HAMPTON, Va. — More than a century of history is back online in Downtown Hampton!
The historic Hampton carousel is officially back in business, after storms delayed the original grand re-opening party.
A big crowd gathered at the carousel to celebrate!
Positively Hampton Roads
'A day of fun:' Historic Hampton carousel to reopen
The carousel is over a hundred years old and was shut down two years ago for repairs.
It's also next to the Hampton River, and the city had considered moving it over concerns about flooding, but leadership ultimately decided against it.
Hampton's mayor Donnie Tuck said preserving what he calls a city icon is going to be a consistent process.
"We have plans for Downtown and I think the carousel is an integral part of that," Tuck said. "One of the things we have to make sure we do, is make sure that we preserve it and so we've got some resilience plans for it to make sure it's elevated and no longer threatened by sea-level rise."
Saturday's ribbon cutting was supposed to happen at the end of March, but bad weather pushed it back.
Those that came to the celebration could enjoy a DJ, food and music.
The carousel is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day but Monday, and it costs $1 to jump on the historic ride.
