HAMPTON—The Hampton Carousel will once again welcome visitors beginning on Friday, April 1. The historic carousel will operate Tuesday–Sunday from 11am to 8pm between now and December 31, 2022. Tickets are $1 per ride and are available at the Hampton History Museum and at Carousel Park, which is located at 602 Settlers Landing Road in Downtown Hampton.
Built in 1920, the carousel is completely restored to its original beauty and housed in its weather-protected pavilion at Carousel Park on the city’s downtown waterfront. It is one of only 170 antique wooden merry-go-rounds still existing in the U.S. 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 many riders enjoyed the carousel over its 65-year tenure, it was put in storage with the closure of Buckroe Beach Amusement Park in the mid-1980s. It was moved and restored at its current location in Carousel Park 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 strains of the original band organ, many of these carousel horses are so finely carved that the veins in their necks and legs are visible.
Separate hours are available for groups or special occasions. For more information, call the Hampton Visitor Center at 757-727-1102 or visit HamptonHistoryMuseum.org.