The Best 8 Places to Roller Skate Near You

You probably have reasons why you’d rather skate somewhere other than a conventional roller skating rink and that’s completely okay. Maybe you want to break in your new pair of roller skaters (especially if you’ve never used those particular skates before) and you’d feel shy or embarrassed if too many folks are around to see you miss a step. Or you just prefer to feel the air rushing through your hair as you skate along in the park, rather than in enclosed spaces. 

Whatever the case may be, the fact remains that you want to have a list of alternative locations to go roller skating if the need ever arises. So whether you’re a newbie in the world of roller skating or you’re part of a roller derby team and you need a place to practice exclusively, here are 8 of the best places for roller skating in your neighbourhood today.

 

1. Your Local Church's Parking Lot

Because they are rarely utilised during the week (except for the special mid-week programs and services that happen once in a while), church parking lots are excellent locations for roller skating practice. This suggests that you may have a higher chance of enjoying your skate session uninterrupted by conversations or requests to leave the premises. So anytime you feel like it, you can just grab your roller skates and head down to your local church’s parking lot for a quick skate. Oftentimes, these parking lots are covered in extremely smooth black asphalt, so it’s a great bonus if you can keep an eye out for parks like that.

 

2. Your School’s Basketball Courts

In most communities there are schools, and in most of those schools, there are basketball courts! As a matter of fact, the majority of elementary and intermediate schools around the nation have these covered basketball courts as a standard feature. What this means is that you're sure to discover a slick concrete surface ideal for roller skating if you visit a local school basketball court. If you are able to locate an indoor gym with a basketball court, you'll also have a great site to roller skate under some shade on hot days, or stay protected from snow or rain during the winter.

 

3. Multi-Level Parking Garages

Sometimes, rain, snow, or too much sun can make you shudder at the thought of roller skating outdoors. However, with multi-story parking garages, you would have an ideal location to roller skate without bothering about the weather. Find a buddy who’d love to skate with you and locate a multi-level parking garage near you. When you’ve done that, all you have to do is pull out your roller skates  and take pleasure in the polished concrete floor. 

It's recommended to visit parking garages before or after work hours for safety reasons. This is so you won't have to deal with moving cars or irate parking employees.

 

4. The Community Centre's Lawn Tennis Courts

A vast majority of towns, high schools, and colleges have a couple of lawn tennis courts that are usually made available for the general public to use. If you’re lucky and there’s one close to where you live, you can head on down and try it out. But while you do so, it’s important to know that tennis courts’ surfaces differ.

Some would be best suited for roller skating, while others would be nothing short of a nightmare. There are tennis court surfaces that are really slick with no bumps which would give you an amazing roller skating experience, and there are the ones that have rubbery surfaces. Although not ideal, they can be a great substitute if you really must skate and have no other option.

 

5. Underground Transit Systems and Stations

Many huge cities have subway stations and underground transport systems. If you happen to live in a metropolis and you’re looking for a place to skate, these locations can be a great option. Of course, it’s not advisable to practice during rush hour for obvious reasons. But when they are emptied out at night, you can have the space all to yourself. Just be sure that you aren’t breaking any laws by doing so, and also look out for notices that tell you which areas are forbidden to skate in.

 

6. Indoor Gym Halls

You’re probably wondering how you’d be able to practice your roller skate moves in the gym. Well, that’s because you’re thinking about the gym halls that have a lot of weight machines and equipment! That’s not the type of gym being referenced here. 

The ones we are talking about are built with solid concrete or wooden floors with lots of space. Examples of such gyms would be your local CrossFit gym, boxing gym, salsa dance studio, or mixed martial art gym. You’d likely need to pay to use the space, but they are a great location to roller skate if you need your privacy to practice and you don’t mind doing so at odd hours.

 

7. Empty Office Spaces or Warehouses

Admittedly, finding a large empty office space (or warehouse) might be an uphill task in itself. You’d have to deal with reluctant landlords who are uncomfortable at the thought of folks roller skating around their property. They obviously would be concerned about the stress of dealing with the authorities if an accident occurs on their property while roller skating.

But if you’re able to pull along like-minded buddies who are as passionate about roller skating as you are, you can reach a compromise and rent out such a space. Granted, you may need to indemnify the landlord in the event of any mishap, but that’s a small price to pay for the privilege to skate uninhibitedly.

 

8. Your Backyard, Unfinished Garage, or Basement

There’s nothing stopping you from roller skating in the comfort of your home, especially if you have the space for it. If you have an unfinished basement or a garage that is not so cluttered around with items, you can easily practice roller skating! 

Of course, you’d probably not have enough room to do complex tricks and show off your skills but you can still hone your balancing, transitioning, and turning skills at home. One other advantage of practicing at home is that there are literally no time limits to how long you can use your space. You can also play your music as loudly as you want and have friends over which makes for a fun roller skating session!

Conclusion

You'll come to see that finding a suitable place to roller skate is only half the work. There's also a need for the right roller skates and skateboards to enjoy the location. Not sure where to get a good pair? Check out Bladeworx’s collection of sturdy, high-quality roller skates now!