Beginning with City Park (today’s Williams Park) in the late 19th century and expanding to the waterfront in the early 20th, St. Petersburg’s parks have a long history of providing locals and visitors with a wide variety of amenities. Today, St. Pete can boast more than 150 city parks and numerous Pinellas County parks. According to the Trust for Public Land, 77 percent of residents live within a 10-minute walk to a park. Park amenities vary depending on location and size and can include picnic areas, playgrounds, beaches, boat ramps, fishing docks, playing fields, sports courts, fitness equipment, trails, nature preserves, art installations, and historic sites. Dogs and skaters even have their own spaces. Parks & Recreation also offers classes, service projects, camps, and a variety of after-school educational programs. Choose an activity or choose to relax, and there’s a park or recreation center that fits your needs.
Fossil Skatepark
Twenty years ago, St. Pete opened the first public skatepark in the region. Built after a 13-year-old Fossil Park resident successfully petitioned the City Council, the skatepark was highly anticipated by local enthusiasts. As the St. Petersburg Times noted in June 2003, “The kids in Fossil Park didn’t even let the paint dry before they were grinding rails, doing tail whips off banks and riding the halfpipe… .” Open to skate boards, roller blades, and BMX bikes, the park’s 13,000 square feet of precast concrete provides a variety of objects to entertain riders, including ramps, rails, ledges, quarter/half pipes, and a funbox. Located at 6635 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. St. N and situated just east of Fossil Park’s Recreation Center, the skatepark also has plenty of parking, lights, and nearby restrooms.
Lake Vista Skatepark
Following the success of Fossil Skatepark, another skatepark opened in 2004 at Lake Vista Park, 1401 62nd Ave. S. That skate facility is nestled amongst the park’s many other amenities and has ample parking and access to nearby bathrooms. With 8,400 square feet of concrete, this skatepark was designed by renowned Florida-based designers Team Pain to mimic the public spaces loved by riders. It features “a 3 flat 3 double set with square handrail, a step-up, plenty of hubbas and flat ledges, flat bars, curved ledges, flat gaps, manual pads, and much more. …” According to Team Pain, “This park is a street skater’s dream!”
St. Petersburg Regional Skatepark
St. Pete’s third skatepark was a long time in the making, but when it finally opened in 2018, thanks in part to the advocacy of the St. Pete Skatepark Alliance, it was worth it. Located within Campbell Park, at 1360 Fifth Ave. S, it’s the largest and most advanced skateboard facility in the county. Also part of the design team for this skatepark, Team Pain’s goal was to create something unique to this area and “something cutting-edge that’s going to keep the users excited about going back to the park all the time.” At 28,000 square feet, it lives up to that promise with a wide variety of objects and challenges including a street course, a snake run, and a nearly 12-foot-deep concrete bowl as well as areas for beginning, intermediate, and advanced skaters. Its design makes it a big draw for amateur and professional skateboarders and BMX riders.
For more information about St. Pete’s FREE skateparks, including hours and safety policies, visit www.stpeteparksrec.org or call (727) 893-7441.
