HAMPTON, Va. (WAVY) — More than a year after the pandemic unplugged the Hampton Carousel, the 101-year-old attraction was given the green light to open once again.
On Tuesday, June 1, the Hampton History Museum-operated merry-go-round welcomed visitors with COVID-19 protocols in place. Guests are required to wear masks when inside the carousel building, practice social distancing, and use hand sanitizer before and after rides.
Built in 1920, the carousel is completely restored and housed in its own pavilion at 602 Settlers Landing Road. It’s one of only 170 antique wooden merry-go-rounds still existing in the U.S. handcrafted by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company.
After its initial 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.
Historians say its original mirrors and oil paintings, as well as 48 intricately decorated horses, are still in place.
The carousel is open Tuesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., and closed Mondays.
Rider fees are $1 per ride.
The carousel will close for the winter on Dec. 31, 2021, and reopen in April 2022.
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