So as skateboarding has become more common, more and more skateparks have been built, but some skateparks are definitely more popular than others.
In this post, we’re going to be taking a look at some of the most popular skateparks.
Burnside Skatepark
Portland, Oregon
Burnside is one of, if not the oldest DIY skatepark in that still exists. It was built in 1990 under the east end of Burnside Bridge in Portland, and it kind of set the stage for DIY skateparks.
Burnside is filled with massive transitions and quarter pipes, and it’s definitely not a skatepark that a beginner would want to go to.
Burnside is also not the kind of skatepark that you’d want to show up to on a scooter or rollerblades because the locals there are known for being a bit protective over the spot.
With that said, if you like to skate big transitions, or even just want to skate an iconic skate spot, then Burnside is definitely worth the visit.
Washington Street
San Diego, California
Similar to Burnside, Washington Street is a massive DIY skatepark under a bridge that’s perfect for anyone who loves to skate big transitions.
It was built in 1999 in San Diego, but shortly after the city shut it down because like a lot of DIYs, it was built on public property with any permits or approval.
The good news is after San Diego locals and the skate industry in general fought to keep Washington Street alive, the city eventually approved it in 2002.
They turned it into an official park by providing some funds to finish building it, and it’s been going strong ever since.
LES Skatepark
Lower East Side Manhattan, New York City
Back in 2012, Nike SB invested in the Coleman Oval Park and transformed it from what was basically a DIY with a few prefab ramps, into what is now known as LES.
LES skatepark has become one of the most popular skateparks in New York City, and almost every skateboarding event goes down there. Whenever there’s a big contest, or a demo, or even an event like Go Skateboarding day, it’s almost always hosted at LES.
Aside from events, LES is just an amazing skatepark in general.
It has a lot more street obstacles than some of the other parks on this list, but there’s also some transition so it has something for everyone.
Grant Park
Chicago, Illinois
Grant Park is in the heart of downtown Chicago, and is hands down one of the best skateparks in the city.
It’s so nicely built and has such a good flow that it’s usually where most major contests in Chicago are held.
Both Damn Am and The Boardr Am are usually held there, and there’s also been a few demos there over the years. The park is super long and spacious, and it has tons of flat bars, manny pads, and even a bit of transition.
Since it’s not as old as some of the other famous parks out there, it’s not as well known, but it’s still extremely popular and the go-to park in Chicago.
Venice Beach Skatepark
Venice, California
Venice Beach skatepark is located right on the beach, and was literally built next to the sand.
This makes it an extremely popular skate park for tourists to go to watch people skate, which can definitely make the vibe a little weird, but it’s still a really fun park.
Aside from being a skatepark that tourists go to, the park has also been in a few movies, and even a few video games, so it’s definitely well known.
In terms of things you can skate, the park has a little bit of everything.
There’s a snake run, transitions, a proper pool, stairs, ledges, rails, boxes and a few other little things that you can get creative on.
If you’ve ever seen Lords of Dogtown, you’re probably familiar with the whole “locals only” attitude of Venice, and a lot of the local skaters still back that.So if you ever go just try to be respectful, and whatever you do, don’t show up on a scooter.
Kona Skatepark
Jacksonville, Florida
Having been opened in June of 1977, Kona is the oldest surviving privately owned skatepark in the world.
Kona is located in Jacksonville Florida, so it’s pretty crazy that it’s the oldest park in the world, especially since Southern California is known for being the skateboarding capital.
Kona is most well known for it’s famous snake run that most of the early skateparks had, but the park in general is absolutely massive so there’s a ton of other stuff to skate too.
It has bowls, transitions, and of course a street section, so if you’re ever passing through Florida it’s definitely worth checking out.
Skatepark Of Tampa
Tampa, Florida
Skatepark of Tampa is another famous skatepark in Florida, and is home to both Tampa Am and Tampa Pro.
The park has been open since 1993, and has featured dozens of iterations since it was first built.
Every year the park gets a fresh face to mix things up for the annual Tampa Am and Tampa Pro contests, so there’s always something new there to skate.
The inside usually has a good blend of park and street obstacles, and there’s also a massive concrete bowl section out back.
Of course the park itself is worth going to just to skate, but if you’ve never been to a Tampa Am or a Tampa Pro, you should definitely add it to your bucket list.
Vans Huntington Beach Skatepark
Huntington Beach, California
If you’ve ever seen any skateboarding instagram page, chances are you’ve seen a few clips of the Vans Huntington Beach Skatepark.
The Vans Huntington Beach Skatepark is a massive 30,000 square foot outdoor skatepark that completely free to skate.
Vans has made skateparks in the past including their park in Orange county and their new skate space 198 in New York, but it’s none of their other parks are quite as well known their Huntington Beach Skatepark.
Now there’s a few different reasons why the Vans Huntington Beach Skatepark is so popular.
Since the park is completely free, naturally it attracts a lot of people, and not only that, but it’s located just south of LA so there’s a lot more skateboarders than in other cities.
The layout of the park makes it perfect for lines, and it has a wide variety of ledges, stairs, manual pads, flat bars, hubbas, and there’s also a pool and a bowl.
One cool thing about the Huntington Beach Skatepark is that they dont allow scooters, rip sticks, or kids under the age of 6, so it’s a lot easier to skate freely than at some of the other parks out there.
FDR Skatepark
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
As the third skatepark on this list that’s located underneath a bridge, it should come as no surprise that FDR shares a similar story to both Burnside and Washington Street.
Just like the other 2 famous DIY skateparks, FDR is a city-owned, but skater-built park filled mostly with big transitions and quarter pipes.
FDR skatepark first started out back in 1994 when the city was trying to get rid of skateboarders in LOVE park, and since then it’s come a long way.
Of course the city didn’t want the park there at first, but they’ve long accepted it and it’s been an iconic skatepark in Philadelphia for decades.
Stoner Skate Plaza
Los Angeles, California
So a lot of people might think that Stoner skatepark is named after what some skateboarders do in their free time, but it’s actually named after the street it’s built on.
The plaza was built in 2010 as a replacement for the West LA Courthouse, and since it was built it’s become one of the most popular skateparks in Los Angeles.
There’s a pretty big variety of things to skate, but it definitely has more street obstacles than transition.
One weird thing about the plaza is it’s always super slick, but if anything it just forces you to land your tricks better, and once you get used to it it’s not that bad.