|
Posted-By: auto-faq 3.1.1.2
Archive-name: sports/skating/inline-faq/part17 See reader questions & answers on this topic! - Help others by sharing your knowledge
_r.s.s.inline FAQ: Where to Skate - Southeastern North America_
_________________________________________________________________
WHERE TO SKATE - SOUTHEASTERN NORTH AMERICA
Last modified: Monday, 16-Sep-96 22:49:33 EDT
Recent changes include:
* Added Lynchburg, VA info from Elizabeth Fischer
Table of Contents
* Alabama
* Bahama Islands
* Washington, D.C.
* Florida
* Georgia
* Kentucky
* Louisiana
* Maryland
* North Carolina
* South Carolina
* Tennessee
* Virginia
Other sections of Where to Skate are:
* Western North America
+ California
* Central North America
* Northeastern North America
* Abroad
_________________________________________________________________
General Notes
George Robbins' "Roller Skating Rink List" can be found at the URL:
http://www.netaxs.com/people/grr/Roller/.
_________________________________________________________________
Alabama
From: Linda Kerr (kerr@Forestry.Auburn.EDU)
Date: Fri, 25 Aug 95 15:49:15 -0700
Our group of 8-10 skaters go to what we call "Fort God," which is
actually a huge Baptist church (Lakeview Baptist) on the corner of
Glenn & E. University in Auburn, Alabama. Very big parking lot, some
hills, no cars, smooth pavement, no gravel, lights for nighttime
skating.
_________________________________________________________________
Bahama Islands
From: SCHREIBER@PROCESS.COM (Jeff Schreiber)
Date: 9 Nov 1994 17:50:48 -0000
I was in the Bahamas in August for my honeymoon. The skateability of
Nassau _greatly_ depends on where you are thinking of. If you are
talking about Downtown, I wouldn't recommend it (too crowded).
Otherwise the streets might be ok (but they drive like morons! _and
I'm from Massachusetts_ :). Sidewalks are out, they are mostly all
broken up, they disappear randomly, and overall, wouldn't be any fun.
If you're thinking about the Carnival's Crystal Palace, or The
Radisson Cable Beach (or anything on Cable Beach), I would say bring
them. I did see one guy out on skates at the hotel. There are some
nice cement courtyards and paths in the larger hotels on Cable Beach.
As far as your comment about "as if that mattered" referring to the
police. I realize you said that as a joke, but I just wanted to say
that you should be careful. The police are pretty nice down there,
although some are corrupt. I would _not_ suggest pissing them off
though. The Bahamas are nice, but if you go Downtown, I want you to
try to picture what one of the jail cells are like. It _is_ a foreign
country, and I for one don't know all their laws, so I wasn't planning
on pushing the police if they warned me. Don't forget what happened to
that kid in Singapore!
From: dcooper2@aol.com (DCooper2)
Date: 5 Mar 1995 21:02:10 -0500
Freeport, Bahamas. Stay at the Princess Hotel. Roads are nearly empty.
Beach is three miles away. Cars on left side of road a bit of an
adjustment.
_________________________________________________________________
Washington, D.C.
See also the Arlington, VA, section for info about some trails near
DC.
From: rbs@skatecity.com (Robert Schmunk)
Date: 23 May 1995
Here are some comments and observations about skating DC, based on two
trips there in the last seven months:
Freedom Plaza (Pennsylvania Ave. at 14th St. NW) long held a
reputation as a great place to grind and stair bash, plus practice
various maneuvers on the wide-open flat marble. Not that the quality
of the skating there has changed, but the legality of it has. Sometime
in the spring of 1995, skating of all types was banned from Freedom
Plaza, apparently as a result of the defacement of the plaza by wheel
and brake marks _plus_ physical damage like chipped steps resulting
from grinding skateboards and skates. Skaters can bitch all they want
about the ban, but they do need to realize that marking up a prominent
city landmark across the street from city govt offices will draw a
harsh reaction in any town.
I have heard that some/much of the skating activity has shifted from
Freedom Plaza down Penn. Ave to Indiana Plaza, but the one time I went
by there, I didn't see any skaters and wasn't that impressed by the
plaza. I've been also told by one DC skater that the ban at Freedom
Plaza isn't too strongly enforced, but any truth to that could change
in an instant on a politician's whim.
Elsewhere in central DC, one place that seemed favored by the skaters
is the statue by the reflecting pool at the base of Capitol Hill. The
primary reason for this is that it is flanked by flights of about 10
steps, spaced just right for some fun stair bashing. I've done this in
broad daylight on a Sunday afternoon, which leads me to suspect that
authorities aren't too worried about such behavior. But again, that
could change if they think the monument is being damaged or if a
tourist should get hurt by a careless skater.
About Capitol Hill itself, I've heard that it's a violation of umpteen
different federal regulations to skate there, so watch out! That being
said, I'll note that the parking lot on the east side of the Capitol
is gigantic and often totally empty when Congress is not in session.
