#204: Venice Skatepark

Have you been to Venice recently? I hadn't been back since my visit to Float Lab (#147), but when Brad showed me videos of some kids skating at the Venice Skatepark, I knew I had to return to check it out.

We went on the weekend of the Festival of the Chariots (#203), so there were a lot of people at the park. The young and the young at heart took their turns in the bowls, and I watched mesmerized as they made aerials, flips and slides look effortless.

During Venice Beach's renovation in 1999-2001, people requested that a skatepark be built in honor of Dogtown, the birthplace of modern skating. The park finally opened in 2009 at 1800 Ocean Front Walk.

Check out VeniceSkatePark.com for a live video feed of the park!

While you're at the park, be sure to also check out the nearby Venice Public Art Walls. These walls have been canvases for graffiti art for over thirty years. ICU Art, a graffiti arts advocacy group, has worked to preserve the art so that anyone with a permit can legally contribute to the walls.

Have you been to the Venice Skatepark and Public Art Walls? What did you think of them? Leave me a comment below!

Venice Skatepark