Enjoy a Sunday afternoon of great music and good people when the Suncoast Concert Band or Jazz Ambassadors Big Band play at Payne Park. Concerts cost five bucks, payable at the door, with refreshments provided for a dollar each. All concerts are presented in a casual atmosphere, with open seating. Two performances remain in the spring schedule: April 25th and May 9th, both at 3pm. Laurel Park Management encourages all residents to get out there and enjoy everything Payne Park has to offer.
Payne Park is directly across Washington Boulevard from Towles Court and the Northeast corner of the Laurel Park neighborhood. The park features a tree-lined half-mile walking loop, rolling hills (well, for Florida), duck ponds, tennis courts, a skate park, a community center, an amphitheater, and the Payne Park Auditorium, where all band concerts are held. The auditorium is located at 2100 Laurel Street. Find more info online here.
While Laurel Park can never be supplanted as the central park of the neighborhood that shares its name, Payne Park is nothing to sniff at. The park comes alive when the weather gets warm, and residents from Laurel Park and neighboring communities all converge to let their dogs play, their kids skateboard, or to share in a pickup game of soccer or frisbee.