schools, all competing in PIAA District 3. Hershey itself is one of the strongest 3A tennis programs in the district, supported by a deep junior pipeline running through the Hershey Racquet Club.
| Program |
District |
Program Notes |
Hershey Trojans
PIAA 3A · Derry Township SD
|
Derry Township School District |
A consistent PIAA 3A tennis powerhouse and perennial District 3 contender, supported by Hershey's deep private-club junior development tradition through the Hershey Racquet Club. |
Lower Dauphin Falcons
PIAA 3A · Lower Dauphin SD
|
Lower Dauphin School District |
Active PIAA 3A program in Hummelstown directly adjacent to Hershey, sharing players and junior pipelines with the Hershey-area tennis community. |
Palmyra Cougars
PIAA 3A · Palmyra Area SD
|
Palmyra Area School District |
Strong PIAA 3A tennis program in Lebanon County, just east of Hershey, with regular District 3 representation and player overlap with Hershey-area clubs. |
Milton Hershey School Spartans
PIAA · Milton Hershey School
|
Milton Hershey School (Private) |
The historic Milton Hershey boarding school founded by Milton and Catherine Hershey in 1909; competes in PIAA District 3 with broad athletic offerings. |
Annville-Cleona Dutchmen
PIAA 2A · Annville-Cleona SD
|
Annville-Cleona School District |
PIAA 2A program in the Lebanon Valley east of Hershey, near Lebanon Valley College, with active District 3 tennis representation. |
Cedar Crest Falcons
PIAA 3A · Cornwall-Lebanon SD
|
Cornwall-Lebanon School District |
PIAA 3A program in Lebanon, just east of Hershey, with consistent District 3 representation in tennis. |
Collegiate Tennis Programs in the Hershey Area
While Hershey itself is a small town, the surrounding central Pennsylvania region hosts an unusually deep cluster of small-college tennis programs — all within a short drive of Hershey and offering local junior players a clear pathway into NCAA tennis.
Program
Division & Conference
Location
Notes
Team Links
Lebanon Valley Dutchmen
NCAA Division III — MAC Commonwealth
Annville, PA (~10 mi. east of Hershey)
The closest college tennis program to Hershey; competes in MAC Commonwealth alongside Messiah
Elizabethtown Blue Jays
NCAA Division III — Landmark Conference
Elizabethtown, PA (~10 mi. southeast of Hershey)
Liberal arts college tennis program just southeast of Hershey, competing in the Landmark Conference
Messiah Falcons
NCAA Division III — MAC Commonwealth
Mechanicsburg, PA (~25 mi. west of Hershey)
Nationally competitive Division III tennis program with a long MAC Commonwealth tradition
Penn State Harrisburg Lions
NCAA Division III — AMCC
Middletown, PA (~15 mi. southwest of Hershey)
Penn State's Capital College commonwealth campus, fielding Division III tennis in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference
Dickinson Red Devils
NCAA Division III — Centennial Conference
Carlisle, PA (~35 mi. west of Hershey)
Liberal arts college tennis in downtown Carlisle, competing in the Centennial Conference
Together, these programs make the Hershey area one of the deepest small-college tennis regions in Pennsylvania — offering local student-athletes a true range of pathways across the MAC Commonwealth, Landmark, AMCC, and Centennial conferences.
Tennis in the Hershey Area & Greater Central PA
Hershey sits at the eastern edge of the broader Harrisburg metro and the western edge of the Lebanon Valley, with players from surrounding communities regularly intersecting at the Hershey Racquet Club, the Hershey Country Club, and in Central PA District league play.
- Harrisburg — Just west of Hershey, the state capital and the broader metro Hershey is part of. Many Hershey-area players also belong to or compete at Country Club of Harrisburg and Colonial Golf and Tennis Club facilities.
- Hummelstown & Palmyra — The towns immediately adjacent to Hershey on either side, sharing junior players, league teams, and high school tennis pipelines with Derry Township.
