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From: [e-mail] (Tony Chen)
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Subject: In-line Skating FAQ: Southeastern NA (5.4)
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Archive-name: sports/skating/inline-faq/part17




   _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 ([e-mail])
   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: [e-mail] (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: [e-mail] (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: [e-mail] (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: [e-mail] (George B. Clark)
   Date: Unknown

   [e-mail] (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: [e-mail] (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: [e-mail] (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: [e-mail] (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: [e-mail] (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 ([e-mail])
   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: [e-mail] (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: [e-mail] (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: [e-mail] (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 ([e-mail])
   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: [e-mail] (Bradley Mierau (CH))
   Date: 26 Feb 1995 16:43:59 GMT

   TotallyJon ([e-mail]) 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: [e-mail] (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 [phone]. 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: [e-mail] (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 [e-mail]
   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: [e-mail] (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: [e-mail]
   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: [e-mail] (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: [e-mail]
   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: [e-mail] (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: [e-mail] (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: [e-mail] (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 [[phone]] 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: [e-mail] (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 ([e-mail])
   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 ([e-mail])
   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 ([e-mail])
   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 ([e-mail])
   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 ([e-mail])
   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: [e-mail] (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 ([e-mail])
   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: [e-mail] (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" ([e-mail])
   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 ([e-mail])
   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 ([e-mail])
   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.
     _________________________________________________________________



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   _-"Where to Skate" edited by Robert Schmunk ([e-mail])_
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