In West Potomac Park, Ohio Dr., the road leading from the Lincoln
Memorial down to the Jefferson Memorial, has apparently been recently
(sometime in 1994?) re-surfaced and makes for some smooth blading.
I've no idea about the condition of the road south of the Jefferson
Memorial.
On May 20, 1995, the section of Pennsylvania Ave. adjacent to the
White House was blocked off to auto traffic for security reasons.
Skaters immediately realized the potential of this action and were out
skating this inadvertent outdoor roller rink that very day. (I was
there the following day :-) However, while this street is wide, it is
also wide open to the sun, and I expect that the asphalt could be too
soft to skate during the summer. Also, word is that the street will be
ripped up and turned into a plaza of some sort, so the open skating
there may not last long.
Many of the other streets and avenues near the Mall are in extremely
good shape and make for some fun group skating, especially at night
when traffic has thinned out. This is especially true near federal
office buildings that are not near tourist landmarks. The flip side of
this is that although street skating is apparently not illegal in DC,
the cops will give you some grief if they think you're obstructing
traffic or if they're just bored. On one night skate of about 75
people, we had a cop turn on his patrol car PA system and yell, "Get
off the street," but another cop we passed 10 minutes later didn't
even react to our presence.
Just as cops don't quite seem to know how to react to group skates
passing by them on the streets of DC, the general populace also seems
to have not caught up with the 1990s. Lots of cars will honk excitedly
when they see a cluster of skaters go by.
From: georgec@eng.umd.edu (George B. Clark)
Date: Unknown
naru@eng.umd.edu (Naruhisa Takashima) writes:
For those in the D.C. area, I have skated on Rock Creek Park which
is real nice path for joggers and slow bicyclist, but I'm not so
sure if it's suited for Bladers. The path is narrow, damp in many
places, and ocassionally very steep which makes it very difficult
for speed control, which in turn leads to bail out or wipe out.
Most parts of Rock Creek Park's bike path are OK to skate, except for
one real steep place that even bike riders have trouble with.
Since the path goes through the woods, keep in mind that wet leaves on
the pavement are very slippery to skate over.
It's also fun to leave the bike path, and skate about the nice
neighbor streets adjacent to it.
From: simmon@eeel.nist.gov (Eric Simmon)
Date: Wed, 20 Jul 1994 17:33:51 GMT
_Rock Creek Park:_
from behind the Lincoln Memorial to Rt 28 in MD. Parts of the path is
decent pavement, parts suck. Be prepared to share the path with bikers
joggers and walkers. Sections of Beach Dr. are closed on the weekend,
which provides a good surface to skate on (but each section isn't very
long)
_Capitol Crescent Trail:_
Take K street west underneath the Whitehearst freeway, where the road
ends, the path begins. This is a new path with wide, smooth pavement.
It is only about 3.5 miles long right now, but will eventually go all
the way to Bethesda.
_Downtown:_
Plenty of good skate terrain downtown, just watch out for traffic and
bad surfaces (the mall has pavement with pebbles in it which is _very_
nasty, but doable). The asphalt can be hazardous in the summer because
it gets so hot your wheels just sink in.
From: temoche@usuhsb.usuhs.mil (Mitch Temoche)
Date: 17 Oct 1994 17:14:15 GMT
I went skating behind the Capitol once late at night. Lots of wide
open space, it was great and security didn't say anything. Liberty
Plaza on Pennsylvania Ave. is pretty nice and we also went up and down
F Street NW. Rock Creek Park has an excellent bike-trail for skating.
Recently I skated the parking lots on Research Blvd in Gaithersburg on
Sunday when it was empty. There's a lake in Germantown, MD on Waring
Station road that I've skated. I haven't tried Mt. Vernon bike trail
in VA yet but, I hear it's very crowded. You also might try Avenel in
Potomac MD there are some bike trails. Coastal highway in north of
Ocean City MD is very good too.
_________________________________________________________________
Florida
* Miami/Lauderdale
* Orlando
* Tampa/St. Petersburg
* Tallahassee
Miami/Lauderdale
From: thd601@isye.gatech.edu (Mark Tabladillo)
Date: 9 Sep 1994 17:43:23 GMT
Ft. Lauderdale has lots of flat places to skate. The path by the ocean
has just been changed to interlaced red brick, but it's still good for
skating.
South Miami, in my opinion, was a better place to skate. Theres a flat
concrete boardwalk that runs along the beach, though it's further from
the water than the Ft. Lauderdale boardwalk. At the southmost end of
the beach, there are paint marks for cones. Also, at the center of the
beach, there is building which has a square courtyard for skating,
which has a cone in the center, and music coming from large speakers.
Across the street, there are a number of small cafes, restaurants and
bars. I saw better and more skaters in South Miami compared with Ft.
