Being the mother of 2 skater dudes I ( and the boys ) was very happy to come across the Vans Skate Park when I was on a shopping trip with the family.
The Skate Park is located in the Festival Bay indoor shopping Mall at the top of International Drive, just across the road from the Beltz Outlet stores. It is a large skate park with both and indoor wooden skate arena and a concrete outdoor area.
Needless to say my two boys 9aged 7 and 13 at the time) could not wait to get their kit on and give the ramps a try. Luckily for them there is kit readily available for hire. Everything from boards to all the safety equipment. Vans insist on the wearing of the safety helmets and pads which was a relief to me. You can bring your own boards but if you do not have one there are boards to hire.
The day is split into slots of 2 hours. You can join in at any time but at the end of each 2 hour slot you have to clear the arena so it is best to arrive at the start of the slot to get best value for money.
The boys had a slow start while they got the feel of the ramps available. Also there was the element of street cred and trying not to look like complete novices but after just a few minutes they had got the feel of their boards and I was surprised at how adept they became. There is a viewing gallery running above the ramps so we had a great view of the boys antics while they got ever more adventurous as well as faster dropping in and out of the bowls and attempting to grind along the rails. Not that I know what any of these terms mean – I just hear it from the boys!
It felt that all too soon the 2 hours were up and 2 very tired and happy boys had to exit the arena and hand back their boards. The gave the skate park and Awesome feedback rating and I have no doubt that this will become a favourite haunt for teenagers ( and youngsters who want to be teenagers ) everywhere.
I think that the Vans Skate Park certainly makes for an interesting change to the Parks especially for a rainy day. Also it is very well located if you have older children who do not appreciate the joys of shopping. You can easily book them in and go shop in peace.
The Skate Park is located in the Festival Bay indoor shopping Mall at the top of International Drive, just across the road from the Beltz Outlet stores. It is a large skate park with both and indoor wooden skate arena and a concrete outdoor area.
Needless to say my two boys 9aged 7 and 13 at the time) could not wait to get their kit on and give the ramps a try. Luckily for them there is kit readily available for hire. Everything from boards to all the safety equipment. Vans insist on the wearing of the safety helmets and pads which was a relief to me. You can bring your own boards but if you do not have one there are boards to hire.
The day is split into slots of 2 hours. You can join in at any time but at the end of each 2 hour slot you have to clear the arena so it is best to arrive at the start of the slot to get best value for money.
The boys had a slow start while they got the feel of the ramps available. Also there was the element of street cred and trying not to look like complete novices but after just a few minutes they had got the feel of their boards and I was surprised at how adept they became. There is a viewing gallery running above the ramps so we had a great view of the boys antics while they got ever more adventurous as well as faster dropping in and out of the bowls and attempting to grind along the rails. Not that I know what any of these terms mean – I just hear it from the boys!
It felt that all too soon the 2 hours were up and 2 very tired and happy boys had to exit the arena and hand back their boards. The gave the skate park and Awesome feedback rating and I have no doubt that this will become a favourite haunt for teenagers ( and youngsters who want to be teenagers ) everywhere.
I think that the Vans Skate Park certainly makes for an interesting change to the Parks especially for a rainy day. Also it is very well located if you have older children who do not appreciate the joys of shopping. You can easily book them in and go shop in peace.