- Lebanon & Annville — The Lebanon Valley to the east of Hershey, home to Lebanon Valley College and a steady stream of players who compete in Hershey-area tournaments and leagues.
- Elizabethtown — Just south of Hershey along the road to Lancaster, home to Elizabethtown College and a regular feeder community for Hershey-area junior tennis events.
- Mechanicsburg, Camp Hill & Carlisle — The West Shore of the Harrisburg metro, anchored by Messiah University and Dickinson College, connected to Hershey through the Central PA District calendar.
Frequently Asked Questions About Tennis in Hershey, PA
Where can I play tennis in Hershey?
Hershey is one of the most tennis-rich small towns in Pennsylvania. The Hershey Racquet Club offers eight indoor hard courts with balcony seating and is open year-round to members and the community. The Hershey Country Club provides six tennis courts — four Har-Tru and two hard surface — for its private club members. Hershey High School and Derry Township public courts round out the local options. The USTA Middle States Central Pennsylvania District (CPD) coordinates leagues, tournaments, and organized play.
Does Hershey have USTA leagues or junior tennis programs?
Yes. Hershey is one of the most active USTA junior and adult tennis communities in central Pennsylvania, anchored by the Hershey Racquet Club's year-round programming and the broader USTA Middle States Central Pennsylvania District calendar. The CPD encompasses Hershey, Harrisburg, Lancaster, York, Williamsport, and State College. Clubs organize doubles leagues, tournaments, and private lessons through Tennis Circuits®.
Why does Hershey have such a strong tennis tradition for a small town?
Hershey is a chocolate-company town built around the Hershey Company and the philanthropic legacy of Milton S. Hershey, and the same culture that gave the town its hotels, theme park, and AHL hockey team also produced an unusually well-funded club tennis infrastructure. The Hershey Racquet Club's eight indoor hard courts are a higher-tier facility than most towns of Hershey's size could ever support, and the Hershey Country Club's six-court mixed-surface offering reflects the broader resort-and-club character of the town.
What makes Hershey tennis unique compared to other Pennsylvania towns?
Hershey is genuinely unusual: a small Pennsylvania town with a year-round, multi-court indoor tennis facility (Hershey Racquet Club), a private country club tennis program with both Har-Tru and hard courts (Hershey Country Club), and a perennially state-competitive PIAA 3A high school program (Hershey Trojans). That combination — in a town of just a few thousand residents — reflects Hershey's distinctive identity as a planned company town and resort destination, where amenities punch well above what local population alone would justify.
Are there tennis lessons or camps available in Hershey?
Yes. The Hershey Racquet Club offers lessons and clinics from USPTA/PTR certified staff and runs year-round adult and junior programming. The Hershey Country Club also offers tennis instruction and clinics for its members. Tennis Circuits® Summer Camps and Clinics are also available through tenniscircuits.com, providing structured junior and adult programming for the Hershey and central PA community throughout the year.
What is Hershey's tennis history?
Hershey's tennis tradition is woven into the town's identity as a planned company town and resort destination. The Hershey Country Club has long been one of central Pennsylvania's premier private golf-and-tennis facilities, while the Hershey Racquet Club has served as a year-round indoor tennis hub for the central PA community for decades. The Hershey Trojans high school tennis program in Derry Township has produced generations of competitive players who feed into PIAA District 3 and college tennis pathways.
Are the clubs listed affiliated with Tennis Circuits®?
This directory lists publicly available information about tennis clubs in Hershey, PA. Some clubs on this list use the Tennis Circuits® software platform, which provides clubs with the ability to run Tournaments, Doubles Leagues, Match Play, Summer Camps, Clinics, Lessons, JTT, Leagues, and Tennis Circuits® Club Edition. Tennis Circuits® is an official USTA Connect Partner — View Press Release (PDF).
Official USTA Connect Partner —
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