Living There
If you’re a skater, you’re always looking for a good spot. These parks are in some of the best places to live if you love to skate.
Kona Skatepark
8739 Kona Ave., Jacksonville, Florida
Taking a trip to Kona Skatepark in Jacksonville is like going back in time in the history of skating. The park was built in the 1970s and is the only park from that era still standing in the United States. Besides being the oldest private skatepark in the States and possibly the world, this park also has a record of keeping its patrons of all ages satisfied with features like ledges, pyramids, a vert wall, a vert ramp, transitions, bowls, quarterpipes, and its one-of-a-kind snakerun.
Lake Cunningham Regional Skatepark
2305 S. White Rd., San Jose, California
The most notable feature of this outdoor skatepark is the huge fullpipe, the largest of any skatepark in the world. Lake Cunningham also boast the world’s biggest cradle and tallest vert wall. The sheer size of this park at a whopping 68,000 square feet is impressive and attests to the variety of features including bowls, flatbars, humps, ledges, hips, hubbas, handrails, and a pyramid. Located in San Jose, center of California’s Silicon Valley, this park is maintained by the city and has a $5 entry fee for adults.
FDR Skatepark
Broad and Pattison Avenues, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
This hidden gem of a skatepark is under interstate-95 in South Philadelphia and doesn’t have a proper address. One of the coolest things about this storied park is the graffiti art plastering the concrete features including quarterpipes, vert walls, bowls, hips, and pyramids. The layer of paint is in constant flux, giving the park an industrial vibe of always being under construction. The vibe is true to life; skaters are always working on the park, building the features they want to see most.
Denver Skatepark
2205 19th St., Denver, Colorado
Get some air at this park and take in stunning views at the same time. Whether it’s the Denver downtown skyline or the Rocky Mountains that catch your eye, you’ll be in skating heaven. Make sure to visit the fully outdoor park under blue skies for the best experience. The rails, ledges, bowls, pyramid, euro gap, and hubbas are calling you.
Burnside Skatepark
2 SE 2nd Ave., Portland, Oregon
This concrete jungle of bowls, quarterpipes, hips, bumps, a vert wall and more has become one of the defining features of Portland’s landscape. You may recognize the park’s name if you’ve ever played Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, the classic skateboarding video game. Burnside has been around since 1990, when it was built by Portland natives without permission from the city. Due to its notoriety from appearances in video games, movies, and magazines, as well as occasional visits from famous skaters, this park is one of the most popular in the world.
Don’t let your distance from one of these world-famous skateparks deter you. Plan a trip to visit one or all of them and see what tricks you can pull off.
