Cloud Gate "The Bean" at Chicago, Illinois
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Skateboarding

Best skateparks in Chicago: 9 thrilling locations to visit

If you're looking for a spot to skate, check out one of these 10 skateparks.
By Red Bull Editorial Team
5 min readPublished on
Skaters, rejoice! The more mainstream skating gets, the more skateparks pop up all over the world. In fact, lots of city parks and recreation departments are building sick skateparks free for citizen use.
Skateboarding started out in California, where kids could use drained pools as the perfect bowls to practice their skills, but it's evolved into a worldwide phenomenon. For Chicagoans, learning to skate was a different story. Confined to skating on the street and running away from cops or other folks who didn't appreciate their wheels, skaters had few places to practice. Now, a multitude of skateparks in the city and suburbs of Chicago gives a physical community gathering point to the skaters in the Windy City.

1. Wilson Skatepark

Wilson Skatepark is part of the Chicago Park District, which includes five other skate-specific facilities. The skatepark is for skateboards only and features stairs, rails, fun boxes, and multiple bowls, all designed to push you to your physical limit.

2. Burnham 31st Street Skatepark

Another skatepark included in the Chicago Park District, Burnham 31st Street Skatepark is located within the larger Burnham (Daniel) Park. The outdoor skatepark includes several bowls of varying depths and some nice rails to practice your grinds and slides.

3. Grant Skatepark

One of the best-loved skateparks in the Chicago Park District system, you can find Grant Skatepark within Grant (Ulysses) Park. It's got a fantastic location, with a backdrop of iconic Chicago buildings to its back and plenty of obstacles in the park to keep you entertained. Since it's newer, it also has a trendier, upscale look that some of the older parks don't.

4. Audubon Skatepark

In Elk Grove Village, a Chicago suburb, the Elk Grove Park District offers skaters the impressive Audubon Skatepark. This part-outdoor, part-indoor skate complex allows dedicated skaters to master ollie, kickflips, and frontside 180s whatever's going on with the weather. Be warned, though, the indoor park isn't heated, so it does close if temps drop super low.
  • Location: 300 E. Elk Grove Blvd.
  • Elk Grove Village, Illinois 60007
  • Hours: The outdoor park is open from dawn to dusk and the indoor park's hours vary depending on the weather.
  • Cost: $4 general admission and $2 Elk Grove Village residents
  • Video: Outdoor Skatepark Becomes Hub for Chicago Community

5. The Asylum Skatepark

Chicago gets cold, you know, so it's imperative you have an indoor skatepark option when you want to dive into a bowl and also keep your fingers frostbite free. The Asylum Skatepark in Lake Bluff, Illinois, offers a fantastic indoor park with myriad features, sweet design work, and food to boot.
  • Location: 29850 N. Skokie Highway
  • Lake Bluff, Illinois 60044
  • Hours: Hours vary by season, but are generally from 12 p.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends.
  • Cost: General admission is $14, but the park offers multiple discounts.
  • Video: Asylum Skatepark, Lake Bluff, Illinois: Full Tour

6. Centennial Park Skatepark

In Chicago-suburb Naperville, skateboarders, inline skaters, and BMX bikers can enjoy Centennial Park Skatepark. It features solid elements like half pipes, quarter pipes, rails, and fun boxes. It's part of the larger Centennial Park, which also includes a swimming pool and other park amenities.

7. Skatepark at Olympic Park

Another excellent suburban skatepark to check out is Skatepark at Olympic Park in Schaumburg. The impressive 13,000 square foot park was built to look like a downtown area and includes awesome features like rails, benches, fun boxes, and a giant concrete bowl.
  • Location: 1675 E. Old Schaumburg Road
  • Schaumburg, Illinois 60173
  • Hours: Seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.
  • Cost: Free
  • Video: Schaumburg, Illinois Skatepark

8. Logan Boulevard Skatepark

The Logan Boulevard Skatepark is part of Chicago Park District's collection of skateparks in the downtown Chicago area. This particular park is pretty impressive — it's located under a stretch of the Kennedy Expressway. The skatepark, in addition to sweet elements like rails, fun boxes, and a bowl corner, features public art made from found objects and has a gritty feel to it from the noise of the cars and the shake of the highway overhead.

9. Stevenson Skatepark

Stevenson Skatepark, in the Chicago suburb of Oak Park, offers skaters an impressive 12,000-square-foot skatepark to play in. It's got some nice quarter pipes, fun boxes, and rails to mess around on and plenty of space to work on other tricks.
Skateparks give people of all ages and experience levels a chance to hone their skills out in the world. Many skateparks, especially outdoor ones, are free to use. There's no excuse for not hitting the pavement and busting out some 180s with so many killer skateparks in and around Chicago. Grab your board and get skating.
Skateboarding
Skateboarding