Lauderdale. Both are great, and there are many places in South Florida
for skating (BTW, roller hockey is big, and there are plans to build a
large rink in Broward County).
From: carlhk@aol.com (CarlHK)
Date: 14 Sep 1994 18:29:05 -0400
Here in Miami Beach we've got a great boardwalk next to the beach
(Ocean Drive between 5th and 15th streets) where on any given day
you're bound to find tons of skaters. During the weekend we set up a
slalom course near 5th and Ocean (the dots are painted on the ground)
and skate at insane speeds. Sometimes a ramp is also out near 5th and
Ocean. Monday nights about 100 skaters get together around 7:30 pm at
Penrod's bar on 1st street and Ocean Drive for a skate around the Art
Deco district. We end up at Penrod's afterwards where the bar gives us
2 for 1 drinks. Good way to work out, meet folks and get buzzed. Nice,
eh? Tuesday and Thursday nights about 150 skaters get together with
the New River Rollers in Ft. Lauderdale for a 12 mile skate around the
intracoastal waterway and the canals up there. Beautiful scenery and
fantastic work out. Those skates end at the New River Saloon, for,
yep, more drinks.
Orlando
From: James Waldron (waldron@interport.net)
Date: 27 Apr 1995 17:13:00 GMT
There is an excellent skatepark just north of Orlando in Altamonte
Springs called "Badlands." Nice ramps and an excellent street course.
From: lineskater@aol.com (Lineskater)
Date: 27 Jun 1995 10:48:39 -0400
I just came back from a family vacation in Orlando. Before I went I
consulted the Orlando Sentinel about trails, and I just have to share
info about the West Orange Trail west of Winter Green (nw of Orlando).
First of all, I thought it was a road because it's 10 feet wide! The
surface is incredible - like a newly paved parking lot! Right now it's
only 4.5 miles long, but plans are to extend it this year. It's the
best trail skating I've ever done. Hope this helps somebody else who
wants to combine the $ vacations in Orlando with skating.
From: cirby@news.gate.net (Chad Irby)
Date: 27 Jun 1995 18:12:40 -0400
Yeah- the West Orange is a great place to skate. (It's west of Winter
_Garden_, though) When they finish it, it's supposed to be about 30
miles (I've heard 27 to 33), and I want to try and organize a race
when they finish it.
The other good skate here is the Cady Trail, next to Fashion Square
Mall. 3.5 miles each way, with benches at regular intervals and water
fountains every half mile (and in the Florida summer, that's a Good
Thing).
From: nabob@rice.edu (Alex Chapman)
Date: Wed, 29 Nov 1995 17:59:11 -0600
Hmm. Orlando. Home saccharinney sweet home. As far as I know, there is
no longer any truly good public place to skate legally. That's sort of
what happens when you have a city with vast suburban sprawl and the
lovely teen curfew writing city government decides that it not only
doesn't want late-night young hooligans, it doesn't wan young
hooligans on wheels downtown either. Since Orlando is essentially a
tourist town, they decided that it would be bad for business for the
tourists to see scary young people doing dangerous things on sidewalks
and little tiny stair sets downtown.
I suggest you skate downtown until you get busted, they'll just tell
you to go home. Or, you could become politically active... this is the
result of a mute young populace in a city that wants it both ways--to
be glittery and big but be cozy and safe and suburban. As a result,
they do stupid things that effectively ruin the city for anyone
willing to use it. Oh well. Maybe their new extra-tall courthouse will
fix things by virtue of its being big and expensive and shiny.
Regardless, downtown skating is illegal.
A shame; the Anderson Street bridge downtown really was a good cheap
thrill, best pseudohill in town... up to the top of the bridge, wait
until all the lights are good and the traffic's light, skate down and
wait for the shimmy in your skates to start, give it a little brake...
at the bottom veer right into the OUC parking lot, watch out for the
grates and speed bumps. My friends really didn't like it when I did
that. Remember, I didn't tell you that, when all your skin is spread
across the road or your skull dashed on the pavement a few feet
downhill from the speedbumps.
Most of what's left is unskatable car-congested stripmall terrain and
wide dull flat suburbia. Sorry.
University of Central Florida is okay, especially for beginners.
Better skaters will find it a bit flat, though they may find a little
entertainment in the benches and steps... it's sorta interesting in
that the whole campus is very skateable... and there's some truly
excellent blacktop for evening games of tag or just gliding about some
night.
Tampa/St. Petersburg
Web sites with Tampa/St. Pete info:
* Eric Santman's "Tampa Bay Area Recreation Skating Guide":
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/Eric_Santman/
From: Eric Santman (72530.1600@CompuServe.COM)
Date: 21 Jul 1995 16:10:15 GMT
I am proud to announce that on July 20th, 1995, the City Council of
Tampa 'decriminalized' the act of skating on all City streets of a
speed 30 mph or less. This is effective immediately.
