With the 2026 tennis Season now in full swing, it’s a great time to start planning a trip to one of the major tournaments (if you are a tennis-crazy family like us or just curious). There’s something truly magical about spending a late summer day at the U.S. Open — the energy, the tennis, the cheering crowds… and even managing it all with a baby, a 4-year-old, and a 6-year-old in tow. Here’s how our family experienced Arthur Ashe Stadium Day Session on August 31, 2025, and what you should know if you’re planning a similar adventure and want to ace the day:
Tickets and Prices
Since we were traveling with a baby and an active toddler we opted out of stadium passes for all of us and decided to split up tickets – Ground passes for me, baby and 4-year old and Day Session tickets for Arthur Ashe Stadium for our tennis-excited 6-year old and dad to catch the high-stakes Round of 16 action. The latter give full access to the stadium and all the day matches. Prices on that Sunday tended to be steep but reflective of peak tournament excitement: reserved Ashe seats ranged upward of ~$300 on the official ticket listings and even higher on resale for good views.
If you’re budgeting for kids:
- Children ages 2+ need their own ticket.
- Grounds passes are a slightly cheaper way to explore the tennis center if you don’t need stadium seats. They give you access to all training courts and stadiums except for Arthur Ash and Louis Armstrong.
- Splitting up tickets was the best way for us to spend the day (and save some money).
Pro tip: If you can time your visit accordingly and don’t care about seeing the big games, visit the US Open during the first week of the tournament in late August/early September. Open to the public with no ticket required, Fan Week transforms the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center into an interactive playground of tennis activities, live entertainment, player appearances, trick shot shows, autograph opportunities, food vendors, and sponsor-driven experiences. It’s a perfect way for fans of all ages — from casual visitors to die-hard tennis lovers — to soak in the excitement of Grand Slam tennis without needing a match ticket, making it ideal for families or visitors exploring the Open before heading into the paid stadium sessions later in the event.
Before you go:
A couple of essentials that we brought and would not have wanted to miss:
- Sunscreen and Hats for everyone: it gets HOT there midday and shady spots are not guaranteed. Make sure to take extra sunscreen to reapply and ideally keep hat on kiddos all day)
- Refillable Water Bottle: There are water fountains and bottle refill stations around the grounds so if you bring your own water bottle you don’t have to rely on purchasing drinks there.
- Some snacks for kids: Because food is (expectedly) expensive and lines can be long. So a granola bar in your bag can go a long way.
- Fully loaded diaper bag: From no-brainers like wipes and diapers to sunscreen, hats and extra shoes – we had it all. It’s a long day so I wanted to be prepared and not have the day ruined by someone whining over a blister. We also packed a small picnic blanket to sit on for snack time.
- Stroller and Carrier: we mainly used the stroller to move around the grounds, and then transferred baby into the carrier to go into a stadium. This setup worked well for us and with 85 degree weather I was thankful not to have to carry her the entire time.
Our Day At The US Open, from AM to PM
Morning: Getting there and exploring the Grounds
I highly recommend getting there early to avoid crazy long lines. The Grounds gates open at 9:30AM. We were there just before 10AM and luckily got in just before the big rush. We took an Uber from our Hotel at Times Square (since we made it a weekend trip we chose something central for additional sightseeing), but looking back we could have just as well taken the train – more on that later. The US Open grounds are in Flushing, NY right outside of Queens. So plan for a good hour of commute from Manhattan and a pricey cab ride (we paid about $100).
The Uber drop-off is central and signage helps you find the way to the nearest entry gates.
Once inside, take some time to familiarize yourself with the layout of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. It is pretty widespread with Arthur Ash as the Center stadium right in the middle and various practice courts left and right. The big plaza right in front of Arthur Ash is the perfect spot to let little ones run around and get the wiggles our before sitting in on a long tennis match.
Catch the stars during training sessions / warm up
The really cool thing about a day at the US Open is that you get to see some of the biggest names in Tennis really up close on the practice court. We were even able to snatch an autograph from Amanda Anisimova there, who would move on and play in the Women’s finals that year.
If you arrive early in the morning, chances are especially high that Alcaraz, Sinner or Sabalenka will complete their morning training session and you will get front row seats to that. But be warned: this is far from a secret, so by the time we figured out Alcaraz was practicing, the line to get up to the stands for the training courts was as long as the line to get into an Eras tour venue…
Pro Tip: Download and use the US Open App ahead of time to familiarize yourself with the training schedule for the day. This way you can get to the training court ahead of time and avoid long lines and little ones standing in the 5th row without any chance of a clear view on the court.
Noon and Afternoon – Lunch, Honey Deuce and Arthur Ashe
After a morning of catching some up-and coming tennis pros as well as some big names practice, and my oldest and dad watching the first game on Arthur Ashe, we met at the South Plaza for lunch. There a plenty of food options all around and between Arthur Ashe And Louis Armstrong Stadium there is an entire food village with options for pretty much every diet and taste. My kids were more than happy with some chicken tenders and fries, and an ice cream afterwards. One thing to keep in mind is that late August in New York is hot – so plan a quiet and shaded spot mid-day, whether it’s at the tables around the grounds or one of the quieter outer courts. And avoid times when big matches just ended on one of the two big courts, because guests will literally flood the food courts then – as we experienced.
After lunch, my oldest and dad went back into Arthur Ashe to see Carlos Alcaraz defeat Arthur Rinderknech and the rest of us kept exploring the grounds. Many brands have pop-ups around the training courts with fun, interactive games for kids and grownups alike. For us this provided plenty of entertainment to keep everyone outside the stadium as happy as inside.
Arthur Ashe itself is definitely worth the visit though (if you don’t have a baby and a wiggly 4-year old in tow). The stadium is huge and the atmosphere so much fun. Fans are engaged and make the whole tennis match feel a less more like a big open air festival and a lot less stiff and lame. And make sure to drink one of the famous Honey Deuce Cocktails – almost worth it’s $23 price point.
The serve clock is running out.. time to go home
After the second day-time match wrapped up, we strolled around some more. The atmosphere at the US Open is hard to describe, somewhat comparable with a big music festival. It’s definitely its very own, fun and entertaining vibe so just walking around, popping into some matches and playing some interactive games easily fills a couple of hours. We made a final stop at the souvenir shop and then started our way home around 6:30pm – and definitely stretched the limits of what’s possible with 3 little ones. This time we decided to save some money and simply take the train. The 7 train gets you home to Manhattan directly and much is cheaper than an Uber. If you leave the Grounds through the East Gate you will find the way to the Subway well marked and easy to find. The ride all the way to Times Square took us about 50 minutes.
Final Thoughts
Attending the U.S. Open with kids is absolutely doable and genuinely fun — even with a baby and young children. With great tennis, electric atmosphere, and lots to see outside the main stadium, it becomes more than a sports event — it’s a full family day out.
With that in mind:
Game, set, match — until next year!
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