Written by John Talley

Chattanooga, Tennessee, is home to a vibrant skate community currently undergoing immense changes. What was once a cultural hub, practice grounds, and the only legal spot designated for skating, ChattTown Skatepark is currently reduced to being a dirt lot. While only a temporary inconvenience, skaters from far and wide are searching for a gathering place while the $4.4 million skate park renovation is underway.

The dilapidated wooden structures hadn’t satisfied local skaters for decades. A need for a new park was brought to light by local skaters who spoke up about how the previous wooden ramps just weren’t cutting it anymore. The Chattown Skatepark officially closed for reconstruction on November 10, 2025, and is set to reopen in late 2026. 

Despite not having a main skate park for the next few months, the Chattanooga skate scene is still thriving and finding any and every opportunity to go out and skate together. It’s community players that work behind-the-scenes, offering their own business parking lots and backyard shops to Chattanooga skateboarders that act as the glue for skate culture while ChattTown is closed.  

Christopher Scoggins is the owner of Comfort Skate Shop in Northshore and one of the many familiar faces in the skateboarding community. “I wanted this [renovated] park 25 years ago when I first started going to city council meetings. We got the other park instead, and then I had to go back to the city council meetings to keep fighting,” Scoggins said. 

Nick Moore, the owner of Cassette Skate Shop, had enough foresight on the skatepark issue that he decided to take matters into his own hands. After months of fundraising, Cassette opened a hand-built skate park in the parking lot right beside their building. Local skateboarders commend leaders like Moore for taking initiative. 

“Nick? Oh, he’s an angel for doing that because it’s something that I definitely need. I need a place to blow off steam and go skate, and the fact that he put that together and did all the heavy lifting for our community is really special,” said local skater Johnny Contich.

The grand opening and ribbon cutting on February 21, 2025, drew in hordes of skaters eager to skate the new spot. Once the ribbon was cut, the temporary skate spot was quickly overrun with the sounds of boards popping, wheels rolling over wooden ramps, and crowds cheering on familiar faces. 

“We had a full construction crew come in and volunteer labor to build the ramps. It was kind of my workaround with the city, so we didn’t have to get prefabricated ramps,” said Moore.

With the ChattTown skatepark renovations, Chattanoogans now need somewhere to skate without worrying about getting kicked out. The community has faced displacement before, often being told to leave public spaces to protect local businesses from property damage or liability claims. 

The @chattskates Instagram account launched in 2020 and has acted as a pillar, providing community support to the unsettled skate community since its inception. The account promotes field trips to other parks, where skaters meet up and carpool to the nearest available skate park. Chattskates also promoted a warehouse skate session, during which multiple skaters donated and loaned ramps and rails for the event.

“I have heard of the carpooling thing with Chattskates and guys making trips as a group, and I think that’s cool. I think we have one coming up when it warms up a bit more consistently,” said Scoggins.

Not only can skaters be found pouring in and out of cars from one skatepark to another, but they can also be found up a driveway covered in shells and remains of old Volkswagen cars, which welcome skaters to the Volkswagen Clubhouse. Gene Haman, the owner of the Clubhouse, has opened the warehouse doors, which is home to a Volkswagen-themed mini ramp that entertains a decent-sized crowd of skaters.

After sweeping the bowl free of dust and debris, skaters quickly line up at both ends of the mini ramp and wait for their turn to drop in. The Volkswagen Clubhouse sessions consistently take place on Thursday evenings and provide an extra home and support for the displaced community. The warehouse also remains ready for any on-the-fly gear replacements, doubling as both a skate park and shop, hosting a collection of boards and hardware beside the ramp.

Skaters can also book a session at Mini On the Mountain, a luxury skate Airbnb with a private 1,500 sq. ft. spine mini ramp in the backyard, or attend a skate session at the ramp. 

Peter Henchey, owner of Mini on the Mountain, has hosted events in the past to teach children how to skate. Last year, Mini On The Mountain hosted a “Children and Parents Only” skate session aimed at helping youth learn to skate on ramps they wouldn’t normally have access to. 

The new skate park is expected to open in the fall of 2026. $4.4 million was invested into the park for a brand new concrete fill that should last years longer than the former wooden ramps. While driving on the overpass above, you can watch as a dirt lot transforms into a work of concrete to house a village of anticipated skateboarders, and a future of skate culture in Chattanooga.

---

Where Wheels Replaced Blades

Written by Mackenzie Sweat

Nestled just off Reggie White Boulevard in Chattanooga, Tennessee, is the home of Chattanooga’s Roller Hockey League. Players range from children as young as 5 on the youth team to seasoned athletes in their 40s competing at the highest level; some players are just one step away from the National Hockey League.

Wheels scrape the surface as a black puck glides swiftly back and forth on the court, faster than the eye can follow. Noah Dillingham blows the whistle, signaling the start of the game.

The Chattanooga Hockey League has been established in Chattanooga since the 80s. Now, they face challenges due to the construction of a new skate park being built next to the rink, which is frustrating for players and coaches. Dillingham, the captain and coach for the hockey league, ‘’It’s been crazy…the other day [the construction workers] just disabled the lights.’’ Ultimately, making it hard to schedule games. A few disabled lights aren’t stopping the team from playing their favorite sport.

Unlike traditional ice hockey, roller hockey is played on a hard, smooth surface, where the players wear inline skates. Roller hockey has flourished in Chattanooga, the majority of teams coming from Nashville, and with the team making it to nationals in 2025, more players are flocking from all over the country, like Minnesota and Virginia, according to Dillingham.

In March 2020, the Chattanooga Hockey League achieved 501(c)(3) non-profit status to ensure the future longevity of local hockey, especially its youth team. Dillingham has witnessed the benefits firsthand. “We wanted to provide the best experience possible for the youth… This allowed us to raise funds, get sponsors, get donors, and that’s allowed us to buy an entirely new playing surface for the rink,” he said.

Before the funding and donors, the roller hockey players were in very different conditions. “We used to play on smooth concrete,” Dillingham recalls. “Now, we have a [sport court] surface, which is much nicer, especially if you happen to fall.”

Dillingham has been a coach for the Chattanooga Hockey League for 12 years and has been playing roller hockey for 30 years. “It’s a lot more than playing hockey. It’s a giant group of friends that really enjoy hanging out with each other,” Dillingham said.

The sense of community is what has kept the league alive for three decades and what keeps the players coming back season after season. Through disabled lights and the ever-growing construction next door, the sport is what brings back the 5-year-old players wobbling on the court to the 40-year-olds, back from another great season. The Chattanooga Hockey League was never just a sports team, but a place where strangers became teammates and teammates became lifelong friends.

---

Meet the storytellers