This does not affect:
* Current ban on downtown sidewalks during business hours
* City Streets faster than 30 mph
* County or State maintained streets, even in the City limits
In addition, a Task Force has been named to review:
* 30 MPH streets that may be inappropriate for skating (too
commercial)
* Faster-than-30 mph streets that may be appropriate for skating
* Relationships with other non-auto road users, like cyclists
* Ways of promoting positive skate vibes throughout the Community
From: mierau@sunset.eng.usf.edu (Bradley Mierau (CH))
Date: 26 Feb 1995 16:43:59 GMT
TotallyJon (totallyjon@aol.com) wrote:
Tampa- Bayshore Blvd. Right on the water. Nice spot.
Friday and Saturday nights Ybor city meet 9pm Platt St and Bayshore.
If you want to skate St. Pete Monday and Thursday at the Thunderdome
parking lot 8pm-10pm.
Ft. Desoto Park probably the nicest spot around. 4 1/2 miles in a
county park. The best around.
The Pinellas trail 47 miles and nice too.
Another good place is Flatwoods County Park, 5 miles west of I75 on
Fletcher in Tampa. About 13 miles of trail... no motor vehicles...
almost no stop signs. _Very_ secluded, maby not a good place for
female skaters by themselves.
Tallahassee
From: dcain@mailer.cc.fsu.edu (Daryl S. Cain)
Date: Unknown
A great place to skate! Its got it all--hills, flatlands, gentle
slopes, the works. Tallahassee is the capital of Florida and home to
both Florida State University and Florida Agricultural and Mechanical
University. Skating is a relatively new sport in Tallahassee. There
are few places to buy skates and none where decent accessories or
compentent help is consistently available. The law is tolerant (play
it cool) but some private properly owners can be pains.
The best place for flatlanders is the St. Marks Trail south of
Tallahassee. This is a paved railroad right of way with the trailhead
located on Highway 363 (Woodville Highway) just south of State Road
319 (Capital Circle SE). Plenty of parking is available, however,
space does get sparce on the weekends.
The trail streches 16 miles from Tallahassee to St. Marks--a small
fishing village famed for its manatee population. The pavement is high
quality with few rough spots. Traffic is light on the weekdays, heavy
on the weekends. Most walkers quit after 1-2 miles and skaters after
2-3 miles. From there on down its smooth sailing except for the
bikers. The people are generally polite and accidents are rare. There
is a combination bike/skate shop at the north end of the trail. They
rent skates (Roces) and bikes for reasonable rates there.
In the spring the trail is beautiful. Flowers and shrubs are in bloom
and the lucky can generally find a good blackberry bush to pick.
However, snakes also like sun themselves on the warm trail so beware
the occassional rattler when you wander. Florida is a hot place so
pack plenty of water.
Speedsters will find that Tallahassee is quite hilly. Most hills are
located on the East or North sides of town. Pavement is of very high
quality, it's asphalt with a fine gravel base, but beware the
ocassional patch of shell rock. By far the best hill (in my
experience) is located on Morningside Drive just north of Highway 27
off Richview Drive on the east side. My wife has clocked my friend and
I at 45 mph near the bottom. The hill is about 1500 yards long,
straight, with a baby hill going up the other side to slow down on.
For more radical skating work, the place to go is the Florida State
University campus. There is no telling how the campus cops would react
to skaters but mountain bikers generally get away with murder. The
place is a cornicupia of stairs, ramps, hills, sidewalks, speedbumps
and parking lots. The campus is huge and almost every type of terrain
except for mountain switchbacks are available. The only cavat is that
when classes let out during the semester the place becomes packed with
pedestrians. The best times to skate there are at night, on weekends,
and during the summer semester.
For the freestylist, parking lots are in great abundance in
Tallahassee. Most places are cool, but the rent-a-cops at the
Governers Square Mall are a pain in the ass. Its a real pity to, the
parking lot covers about ten acres and was just repaved about five
months ago with the smoothest asphalt you've ever laid eyes on. A
suitable alternative is the Kroger Center, located on the east side of
town between Highway 27 and Capital Circle.
Pick-up hockey games are held at Skate Inn East, 2563 Capital Circle
N.E. on Sunday - 7:00 pm and Wednesday - 9:30 pm. For more information
contact Steve Bohl at (904)656-2056. You gotta have your own stuff.
Be forewarned that there are few experienced skaters in Tallahassee.
For that reason there are no real "skater" hangouts. Most people have
a steady skate partner that they skate with but organized affiliations
haven't developed to any real extent yet.
There are many outdoor events in Tallahassee, such as bike-a-thons and
the like, and they're just now warming up to the idea of skaters
joining their ranks. Hopefully skaters will get off on the right foot
here and become a legitimate part of the exercise/fitness community.
So if your in town and maybe want to skate a few miles, drop me a
line.
