Situated just north of Newport News on Hampton Roads Bay, the City of Hampton has two distinct areas with links to the Chesapeake Bay: the Downtown Waterfront area (renovated), and the Phoebus/Fort Monroe area on the eastern side. Cobblestone streets, brick sidewalks, antique shops, restaurants, pubs, galleries, an air and space museum, restored antique carousel, and a waterfront park are some of the charming features of the town.
Excellent accommodations range from quaint inns to luxury hotels: Little England Inn, Lady Neptune Bed & Breakfast Inn, Radisson Hotel Hampton, Comfort Inn Hampton, Embassy Suites, Hampton Bay Plaza & Suites, Chamberlin Hotel at Fort Monroe, Savannah Suites Hampton, and La Quinta. Hampton also has full-service marinas for waterway travelers passing through.
Some of the highly-rated dining options include Pier 21, Smokin Joe’s Barbeque, Number 1 Kitchen, Keith’s Dockside Restaurant, Capri Pizza and Italian Restaurant, Roma Italian, Musasi Japanese Restaurant, Goodfellas Restaurant & Bar, and Tommy’s.
Among the many popular attractions are the Virginia Air & Space Center, NASA’s Langley Research Center, the Virginia Air & Space Center, Cousteau Society, Hampton University, Freedom Fort, Bluebird Gap Farm, Carousel Park, the Hampton Carousel, a restored 1920s authentic wooden carousel, the Casemate Museum within the old stone walls of Fort Monroe, Fort Wool, a pre-Civil War island fortress, St. John's Episcopal Church, built in 1728, and the Hampton History Museum.
Hampton has two public beaches on Chesapeake Bay: Buckroe Beach (popular with windsurfers) and Grandview Beach that winds through the Grandview Nature Preserve. There are also 12 deep water marinas. For Fido there’s Bark Park.
One of the largest venues for entertainment, conventions, trade shows, circus performances, rodeos, and other sporting events is the Hampton Coliseum, a large, multi-purpose facility. Well attended annual events include Bay Days Commodore’s Gala, Hampton Days, Downtown Hampton In-Water Boat Show, Independence Day, Hampton Block Party, and the Five Alarm Festival and Chili Cook-Off.
Written by: Natasha Lawrence
Hampton Jobs 