Amid the business-heavy Sherwood Forest Boulevard sits an oasis covered in palm trees where visitors are encouraged to grab a drink, take their shoes off and dip their feet in the sand.
It’s not some undiscovered Baton Rouge beach resort  — it’s Mango’s Beach Volleyball Club, which will host the LSU sand volleyball team this spring in its inaugural season.
Mango’s has acted as Baton Rouge’s premier spot for sand volleyball since owner Tim Bourgois opened the complex in 1995, and it will now use its nearly 19 years of experience putting on leagues and tournaments to host competition at the college level.
“I’m fired up about it,” Bourgois said. “It’s definitely good for the sport. Hosting LSU is something we’re excited about.”
The LSU indoor volleyball team has practiced at Mango’s for several years, so when sand volleyball became an officially sanctioned sport, the 11-court complex was the natural choice to be the Tigers’ home until they get a court of their own.
Manager Josh Wells said he hopes being involved with the program will lead to students and fans, who might otherwise never hear of Mango’s, showing up and enjoying its relaxed environment.
“It’s a very unique atmosphere here right in the middle of Baton Rouge,” Wells said. “We’re kind of at the beach. We’ve got the beach atmosphere. We’re barefoot friendly. You come here and take off your shoes, and go out there and get you some games in.”
The idea of playing or watching sand volleyball acts as Mango’s primary draw, but it’s the combination of volleyball with its lax atmosphere that ultimately keeps people there.
Senior Kaitlin Hatcher can attest. She first began going to Mango’s when she was 15 years old after a suggestion from Wells — who was an assistant coach for her high school team — and she was instantly hooked.
“I started coming out here and became absolutely addicted to beach volleyball,” Hatcher said. “It’s almost like my second home. It’s like a home away from home where you can get away from your everyday Baton Rouge life and come out here and kind of forget about everything.”
LSU will hold a purple versus gold scrimmage at Mango’s on March 12, less than a week prior to hosting its inaugural season opener against Louisiana-Monroe March 18.
Wells said he hopes this marks the beginning of Mango’s involvement in collegiate sand volleyball. Wells’s and Bourgois’s ultimate goal would be to impress enough people to one day be the home of a national championship, but for now, they’re perfectly content being the home of the Tigers.
“We’ve got the beach atmosphere. We’re barefoot friendly. You come here and take off your shoes and go out there and get you some games in.”