Located in the heart of Downtown Jackson, Smith Park offers a breath of fresh air in the middle of an urban environment, allowing residents and visitors alike to withdraw from the city around them. With wide open green space and gently rolling hills, as well as beautiful, massive shade trees, the park is a fantastic location to spend a peaceful morning or afternoon. Paved walking paths, dotted with an occasional bench, wind throughout the park circling around a covered pavilion and bringing walkers near the newly constructed Fertile Ground Project installation. The park features a semi-covered platform stage used for various shows and musical acts, arts and crafts, and cultural activities. Festivals, parties, reunions, food truck events, picnics and more are frequently enjoyed here.
As one of the oldest, continuously-used antebellum city parks in America, Smith Park is full of rich history. The State of Mississippi gave Smith Park, a 2.4-acre plot of land now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, to the City of Jackson in 1838 for the purpose of being enjoyed by all who find themselves in Downtown Jackson.
Through the years, the historic park has looked quite different, but the purpose of serving as a public space for enjoyed recreation by all has not changed, and residents as well as visitors share a love for Smith Park that has grown through the decades. Smith Park is available for rent through the City of Jackson’s Parks and Recreation Department.