12 Best Things To Do In Hampton, Virginia

1. Enjoy a musical at The American Theatre

Editor's Note: Photo taken from the establishment's official social account

The American Theatre has been around since 1908. This vaudeville house, restored over the past years, is a flourishing performing arts theater that entertains its audiences with year-round events. Ranging from family dramas, dance, cabaret, and jazz to classical, symphony, and theater, it has something for everyone.

After having a nice supper in any one of the nearby restaurants, you can wait in the lobby that opens an hour before the scheduled event. Guests driving to the venue can park for free.

The American Theatre

Address: 125 E Mellen St, Hampton, VA 23663, United States

Website: The American Theatre

Opening hours: Mon - Fri: 9am - 5pm (box office)

2. Soak up the sun at Outlook Beach

Editor's Note: There's no photo available at the time of writing

Amongst the pristine beaches in Fort Monroe, Outlook Beach offers sweeping views of the Chesapeake Bay and attracts tourists in huge numbers. The public beach stays open from sunrise through sunset. Visitors can enjoy sightings of the diverse flora and fauna apart from the usual dips in the water and soaking up the sun while lying down over the warm sand dunes. Lifeguards are on duty from Memorial Day through Labor Day and are provided by the City of Hampton.

Outlook Beach

Address: Gullick Dr, Hampton, VA 23651

Website: Outlook Beach

Opening hours: 10am - 6pm (daily)

Price: Free

3. Sandy Bottom Nature Park

Sandy Bottom Nature Park is a great touristic attraction. This park has an amazing green nature and clean air. Also, there are a lot of fun activities to do such as many hiking trails, biking trails, as well as a picnic area. If you like water, you can choose between boat rentals and fishing. Additionally, there are many nice cabins for tourist who want to stay overnight. This park is pet-friendly and it features a dog’s park, perfect for an adventure. A children’s playground is available, too. With such an amazing nature and a bustling list of activities, in Sandy Bottom Nature Park, there is a lot to do for everyone!

Sandy Bottom Nature Park

Address: 1255 Big Bethel Rd, Hampton, VA 23666, United States

Website: Sandy Bottom Nature Park

Opening hours: 9am - 4:30pm (daily)

4. Buckroe Beach and Park

Editor's Note: There's no photo available at the time of writing

Buckroe Beach and Park is a great combination of a beach and a park. This is a very good option if you are looking for a nice picnic area. There are three picnic shelters available for rent and each of them come with a grill and a table with nine chairs. If you want to enjoy the sea, you can do so. There are plenty of restrooms with outdoor showers that you could use. Even food carts and trucks are available for you. The food is really delicious.

Buckroe Beach and Park

Address: 100 S 1st St, Hampton, VA 23664, United States

Website: Buckroe Beach and Park

Opening hours: Sat - Thu: 7am - 7pm; Fri: 7am - 5pm

5. Casemate Museum of Fort Monroe

Casemate Museum of Fort Monroe is located within Fort Monroe. The building dates back to 1834 and is one of the largest forts in USA. At this time, it is not active anymore, so it is open to the public. A visit to the museum is enough to learn a lot about different Civil Wars and military history. Usually, the visit here is self-guided, but even guided-groups of 10 visitors are available if reserved in advance. A great feature of this museum is the room of Jefferson Davis, where he was kept a prisoner. For all the reasons above, this museum is something you should not miss.

Casemate Museum of Fort Monroe

Address: 20 Bernard Rd, Hampton, VA 23651, United States

Website: Casemate Museum of Fort Monroe

6. Air Power Park

Air Power Park is very interesting as it is an outdoor museum. This museum is focused on Hampton’s role in space exploration history. Some nice collections of jets, missiles and even rockets are available for every curious mind. The tour here is self-guided, so you have the freedom to admire each engine closely and take your time to see all the collections. In the centre of the park, there is an indoor museum with more than 325 aircrafts or spaceships. And for kids, there is a playground for them. This place is great for a couple of interesting hours.

