The Slab (AKA DIY Mill Street Skatepark, Frank Melton Memorial Skatepark) is a DIY concrete skatepark in Jackson, Mississippi that began construction by the Jackson-Metro skate community in 2015. The park is constructed on about 16,000 square feet of concrete on the former Jitney Jungle distribution center on North Mill Street in the heart of capitol city.

Among the numerous quarter pipes, you’ll find interesting street obstacles such as rails and banks that all flow along the main area of the park. There is a separate wide open street area on the north side consisting of manual pads, a few rails and curbs.

Why you should skate The Slab

This skatepark is one of the most unique you’ll experience in the state. By way of the DIY nature of the park, each feature has its own special flair. For example, there is a sharp bank called The Zipper sporting textured metal for coping that delivers a satisfying brrttrt sound as you grind across it. There’s also Big Nasty, a five foot quarter pipe with almost two feet of vert. Each quarter pipe has pool coping and there is a two-sided 5ft. bank in the middle of the park with concrete coping.

The park is designed to flow from one section to the next, but skaters frequently take advantage of the 4 distinct areas to session individually. Since the concrete base is very old and near train tracks there are cracks and bumps, but they only add to the soul of The Slab.

Things to know

Though the property is technically private, skaters can just show up and start skating. If you prefer to skate alone, or if you want to bring younger skaters, visit the park during the morning or midday hours. The locals are friendly and are always willing to show visitors around. Mississippi heat can be brutal so bring lots of water with you as there isn’t any available. It’s mentioned below, but one of the most important things to remember is to stay off the nearby train tracks and, this cannot be stressed enough: take your trash with you.

If you happen to meet someone that has worked building this skatepark while you’re there, thank them profusely. They have put an obscene amount of time, sweat, tears, blood and their own money into creating this truly uncommon skatepark.

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