July brought the long-awaited World Games to the Magic City, and with it, the opening of City Walk BHAM, a 10-block, 31-acre multipurpose park and gathering space located under the Interstate 59/20 overpass in downtown. 

The 1.5-mile linear park runs from 15th Street North to 25th Street North and includes plans for numerous recreation, art, and green spaces. Designed by Barge Design Solutions and pushed forward by the Alabama Department of Transportation, the goal for City Walk is to offer something for every type of Birmingham resident, from a dog park and market spaces to pickleball courts and a beer garden.  

One of the most exciting developments to come out of City Walk is the City Walk Skate Park, a 57,000-square-foot regional skate park that is now the largest in the Southeast. The state-of-the-art skate park held a soft opening on June 21 with more than 2,000 people coming out to test out its bowls, handrails, quarter pipes, and stairsets for themselves. Everyone from seasoned skateboarders to BMX riders, inline skaters, quad skaters, and even those riding scooters came out for the big day. There were trick competitions and skaters traveled from states across the Southeast to try it out. 

To Mark Laue, executive director of Action Park Alliance, the company that manages the skate park, the opening has been a long time coming. 

“The city of Birmingham has had a vibrant skateboarding community for many years,” he says. “A skatepark of this caliber has been long overdue. It was actually the most requested item for park amenity features.”

The park is open until 10 p.m. every day of the week and is free to all. 

With the skate park up and running, and a big debut during the World Games, City Walk is well on its way to fully opening its ambitious list of amenities and features. Here’s what else to look forward to as City Walk continues its rollout. 

• Children’s challenge course
• Amphitheater
• Civil Rights story zone
• Recreational sports space with artificial turf
• Multi-use field
• Gathering space
• Quarter-mile walking trail
• Roller skating rink
• Food truck park
• Activity zone
• Performance space
• Outdoor classroom
• Parking
• Outdoor stage
• Green ribbon garden path
• Water feature
• Restrooms
• Market space
• Beer and wine garden
• Dog park
• Pickleball courts
• Pond
• Playground