Looking for a place to shred? Staten Island has a couple of metal and concrete streetscapes where kids can practice their tricks at local skate parks.
If your teen is a skater or BMX enthusiast, you’re probably aware of all of the ramps, rails and sloped terrain that the borough has to offer. Rugged, undulated pavement with a couple of parking blocks for tricks? Those types of unofficial hangouts are scattered across both the north and south shores. But what about some skate parks built exclusively for kids to shred? Staten Island is home to three.
Ben Soto Skate Park
Midland Beach Playground off of Father Capodanno Boulevard
Built and named in honor of Benjamin Soto, a Marine and Staten Island BMX enthusiast who was killed in 2001 during a tour in Japan, this park was opened in 2005 and originally included a number of professionally styled ramps built by Soto’s friend and fellow skater, Ed Pollio. The landscape of the park changed in 2011, however, when the NYC Parks Department deemed much of the equipment outdated and hazardous. The park was bulldozed and eventually rebuilt with a range of smaller posts and rails. Here, SI skaters will currently find an urban metal and concrete streetscape with posts and rails. However, hundreds of local skaters are petitioning to have the site restored to its pre-2011 look.The site is unsupervised and no liability waiver is required. Bikes, inline skates and scooters are allowed.
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Faber Skate Park
2175 Richmond Terrace, Port Richmond
Located on the shores of the Kill Van Kull, this four-acre park is built on the former estate of the Faber family, who were best known for operating the first lead pencil factory in the United States. The site was placed under the city’s parks jurisdiction in 1928 and once included Staten Island’s largest public swimming pool. Overlooking the Bayonne Bridge, Faber Park was boosted by a $1.5 million rehabilitation effort in 1996, and the addition of a skate park in 2015. Designed by a group of 50 youths in partnership with Stantec’s Action Sport Group, the skate park features several interconnected circles that were arranged to take advantage of the site’s sloping topography. It’s scenic here – basketball courts and playgrounds are interspersed by grass, canopy trees and well-landscaped walking paths. This site is also unsupervised. It closes at dusk.
5050 Skate Park
354 Front St, Stapleton
The Island’s only indoor skate park, 5050 is owned and operated by Edward and Angelica Pollio, a husband/wife duo who met on the BMX scene. The 8,000 square foot location is currently closed due to COVID-19 regulations, but when opened 5050 features daily riding sessions for $14. Helmets are required and all participants must have a waiver signed by a parent or guardian. Children under 11 years old need to be accompanied by an adult.
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