_________________________________________________________________
Georgia
Atlanta
From: gn@terminus.gatech.edu (toM o. genesE)
Date: Unknown
Well, I'm not quite sure what your looking for in a place to skate,
but if you are ever in Atlanta (well, it is on the East coast after
all) be sure to go to Piedmont Park. The park itself is home to quite
a few skaters, and no one minds their presence. Directly across the
street from the park is Skate Escape, the rec/speed skate shop
mentioned in the rec.skate FAQ.
Every Monday evening, there is an introductory skate through the
midtown area, starting at a shopping center near the park. Even though
the trip is labeled as introductory, when the skaters (80+) gather in
the parking lot, you can meet advanced skaters and pick up some tips,
see some tricks, etc. If you are into speedskating, Skate Escape has a
distance skate every Wednesday night.
There is also a local skate club, the Atlanta Peachtree Road Rollers.
These are the people who put on the Monday night skate, as well as
provide introductory skate lessons.
I can get more info on the club and these events if there is some
interest.
From rbutera@owlnet.rice.edu
Date: Unknown
_Great_ skating city; lots of hills and really scenic. Piedmont Park
is really popular with beginners and pros alike. Go to the entrance
near Piedmont and 12th street. There's a skate shop on that corner
(Skate Escape). They can tell you whatever you want about other
skating events in the city, regular weekly skates with the Peachtree
Rollers, etc.
Cops don't seem to mind skaters as long as you stay out of everyone's
way (i.e. use common sense).
The Georgia Tech Campus is another great place, especially for
freestyle types. Lots of stairs (the ones by the student center are
ideal for stair-riding) and ramps, great hills, and a few parking
decks to boot.
_________________________________________________________________
Kentucky
Louisville
From: steves1222@aol.com (SteveS1222)
Date: 7 Sep 1994 12:07:06 -0400
Seneca Park has a walking path that is rather narrow with many
walkers. Cherokee Park has a 2.3 mile loop-road that is now one-way
with the inside lane reserved for bikes, walkers, and skaters. It's
much better than Seneca.
Another area I've started skating around is along the river downtown.
There is a walk path, narrow but little traffic because it's new, that
runs for a mile or two along the river. There is a free parking lot at
the end of 10th street and the path is right there. If you go east
past the construction, you can skate around the Belle of Louisville
dock also.
I've heard that a number of people skate on the Belvadere. It is the
open area above the construction near the Belle. I've not skated there
yet though, so I can't give you an opinion.
_________________________________________________________________
Louisiana
* New Orleans
* Covington
New Orleans
From: BELMONT@lsuvm.sncc.lsu.edu
Date: Fri, 27 Jan 95 13:12:33 CST
The most popular place to skate is Audobon Park (next to Audobon Zoo)
in uptown New Orleans. It is a circular track about a mile long with
bladers, bikers, and joggers. There used to be 3-hour street skates
around the city on Thursday nights and Saturday afternoons. I am not
sure if they are still going on. Call Park SK8 (504-891-7055) in N.O.
for more info.I would not try skating around the French Quarter - it's
wall to wall people and cars and the roads are atrocious.
From: breid@larry.cc.emory.edu (Brian B. Reid)
Date: 31 Jan 1995 06:30:19 GMT
I took a trip to N.O. a few months ago and skated the Quarter a bit.
If you go at a resonable hour (pre 1 p.m.) and keep your eyes open,
it'll be an interesting skate... nice scenery, anyway...
From: SCHELLE@aol.com
Date: Wed, 18 Oct 1995 16:53:14 -0400
Lafreniere Park in Metairie is the best place to skate in the metro
New Orleans area. There is a lagoon to skate around . It also has
bridges and stairs and rails. You can skate up until 10 P.M. The city
of New Orleans is trying to make it illegal to skate in the French
Quarter and on the public streets. Audubon Park is one long circle no
challenge for an aggressive skater.
Covington
From: kdl3374@ucs.usl.edu (Landry Kimberly D)
Date: 12 Apr 1995 00:31:48 GMT
I recently skated the Tammany Trace which is a rails-to-trails (i.e.
linear park) which extends 8.3 miles from Abita Springs to Covington.
It will eventually be a 30 mile park. We skated the trail then skated
to lunch at a cafe and then skated through the abita springs beer
brewery on a tour. Abita Springs is a beautiful town with very
attractive features around the trail. It was a great day and fully
recommend it.
_________________________________________________________________
Maryland
Baltimore
From: hall@aplcenmp.apl.jhu.edu (Marty Hall)
Date: Unknown
1. Loch Raven Reservoir. A 1.5 mile or so stretch of smooth pavement
on the east side is closed to traffic weekends from 10AM to 5PM.
Go up Dulaney Valley Rd. along west and north sides of reservoir.
Stay along the reservoir (ie bear right) when the main road bears
left at the restaurant. The next road is where skating starts.
