Flavorwire

Sure, all the world’s a stage, but it’s also one giant playground. In the spirit of summer and all things fun under the sun, we thought we’d take a look at one of the greatest ways to conquer urban terrain by looking at the stunning architecture of the modern day skate park.

Born sometime in the late 1940s, skateboarding was the brainchild of SoCal surfers wanting something to surf when the waves were flat. Enter “Sidewalk Surfing” aka skateboarding. The downtime activity of soulful surfers and sappy street gangs has come a long way since the days of Thrashin’, the seminal 1986 American skater drama starring Josh Brolin and the earliest incarnation of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. From a colorful outdoor “youth factory” to a hunting lodge that doubles as an indoor skatepark, click through to check out our roundup of skate parks that will blow your mind. Tell us in the comments which is your favorite, or nominate a park we’ve missed in the comments below!

Youth Factory – Lusitania, Spain

Image credit: Iwan Baan and Roland Halbe via Hooked