Every now and then tennis pro Andy Roddick shows up at Texas Hill Country’s Horseshoe Bay Resort, a 7,000-acre luxury golf resort located an hour northwest of Austin. But that’s not why you bring your little ones to the Andy Roddick Kids’ Tennis Courts, specially designed by the United States Tennis Association. It’s all about scale here: Larger, depressurized balls and smaller rackets and courts mean children 4 to 18 can get their tennis game up to speed faster. Kids can serve and swing for a mere 26 bucks: $16 per hour on the kids’ courts plus a $10 daily racquet rental. Kids 4 to 17 can partake in a daily junior tennis camp during June and July ($85-$395/session) and private lessons ($85/hour) are also available. If you’re not a tennis family, Horseshoe Bay also has a kids’ club for the 4 to 12 set ($80 full day, $40 half day, $60 Wednesday and Saturday dinner sessions) and scheduled activities such as hula hoop contests, glow-in-the-dark putting, and “dive-in” movies (set amid the pool) for the entire brood. Adult diversions include a full-service spa (though even this has a variety of “Just for Kids” treatments on tap), three championship golf courses, and a lake with watercraft and boat rentals. The Marriott-operated resort has 397 guest rooms with floor-to-ceiling windows, many with lake views, and lakefront 1- to 3-bedroom condominiums at The Waters complex on property. Summer rates go for around $339/night.

— Paul Eisenberg