Moderately crowded with walkers, skaters, and bicyclers on nice
days, esp after lunch. But shaded and cool.
2. Baltimore Street Skater's Club. They meet 1st and 3rd Thursday's
of the month in the Light Rail parking lot on Deereco Rd. This
runs parallel to I83 between I83 and York Rd, halfway between
Timonium and Padonia Rds. They meet 7:30-9:30 with clinics (from
raw beginners to moderately advanced) going from 8:00-9:00. They
recommend "joining" for about 20 bucks, but it is not required.
Joining also gets you a T-shirt. They also have hockey some other
night. Call Hal Ashman at Baltimore Boardsailing (666-WIND) for
more info. 60+ people on a typical night. If you can crossover
backwards, do a few jumps, and do basic slaloms around cones
(backwards, 1-foot, crossing legs forwards), then you are already
as good as all but their best instructors, but can still mess
around with the better skaters. The more advanced groups generally
take off into the surrounding industrial parks.
Cancelled if there is a home Orioles game that night.
3. Patapsco State Park. Just S of I195 off of Rt 1, near the UMBC
campus. It costs to get in, but skaters can park in the
residential area outside the park (go past the entrance up the
hill), and skate in for free. It is about 1 mile into the main
park, then there is a 2 mile stretch of river to skate along,
ending in a hanging bridge over the river. One side of the river
is a road (no cars allowed most of the way), the other is a bike
path.
4. Camden Yards stadium. Huge parking lots and smooth sidewalks south
of stadium and around it. Obviously avoid game days. Guards will
not let you skate between the warehouses (inside the large gates)
but will let you skate elsewhere. On a weekday or early AM
weekend, you can also skate over to the Inner Harbor for a nice
cruise.
5. Baltimore Annapolis Trail. Nice smooth bike trail running from
Glen Burnie to Annapolis. I've never ridden it all the way into
Annapolis, and suspect that to ride into downtown Annapolis would
be hard, since I _think_ you would have to cross one major bridge
after the trail ends. Anybody know?
_________________________________________________________________
North Carolina
* Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill
* Nag's Head
Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill
From: mcohen@bnr.ca (Matt Cohen)
Date: 24 Apr 1995 17:10:49 GMT
The best place to skate in the area is probably the Research Triangle
Park - miles of trails and wide open, smooth roads with little hills
or traffic. NC State and UNC have some good roads. Downtown Raleigh is
good and well lit. The Triangle Skating Club [(919) 460-0964] has four
organized group skates each week, Saturday at 10am, Sunday at 1pm, and
Tue/Thu eves at 6pm, leaving from the park & ride next to the
governor's inn, exit 280 off I40.
From: bcb@hyperfine.caltech.edu (Brian C. Broom)
Date: Wed, 26 Apr 1995 11:19:56 -1812
I used to skate a trail at shelly lake (raleigh around Millbrook rd ?)
2-3 Mi path. One direction has really steep downhill, and some other
paths were steep, so scout ahead. I usually went counterclockwise
around the lake.
I also heard people going to the Lake/Park around Athens Drive (again
in Raleigh)
Nag's Head
From: Rodney Patterson (Rodney.Patterson@NorfolkVA.ATTGIS.COM)
Date: Wed, 23 Aug 1995 22:10:00 GMT
A concrete path has been built on Beach Road in South Nags Head (app
MP 16?). If you are not familiar with South Nags Head, take 158
business South until you see signs for the split to Manteo or
Hatteras. 158 goes to Manteo, you have to veer left to get on NC 12
like you are headed to Hatteras, but you want to take the left at the
KFC and then right down Beach Road. Parallel to this sidewalk (?)
there are side streets on which I used to blade. The combination is
enough to get some distance.
_________________________________________________________________
South Carolina
* Columbia
* Charleston
* Hilton Head Island
* Clemson
Columbia
From: David Doughty (doughty@ena-east.ericsson.se)
Date: Fri, 08 Sep 95 14:08:56 -0400
Riverfront Park, down beside the old Correctional Facility along just
below the confluence of the rivers into the Congaree: Smooth paved
trail about 1/2 mile long, not great for distance, but nice to stretch
the legs. I've skated from there along the sidewalks to the campus of
"The USC" (The University of South Carolina), which has some good
parking lots, stairs, etc, but you'd better be ready to deal with some
serious hills if you want to go far!
DO NOT try to skate INSIDE Dutch Square Mall!!
Charleston
From: David Doughty (doughty@ena-east.ericsson.se)
Date: Fri, 08 Sep 95 14:08:56 -0400
Downtown/Battery/College of Charleston - it's flat and it's paved,
what else do you need to know?!? Just watch out for cobblestone
streets and horse-droppings!
