About the Martin Luther King Jr. Center
The Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Center is located in the Howard Woods Recreation Complex at 1107 Adrian Street. The center sits on 10 acres that includes basketball and tennis courts, a pavilion, a softball and little league baseball field, and a 1/3 mile walking track that connects to the Martin Luther King Jr. Equality Trail.
The interior of the community center includes a multipurpose gymnasium. The center also offers a Health and Fitness Room that includes free weights, weight machines, and cardiovascular heath equipment including treadmills and elliptical machines. Off the gym is the commercial kitchen that serves warm dinners to youth every week day after-school, and is used frequently for special events and rentals.
The northwest end of the center includes the Flamingo Brown Meeting Room where many local community organizations hold regular meetings each month. Some of the groups that meet in this room include the NAACP, The A. Phillip Randolph Organization, National Association of Negro and Professional Business Women, and the Southside Reunion Committee. College classes are also offered in the Flamingo Brown Meeting Room through Jackson College.
The southwest end of the center offers the Tony Dungy/Comcast Media Lounge. The lounge is currently being renovated and includes multiple computers with internet access and other internet ready programs. The lounge includes the Comcast Digital Recording Studio’s that offer music and studio recording and learning opportunities to youth in the community.
Each week day the center has an after-school program that operates from 3:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. for all school aged youth. The youth participate in supervised recreational activities, homework assistance and tutoring, and receive free hot meals provided by the Jackson Public Schools Nutrition Program.
There are also sports training programs, weight training assistance, as well as a variety of recreation programs offered through the parks and recreation department held at the center.
The center is open as a warming or cooling center for residents when there is extreme temperatures in the summer and winter. More specific details about help during weather events will be posted in the News section of the City website and the City Facebook page.
Renting the MLK Center for an event
The MLK Center hosts a variety of community events such as birthday parties, anniversaries, and organization meetings.
If you would like to reserve the center for an event, please complete an online application available on this page.
Please check with the center first for availability before completing your event application. Reserved City of Jackson events take precedence over rental activities.
