City of Ocala
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Ocala Recreation & Parks
828 NE Eighth Ave.
Ocala, FL 34470
352.368.5517
recpark@ocalafl.gov
Events
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Light Up Ocala
11/23/2024 3:00 PM - 8:00 PM
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The Salvation Army Kettle Kick-Off
11/26/2024 4:30 PM - 6:00 PM
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Live On the Square-- Jeff Jarrett
11/27/2024 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
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Turkey Trot
11/28/2024 6:00 AM - 9:00 AM
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Small Business Saturday
11/30/2024 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Ocala Skate Park
Ocala Skate Park
517 NE Ninth St.
Open daily | Sunrise - 10 PM
The Ocala Skate Park is 6 acres with a dedicated parking lot, murals, benches, and most importantly, plenty of surfaces for skaters!
Pursuant to Florida Statute, 316.0085, the skate park is only for skateboarding, in-line skating and freestyle bicycling only. No other recreational activity is permitted in this designated area. Mountain bikes and off-road biking are not permitted.
Please exercise caution and follow all recommended guidelines. Failure to comply with all rules and regulations may prohibit your future use of the park. Your understanding and cooperation will benefit all users. No modifications to the riding surface or features are allowed.
Rules to Ride at the Ocala Skate Park
Children ages eight years and under must be accompanied by a parent or guardian or another adult authorized to be responsible for the minor by the minor’s parent or legal guardian.
A History of the Skate Park
In early 2012, staff conducted both a public survey and a community meeting to evaluate citizen interest and support for a public skate park. Those who participated overwhelmingly supported a public skate park.
A level-of-service evaluation, completed in 2014, indicated the City of Ocala needs one to three skate parks (depending on which standards are applied) just to meet city resident needs - not even factoring in non-city residents who will likely use the park.
Skateboarding is the second fastest growing sport, second only to snowboarding. It is more popular (among youth ages six to seventeen) than baseball. It is estimated there are 4,000 skateboarders in the City of Ocala and 22,000 in Marion County; generally 6.8% of the population using national averages. These statistics demonstrate a cultural shift in recreational pursuits.
Finally, after years of discussion, planning and budgeting, the City of Ocala constructed Ocala's first community skate park in Tuscawilla Park. Tuscawilla is ideally situated in downtown Ocala with easy access via automobile, foot, bicycle or public transportation.
On Wednesday, December 12, 2018, a large crowd of elected officials, CEP members, city employees, media, excited skaters and BMX bikers gathered to witness this is a moment they had all been waiting on – for years!
The weather could not have been more perfect for the Ocala Skate Park groundbreaking, where Councilman Matthew Wardell, Mayor Kent Guinn and the CEP’s Director of Business Retention Joe Reichel all took to the podium with enthusiasm and support of the new 10,000-square foot street course.
For over 30 years, Team Pain has been building skate parks all over the world and, in January of 2019, the award-winning company added Ocala, Florida to their list.
The $410,000 street course is just the first phase of the larger plan which includes a snake run, larger bowl, lighting, pavilion and other necessary amenities. Recreation and Parks Director Kathy Crile expects the community will continue their fundraising efforts to make completing all phases possible and timely.
Individual and corporate level donations are critical in continuing these efforts and can be made through Flipcause.