Hilton Head Island
From: David Doughty (doughty@ena-east.ericsson.se)
Date: Fri, 08 Sep 95 14:08:56 -0400
Sea Pines Plantation has paved bike trails everywhere! Some are in bad
repair, there is sand/water/etc on some, but most are great for
skating. Narrow, but no hills - do watch for tourists on rent-a-bikes.
There are also trails popping up around the rest of the Island, too.
There is one along 278 from the Mall south, and then east to the
Holiday Inn and on to Sea Pines. And if you forget your blades, you
can rent some at fairly reasonable prices at...well it used to be the
awesome Beach Factory, but Mr. Wingo changed the name, but it's
located 270 degrees around the traffic circle from Holiday Inn, as you
go back toward 278. It's on the right, just past the Exxon, next to
Sharkey's Pizza, across the streed from a miniature golf place.
Warning! DO NOT try to skate on the golf-cart paths. They do NOT
appreciate it!
Clemson
From: David Doughty (doughty@ena-east.ericsson.se)
Date: Fri, 08 Sep 95 14:08:56 -0400
Some great skating!! Plenty of sidewalks, parking lots, stairs,
benches, etc. There is nothing else there but the University, so
they're used to "pedestrian" traffic, and have plenty of paved areas
with little/no cars. Just lots of people for about 15 minutes every
hour :-) Plenty of hills, but if you navigate carefully you can catch
the easier slopes.
The sidewalks above (and on top of!) Strom Thurmond Institute
(underground building behind Cooper library) are nice, flat, often
people meet here before heading out to the rest of campus. Small
slopes coming down from Library and east-campus side are good for
beginners.
Loading dock behind Olin hall (West campus between Brackett and Riggs)
has great ramp for getting air (5 - 8 feet above ground level!), just
make sure you launch at an angle or you'll hit the wall!
The hill going up to East Beach and the Crew sheds above the Rubgy
fields is some intense downhill with more than enough flat run-out at
the bottom. Just leave one person at the bottom of the hill to stop
cars! (which are few and far between, unless they're starting crew
practice).
The absolute best day I've ever had skating was the day we simply
rolled right in the main gate to Death Valley, Clemson's stadium!
Tearing around on the smooth asphalt under the stands, down The Hill
(steep grass with asphalt at the top to start from, and a big dip
half-way down: serious air, land with a tumble, head-over-heels down
the rest of the slope! Excellent, and no road-rash, just grass
stains!!), and down the grass slope between the West and South stands
(Jump the wall and the sidewalk!)
Inside: Skateland in Anderson allows blades with no-mark brakes (or no
brakes!) Skateland in Easley is a great rink, but I haven't been there
since I got my blades, so I don't know about that.
_________________________________________________________________
Tennessee
* Nashville
* Oak Ridge
Nashville
Web sites with Nashville info:
* Nashville Net Inline Skating Page:
http://www.nashville.net/~inline/
Oak Ridge
From: mldickens@bbn.com (Michael L. Dickens)
Date: Unknown
I'm not sure if inlines are allowed, but there was an indoor skating
rink on the east side of town (Oak Ridge), on the Turnpike.
OR does have some nice _BIG_ parking lots to cruise around; mainly the
newly renovated Downtown (Indoor) Mall. I'd probably stick to the
Wal-Mart side because the pavement is better (and newer). There's
always the Kroger's, K-Mart, and Family Rec parking lots.
I'm from OR, but I've never tried skaing around town. I think it is
do-able, as biking was quite possibly in town. I wouldn't recommend
blading out to the 'Labs, because the road is _way_ too narrow (as of
last year, at least. Maybe they finally got their act together ∧
did something about it!--it had no shoulder, and had room for 2 cars
and a bike). During the summer, there are _lots_ of runners and
bikers. And also _lots_ of traffic.
I'm also of the opinion that blading might not pass over too well with
the natives (of OR at least). Skate boards were (and I think still
are) pretty rad.
Virginia
* Arlington
* Falls Church
* Blacksburg
* Lynchburg
Arlington
From: Robert Schmunk (rbs@skatecity.com)
Date: May 23, 1995
Along the Potomac River, there is a nice bike/jog/skate path
paralleling the George Washington Memorial Parkway. It's just hilly
enough to offer a pleasant workout, but not so hilly that it will wear
you out. I have skated it from the Key Bridge connecting Arlington to
the Georgetown section of DC all the way down to Alexandria Old Town,
and I have seen a map which indicates that it can be taken as far
south as Mt. Vernon. The distance from Key Bridge to Mt. Vernon is
about 17 miles.
While the GW Parkway is _very_ scenic, offering some fine views of DC,
it does have some problems. The biggest is that it is somewhat narrow
and very popular. This means that the potential for conflict between
bikers and skaters is high and you must be prepared to extend the
usual courtesies of the trail if you want to co-exist in peace. Thus,
stay right except when passing someone, be sure to warn people when
you pass them, etc. Another big problem with this trail is the
relative lack of places to stop for water and/or Gatorade; between the
Key Bridge and Alexandria Old Town, the only such place that I know of
is the Washington Sailing Marina. Finally, the trail temporarily
dissipates while in Old Town, so you may have to look around carefully
to find where it continues on the other side of town.
