HAMPTON—After being closed for more than a year due to the pandemic, the Historic Hampton Carousel will reopen for the 2021 season on June 1 with covid protocols in place. The carousel will remain open until December 31, 2021. It will then be closed during the winter but will reopen in April 2022.
Located in Carousel Park and operated by the Hampton History Museum, the former Buckroe Beach carousel is one of Hampton’s most treasured historic assets. Built in 1920, the carousel is completely restored to its original beauty and housed in its own weather-protected pavilion on the city’s downtown waterfront. It is one of only 170 antique wooden merry-go-rounds still existing in the United States. Handcrafted by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company for the Buckroe Beach Amusement Park, Hampton’s carousel is a whirling tribute to the skill of its creators.
After an untold number of young and old enjoyed the carousel over its 65-year tenure, it was put in storage when the Buckroe Beach Amusement Park closed in the mid-1980s. It was moved and restored at its current location on Settlers Landing Road in Downtown Hampton in 1991. It still boasts its original mirrors and oil paintings, as well as 48 intricately decorated horses. Rising and falling to the sounds of the original band organ, many of the carousel horses are so finely carved, the veins in their necks are visible.
The Hampton Carousel is located at 602 Settlers Landing Road. Regular hours of operation are Tuesday–Sunday, 11am–8pm. $1 will get anyone interested a ride on this historic attraction. Tickets are on sale at the Hampton History Museum and at the Hampton Carousel.