CHARLOTTE — If you think you see someone who looks like Tony Hawk in the Queen City on Friday, it might actually be the real Birdman this time.
Hawk, the skateboarding legend and titular figure of the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater video game series, posted a video on Instagram around noon Friday showing him dropping into a ramp at Charlotte’s Renaissance Park.
Hawk also autographed one of his signature boards and left it at the park for whoever could be the first person to claim it. Although after Friday morning’s storms, the board ended up in a puddle of water near one of the quarter-pipes.
It’s a trend on Hawk’s social media pages - he’s been making surprise visits to skate parks around the country and leaving a free board for a local. Without any forewarning, Hawk has the ramps to himself most of the time.
Hawk has been a professional skateboarder since his teenage years, and he was the first person to complete a 900 in competition.
Renaissance Park is one of just two official Meckenburg County Parks and Rec skate parks, along with Grayson Park. The county launched an initiative to build more skate parks around Charlotte, with at least one park set to begin construction in 2027.
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Outside of the official skate parks, you can also shred at the Kilborne DIY skatepark at Kilborne Park, or at the APB Skatepark on Tuckaseegee Road.