Air Power Park

Address: 413 W Mercury Blvd, Hampton, VA 23666, United States

Website: Air Power Park

Opening hours: 8:30am - 4:30pm (daily)

7. Virginia Air and Space Center

Virginia Air and Space Center is the NASA Research Center’s official visitors centre. If you like space and exploration, this place is ideal for you. The list of all things you can do there is so long, but here are some of these things. You can explore hands-on space gallery, fly an aeroplane, board in a Second World War bomber, or even pilot a space shuttle. Furthermore, when here you can see Apollo 12, a moon rock and a Mars meteorite. All in all, this is a great way to be an astronaut for a day!

Virginia Air and Space Center

Address: 600 Settlers Landing Rd, Hampton, VA 23669, United States

Website: Virginia Air and Space Center

Opening hours: Sun: 12pm - 5pm; Mon - Sat: 10am - 5pm

Price: 20 USD onwards

8. Emancipation Oak

Emancipation Oak is an amazing historical oak tree. It can be found on the campus of Hampton University. National Geographic Society has designated this tree as one of the 10 Great Trees of the World. It is called Emancipation Oak because of a lot of educational classes were held under this tree during the time of the Civil War and it is considered to be at least 200 years old. Also, the first Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation was read under this tree. For these reasons, this oak tree has become a great touristic attraction for such a long time and it is totally worth a stop.

Emancipation Oak

Address: Hampton, VA 23663, United States

Opening hours: 24 hours (daily)

9. Hampton History Museum

Learning history is always very interesting and Hampton History Museum is the perfect space for that. This is a relatively small museum, but the information you can get inside of it is very rich. Starting with ancient American history and including all Civil Wars or other important historic events, you will be thrilled by what is inside of this museum. You can even see many historical artefacts, different types of dressing, Civil Wars’ ruins and even historical art. A visit to this museum will give you a cultural boost.

Hampton History Museum

Address: 120 Old Hampton Ln, Hampton, VA 23669, United States

Website: Hampton History Museum

Opening hours: Mon - Sat: 10am - 5pm; Sun: 1pm - 5pm

10. Grandview Nature Preserve

Grandview Nature Preserve is a great natural place. You can access the beach by car and car parking is available on the street. Then, as you walk toward the beach and along its seashore, you can do so many things! You can enjoy its clean water, collect unique seashells, or watch birds flying by and listen to their relaxing songs. Remember, from here you can even watch some friendly dolphins swimming around. Overall, this is a small beach, not crowded at all and perfect if you like preserved beautiful nature.

Grandview Nature Preserve

Address: State Park Dr, Hampton, VA 23664, United States

Website: Grandview Nature Preserve

Opening hours: 6:30am - 5:30pm (daily)

11. Bluebird Gap Farm

Now let’s check Bluebird Gap Farm. This farm is an amazing petting zoo and city park. If you are an animal lover, this is your chance to meet over 250 animals that live on this farm. You can show some extra love by buying food for them inside the farm and then, feeding the animals. Despite this amazing petting zoo, there is a charcoal grill and 18 tables, available for a picnic. Both snack vending machine and drink vending machine are available too. Some other great things that you should not miss when here are their cute duck pond, a large playground, as well as Azalea Trail which leads to a spectacular view of Newmarket Creek.

Bluebird Gap Farm

Address: 60 Pine Chapel Rd, Hampton, VA 23669, United States

Website: Bluebird Gap Farm

Opening hours: 9am - 5pm (daily)

12. Hampton Carousel

Hampton Carousel is our last but not the least option. This carousel is one of the hundreds of antique carousels still existing in USA. This makes Hampton Carousel a real treasure and it is of great historic importance. It is now completely restored, but it still has its original beauty, oil paintings and all other unique details. All in all, this place is great for some fun rides and it does not matter what your age is, you will find this experience a really fun and unique one.

Hampton Carousel

Address: 602 Settlers Landing Rd, Hampton, VA 23669, United States

Website: Hampton Carousel

Opening hours: Sun - Tue: 11am - 8pm (closed on Mon)

Prepare for your next adventure in Hampton

Hampton offers a great and unforgettable experience. Your days there will be full of fun activities. From natural parks & beaches to farms, history museums, and even spaceships, there is something for anyone and we are sure that you will be thrilled!