Raleigh, NC

[yourbreakfsat]

I'm going to be visiting Raleigh, NC soon. I plan on staying in the downtown area and venture to the neighboring areas. I'm considering bringing my Zip Zinger with OJ Super Juices just so I can scope out the area and do some casual skating as I have zero idea what the skate scene and terrain is like (A short search on Youtube doesn't show me much).

What are some spots down there? What's the skate scene like? Is there anything I should know about the skateshops there?

[MichaelJacksonsGhost]

NC State has some spots, a couple big sets of stairs and some ledges etc.

APEX skatepark isn’t too far, and that’s a fun one with a bunch of small features. It can get a little full after school, so probably best to head there in the morning/during the day.

Endless grind is a good shop in Raleigh. There are a couple diys around, and the guys at Endless should be able to put you on.

[Lenny the Fatface]

Used to live in Raleigh years ago.

Look for spots downtown and near nc state. The Crabtree DIY is cool, I wouldn’t bother asking about the other DIYs since you aren’t local. Apex park is better than Marsh Creek, but Marsh Creek doesn’t get crowded as often. People skate the adjacent hockey rink more than the park, which is hilarious.

Most people are chill, there was a crew of dudes who are probably in their mid-30s now who will probably vibe you for all the weird millennial entitlement/male-ego reasons that people get vibed for…if they still live there.

[twic3]

get yourself some cookout and smithfields bbq, drink all the cheerwine you can. I dont live in Raleigh but I drive up from FL a couple times a year just to skate. Like everyone has said, NC state and downtown has a bunch of stuff. The guys at endless grind have always been happy to point me around.

[yourbreakfsat]

Thanks for the pointers everyone. Going to being flying out there tomorrow  Endless Grind sounds really promising!

[tkp]

Marsh Creek doesn’t get crowded as often. People skate the adjacent hockey rink more than the park, which is hilarious.

Yea... @Lenny the Fatface  that hockey rink is smooth. The skate scene pushed to get a public skatepark in Raleigh built for a long time, starting in the late 90s (likely earlier as well). It took over a decade to break ground and by that time the skaters still paying attention / pushing for it had changed. There were actually multiple designs proposed and there was a vote. The design I (and many other mainly street skaters) voted for was more of a street plaza, which was the original goal. If my memory is correct, it even had trees in the design.

Unfortunately, there was more of a push for a gigantic bowl from those in attendance, so that happened and took up the majority of the park budget / consisted of a different design. That bowl was a nightmare to pour, especially in the middle of a thunderstorm with cement coming from the truck that was clogging the pipes.

I'm glad that whole area has been taken over by skaters. It's also sick to see Apex park as that is similar to what the street skaters wanted in Raleigh.

@yourbreakfsat , you can push from Endless Grind all the way to NC State, especially if you are on soft wheels. If you are lucky, it's sometimes possible to hop a freight train back to the shop.  Bombing from the Brooks Parking lot > Hillsborough Street > into the Brickyard (entrance at Gardner Street) is super fast and fun. Spots around the Graffiti tunnel before and after you pass through it.

Another option with fun hills is skating from Endless into Downtown. This was a route I would often taken: Walk up Peace Street (go right out of Endless) and then bomb left down Glenwood Avenue. Armadillo Grill at the bottom has great food, good salsa bar. Then you gotta walk up Glenwood, but its not steep.

Push across the Boylan Bridge and then take a left on Cabarrus and bomb that hill. That will send you straight towards the train station (cutty spots around there) and if you keep going to some banks / parking garages / a ledge / Fayetteville Street Mall (smooth pavement, ledges, planters to ollie onto / off of, also slightly downhill)

Anyways, have fun. If you go to Endless Grind, tell em tkp says hello (then again I have no idea who works there now). Hope that angle iron is still holding strong on the ledge out front.