Payne Skate Park — Attraction in Sarasota

You can tell this park was nice once upon a time. The concrete here isn’t so smooth or good and there are some cracks. But the security guards will still yell at you as though the concrete is even worth saving- when it badly needs a full remodel. This park also is not swept up ever, I have fallen due to rocks and stuff getting caught in my wheels in the bowl specifically, far more times than I ever should have. The “flat ground” is no longer flat making technical skating tricky in an area it should not be, which is a massive disappointment, because that’s the only thing this park had that others in the area did not. The security guards have always been unnecessarily rude to me and controlling. This place kills the vibe. For a place called “Payne” I expected them to bit a bit more lax about skate protection, but got yelled at for not having a helmet on, on flat ground… I don’t recommend skating at places that don’t mind when they are killing the spirit of skateboarding. I’ll take my...

All and all it's a cool skate park. I took my young kids, with their scooters, and they loved it. Ages 4-8-10-13. I'll list some of the pros and cons from my experience.

Pros: great location in between venice and Bradenton. Police station is a stones throw away (just incase ). It's FREE. it's open til 10pm. There's a little eatery during daytime hours (probably expensive). Giant playground right next to skate park.

Cons: lots of kids during peak hours (we go late). Some of the children can be pretty rowdy. Trash not in proper receptacles (mostly water bottles). A kid got his bike stolen from the bike rack tonight ,(12/21/2024) they cut the lock (I guess it ain't that safe right next to a police station). Skateboarders don't like scooterers 😂.

Id recommend it and will definitely be going...

I love this location and the staff are amazing. The City of Sarasota has placed the park into a state of disrepair. When the state removed the helmet laws two years ago the city decided to keep the old system. The park when it was built was top of the line but has fallen behind in comparison to other parks in the area. Sarasota desperately needs an update to the action sports community complexes. There are bowls in this park which are not for beginners and can be dangerous. Overall the design is a lot of fun. The park itself five stars the city zero for their lack of support of a vibrant and thriving aspect of our...