If You Build It, We Will Come: Artist Walk Skatepark

I love when someone has a solid vision, and they see it come to life. They know what they want, and they know how to accomplish it. The key to success in anything you do is to always have a good vision and plan, right?

The city’s vision to connect parts of Riverside and the Brooklyn neighborhoods has come to life, and as a Duval native, I just wanted to share how amazing the new skatepark “Artist Walk” really is and how proud I am of my city for getting this vision right.

Approaching Artist Walk, you will find a wide path that runs on the outside of the actual skatepark that leads you into bold concrete letters in blueish-grey, yellow, and red proudly spelling out JAX. The fun part about this is not only does it represent our city in a cool way, it’s skateable, too, bringing the “art” of sculpture and skateboarding together. The social media footage I have seen of some amazing skaters makes you realize how creative you really can get with your skating at this skatepark, no matter your skill set.

READ: The Best Skateboard Parks In & Around Jax

With different options for different skate levels throughout the park and open 24 hours with lights, it is appealing to all the early birds or night owls to get a skate session in without the crowds. So far I’ve seen families bring lawn chairs and hang out on the sides while their older kids skate or scooter around, and the toddlers and babies play on the artificial turf. It makes skateboarding and socializing with your family on the weekends a little more fun. I love the fact that this location brings all skateboarding, scootering, or BMX walks of life together.

A Reason to Visit Downtown

Besides it being a great skatepark, my family and I also love it because it gives us a reason to visit our beautiful downtown area and explore local shops and restaurants after enjoying an evening or afternoon of skating. Living at the beach, it takes a lot for us beach people to cross the “ditch,” and you can only visit the museum and Friendship Fountain so many times. Since we are a skating family, this gives us a reason to get to know our beautiful River City by the sea a little more.

READ: Tips for Exploring Downtown with the FREE Jacksonville Skyway

Another great thing about this skatepark is that because of its location under the bridge, you guessed it — it’s covered! Which means you are out of the blazing sun and rain.

A Community Coming Together

Additionally, local skate shops and groups are starting to hold skate clinics for people to learn to skate every first Saturday of the month. Talk about a community coming together!

Shout out to all the local skate shops and skate groups for wanting to share the love of skating on any type of wheels with their city. Think of these guys the next time you need some new skate gear as a way to share your support for them in return. No matter how big or small, they will appreciate the love back. (Visit @artistwalkskateparkjax for up-to-date information or check out @ladyskateday for their meet-up times.)

I’ve seen some awesome roller skating (and blading) going on at the new skatepark, too. There are some bad (as in great) girls out there doing flips and tricks or just simply pushing around and having fun.

Pro Safety Tip When Visiting

The one thing I would recommend when visiting with your family is to get familiar with the flow of the skate park if you haven’t already. It’s large. I’ve noticed that since it’s so new, everyone is trying all new things and they are charging it, so at times there can be multiple people coming at you from different directions. Watching the flow of what is happening and talking to your little guys about this at the time of your visit will make it easier to be able to scoot around or skate with awareness while still having fun. Similar to “looking both ways” before crossing a street, this would be beneficial to keep in mind for any skatepark that you visit for that matter. Accidents always happen, but keeping this tip in mind will help.

Let’s also keep it clean, friends. Use the trash cans, pick up after yourself, and let’s keep this beautiful skatepark clean and enjoyable for everyone, especially since this is only phase one of the “Artist Walk,” and the second phase soon to come next year will hold sculptural art for all to enjoy.

READ: Being a Skateboarding Mom Is Not a Crime

I would give this new skatepark a 5-star rating, not only for its design but for bringing people together. The ONLY complaint I have at this moment in time is there is not a bathroom in site. Hopefully, that will come when phase two gets underway.

So, the next time you are looking for something to do, even if you don’t skate, keep the Artist Walk in mind. It’s a beautiful sight to see with more to come, and it will give you a sense of pride that your city is looking for ways to bring our community together through art and sport.

Great job City of Jacksonville, another reason we love you!