Field Trip: Wimbledon

A parade of the ready-to-party elite -- star athletes, Hollywood celebrities, and royalty -- will descend upon Wimbledon for this month's Grand Slam tennis tournament, which attracts half a million visitors each year. Marking its 125th anniversary, the glitzy celebration is sure to be more raucous than ever. We guide you through the hot spots to hit, both on and off the courts.

Wimbledon Museum

Though famed (and feisty) Wimbledon champ John McEnroe was never a favorite among the Brits, his projection appears as a ghost at this museum. Considering, however, that McEnroe is still very much alive, we imagine he's somewhere shouting, "You cannot be serious!"

Rose & Crown

Tucked away on High Street, this secluded hotel and bar caters to high-profile visitors like Andy Roddick. An annual ball boys' party, fueled by pints of Young's, has been known to sloppily spill onto the competition grounds.

Henman Hill

Named for former competitor Tim Henman, this grassy spot is home to a giant television screen where spectators watch the games. Since Henman's 2007 retirement, fans of current British favorite Andy Murray want a name change to Murray Mound. To that, Henman has said, "I'm keeping my hill."

Dog & Fox

Celebs and tourists happily mingle on this pub's large outdoor patio. Vying for the title of Ultimate Wimbledon Bar, the Dog & Fox has a fierce rivalry with the Rose & Crown -- staffers of the two locales readily prank one another in the late-night hours.

Matches

Itching to get out of that polo? Indulge your inner fashion snob at Matches, Wimbledon's famous boutique that boasts apparel from British design houses Alexander McQueen, Burberry, and Vivienne Westwood.

Hemingways Bar

To the Wimbledon visitor, enjoying strawberries and cream and Pimm's at local spots like this bar is almost as important as tennis -- 31,360 kilos of the fruit were consumed at last year's games, with 200,000 glasses of Pimm's, which travel expert Mark Spyrzynski calls "jungle juice in a bottle."

San Lorenzo Fuoriporta

Forget tennis -- the biggest sport at Wimbledon is carbo-loading. Venus and Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova have been known to visit this Italian haunt to store up energy for matches.

Wednesday, June 22 >>

A version of this article appears in the June 2011 issue of Fast Company.