From the Key Bridge area, there is supposed to be another major trail
extending westward into Virginia about 42 miles. Ask around at local
bike/skate shops for info.
Right by the Key Bridge is the Arlington Gateway Park. This has some
nice sloping ramps and stairways for general larking about and perhaps
some grinding and bashing. It seems to be pretty much deserted in the
evenings and weekends.
Falls Church
From: mcasey@netrail.net (Mark Casey)
Date: Fri, 28 Jul 95 13:35 EDT
The Prosperity Business Park near DunLoring Metro in Falls Church is a
great place to skate evenings and weekends. There are several two
level concrete gargages (lighted and empty at night), ramps, stairs,
rails, and objects to jump over/off along the 1/2 mi stretch. It's
usually very quiet -- an out of the way place for the budding street
skater or the beginner looking for a smooth rink to practice the
basics. I've also heard the Fairfax County Government Center is a
great place to skate but I haven't been there yet.
Blacksburg
From: "Joshua B. Chapel" (jchapel@csugrad.cs.vt.edu)
Date: Fri, 21 Apr 1995 10:27:47 -0400
About the only place I know of is here at VA Tech, but it is _great_.
There are stairs _everywhere_ and all sorts of stuff to grind, slide,
jump, whatever.
Lynchburg
From: David Doughty (doughty@ena-east.ericsson.se)
Date: Fri, 08 Sep 95 14:08:56 -0400
Liberty University has some nice sidewalks, stairs, good rails!, etc.
Almost no car-traffic, most of that on the main drag. If you can get
up the hill from there to Ericsson (manufacturing plant) after hours,
you'll find more asphalt than you'll know what to do with. They've
recently repaved the parking lot, and considering it was built for
~1500 people, it ain't small. Just don't try to skate in the
strip-mall across the street - the gaurds there don't like it!
Blackwater Creek Natural Area has some small bike/hike trails that are
ok, about 7 miles long, not too bad for there and back again, one bad
hill/curve just below the old train-tressle bridge with gravel at the
bottom! Have to watch out for pedestrians and bikers, and it is in the
woods, so sand, sticks, wet leaves, etc.
Oh, and it IS ILLEGAL to skate on the streets in the city limits of
Lynchburg! (Campus doesn't count, I don't think...)
Inside: Fun Quest on Graves Mill Road across from the armory allows
blades with no exposed metal bolts. They used to sell the plastic nuts
to use on the bolts (I have original Lightnings), they probably have a
few if you need them, just ask. They also rent blades (for use in the
rink), they're not the best, but cheaper than renting for a day at a
time if you're trying to get someone started. (They also have a tiny
laser-tag arena - sorry, no skates!)
From: Elizabeth Fischer (EEFISCHER@intergate.dot.gov)
Date: Fri, 23 Feb 1996 17:46:39 -0500
There's something about the HILLs in the Hill City that make for a
good skate -- going both down and up. I have never been stopped by the
local constabulary for skating (as a matter of fact, I did not even
know that it was illegal to street skate there until recently) on
skates along Boonsboro Road to the west end of Peakland Place and on
to the eastern intersection of Rivermont and Bedford Avenues. Skate
smart, obey traffic rules for bikes and pedestrians, stay cool.
_________________________________________________________________
_-rec.sport.skating.inline FAQs maintained by Tony Chen
(adchen@skatefaq.com)_
_-"Where to Skate" edited by Robert Schmunk (rbs@skatecity.com)_
_________________________________________________________________
_General Info_ _Techniques_ _Marketplace_ _Where to Skate_ Index
FAQs
Glossary
Wheels/Bearings
Clubs/Orgs
Rollerhockey
Stopping
Grinding
Vert/Jumps
Slaloms
Figure Skating
Racing
Buying Guide
Companies/Shops
Skate Reviews
Other Reviews
Western
California
Central
Northeast
Southeast
Abroad
_________________________________________________________________
Win FREE skating equipment!
_________________________________________________________________
Copyright 1991-1996 Anthony D. Chen (adchen@skatefaq.com)
User Contributions:Part1 - Part2 - Part3 - Part4 - Part5 - Part6 - Part7 - Part8 - Part9 - Part10 - Part11 - Part12 - Part13 - Part14 - Part15 - Part16 - Part17 - Part18 - Part19 - Part20 [ Usenet FAQs | Web FAQs | Documents | RFC Index ] Send corrections/additions to the FAQ Maintainer: adchen@garnet.acns.fsu.edu (Tony Chen)
Last Update March 27 2014 @ 02:12 PM
|
Comment about this article, ask questions, or add new information about this topic: