The Hubby and I just bought our first house in Hampton, Va. He’s navy and that is where his next assignment is.
I went down to have the utilities turned on and hated the town. Maybe if I lived in the downtown proper my culture shock wouldn’t be so bad.
For the last 17 years we’ve lived in areas that were small towns in the city. Usually the grocery, restaurants, etc were within walking distance and fairly pedestrian friendly. Or we had the metro and bus system to get us around but still had parks and markets we could walk to.
We’ll be off Mercury, a couple of miles from the Coliseum area. (Starbucks and Chick-fil-a, yea!!!)
I didn’t see that in Hampton and I’m getting ready to spend at least five years there. Help!
I picked up info on ‘cultural events’ and that has promise but there has to be more to Hampton than that.
We are familiar with Norfolk, across the way, we lived in Ghent a few times and loved it. We chose Hampton so we don’t have to deal with the tunnel traffic.
Well, it’s pretty close to Williamsburg where I lived for 7 years. If you are interested in the whole colonial thing they always have a lot of special programs going on. You might even qualify for free admission as a local, but maybe you have to have a Williamsburg address on your driver’s license for that. If not you can buy a year pass for $30 or so (may have gone up of course).
Williamsburg also has Busch Gardens, the Busch Brewery and Water Country.
Jamestown is about 5 miles away from Williamsburg and could be an interesting day trip–no real town there, just the historical stuff
Good luck. Hampton always did look pretty boring to me–long strips of Generica, but there’s gotta be a lot historical stuff tucked away all over the place.
Also in the Tidewater area are Nauticus, a naval museum in Norfolk, and the Virginia Marine Science Museum in Virginia Beach, also with an IMAX theater.
I came here from Indianapolis, and I still haven’t gotten used to the traffic and crowding. It kind of reminds me of Orange County CA in that respect. That’s my beef.
What I like is that it’s mostly a bedroom community. All the kewl stuff happens elsewhere, but within a few minutes drive if the tunnels and bridges aren’t backed up. That’s a plus in my book because I’m an apprentice Olde Pharte. I love the people here. I thought that maybe they’d be a bit New Yawkish (standoffish when in a good mood), but they remind me of Midwesterners with a hint of a southern drawl.
My favorite getaway spots in town are the 2 beaches on Grandview island. Old fat dog and old fat Dad are out there at least once a week for a walk.
As far as attractions, there is the previously mentioned Busch Gardens/Water World and Williamsburg in general; Yorktown (yea, you Brits, THAT Yorktown) and Jamestown; water, water everywhere (I like fishing); and all the stuff you know about on the south side.
I’m in an apartment near the corner of Coliseum and Marcella, FWIW. When I’m ready for the real estate plunge, I’ll be looking somewhere near Fox Hill Road, or across the river in Isle of Wight county.
My e-mail address is defined in my profile, if you want to use it.
I’m sympathetic… I went to college at the College of William & Mary and it’s pretty blah in that area. You’re not too far from the beach, there’s lots of historical sites and pretty parklands… but as for the Tidewater area, it’s pretty white bread boring.
Hey, don’t forget about the Tidewater Tides! They’re a Mets farm team.
And I’m hoping to hear back from a resume I sent to Hampton - well, I’ve almost given up on it, but you never know. If I do, and I get the job, then I could be there too. So…I’m going to keep an eye on this thread.
Well, you’re about as far from Roanoke as one can be in VA, and Roanoke sucks. So there you have it. (I suppose I should be nicer to my hometown…it’s actually not half bad, but if you don’t drink, there’s f***-all to do after 10 p.m. Midnight Bowling gets old the fiftieth time you do it.)
As has been mentioned, there are a couple of decent amusement parks in your neck of the woods; I would personally recommend Busch Gardens over Kings Dominion, as it’s closer and IMHO it has better coasters overall. Plus, you have a beach right there near Hampton, and beaches are fun. (And that’s about as helpful as I can be on this topic.)
Sadly, I’m a snob and do not generally get along with other military spouses. They tend to have children and that attempt at June Cleaver thing going.
My first experiences with the spouse support group (17 years ago) were not good and I’ve avoided them for the most part ever since.
We’ve spent 7 of the last 17 years in Norfolk so I have the southside covered. As for Hampton and the rest of the Peninsula, we mostly just drove through it on 64.
Has anyone been to the Farmers Market in downtown Newport News? Is it worth the trip?
I went exploring on Tuesday to Phoebus and Buckroe. I saw the beach at Buckroe and it helped me feel better. Didn’t go to Grandview but it is on the list of things to check out.
All those big ol’ 4 and 6 lane roads with run down looking apartments, houses, and strip malls made me cringe.
I drove up Jefferson from Mercury to Patrick Henry Mall. Things looked better once I got to Oyster Point. On the way back, I got off 64 at Hampton Roads something Pkwy and checked the little shopping center there with the Movie theater. Then turned the wrong way on Big Bethel and wound up in York Co. with 15 minutes to get back to Mercury.
A bright spot was seeing that the Krispy Kreme is about a block from the house!!!
It’s not all bad, It’s just a matter of adjustment.
I’ve found one used bookstore and know of another in Phoebus. There are a million thrift stores but the two I went in didn’t have much in the way of promise.
We have a good sized backyard and plan on a vegetable garden and flower garden next year. In the mean time we have a house to paint and curtains to buy. Never bothered with decorating before as we lived in apartments and I considered them temporary. We always hang our pictures though.
Thanks, all of you who popped in to read this.
Ahhhh… Hampton.
My home-town, it is!
Unfortunately, it’s tough to do what I do and make a decent living there.
So, you’re off Mercury and near the Krispy Kreme, eh? That’d put you just off Big Bethel Road, if I’m not mistaken. I attended Bethel High School back in the 70’s.
Now, for some off-the-beaten-path places.
-Bluebird Gap Farm, near the Hampton Coliseum is a wonderful little (free!) petting zoo.
-A place called “Sandy Bottom” used to be an off-limits swimming hole which, I believe, has now been created into a park.
-The Reservoir is a nice little place to go fresh-water fishing.
-Red’s Pier (it’s actually a good-sized portion of the old James River Bridge) is great for salt-water fishing and crabbing.
-Ride the carousel in downtown Hampton at least once.
-Fort Monroe. Go see it.
-The Hampton Room at the Chamberlain Hotel used to have the MOST fabulous Sunday Brunch. Here’s hoping they still do!
If you’re job-hunting, let me know what you do. Even though I’ve been gone from the area for close to 20 years, I’ve still got a few contacts there in the business and political community that might be able to help you out.
I haven’t worked in years and the last job I paid taxes on was waitressing. But I appreciate the offer. I’ll probably look for something to do but right now it isn’t a priority. And you hit the locale on the nose.
Thanks for the suggestions, I found Sandy Bottom when I went the wrong way on Big Bethel, spotted some golf courses for the Hubby.
Where’s the Chamberlain Hotel, that sounds like a fun sunday outing.
The Chamberlain Hotel is located on Fort Monroe.
Ft Monroe used to be an open post (just ANYONE could enter the installation) but that may have changed a bit since 9/11.
And also remember this… the battle of the ironclads was fought just off Fort Monroe between the Monitor and the Virginia. I know, the new I-664 bridge is called the Monitor and Merrimac Bridge; but don’t let that fool you.
The Chamberlain Hotel is supposed to be haunted. I don’t know if Ft. Monroe is an open post or not. Come to think about it, there are lots of banners all over town advertising an REO Speedwagon concert there, so it probably still is…
Langley AFB has a lovely golf course, and the hubby should have privileges if he’s Navy. There is also a big, public one at the corner of Magruder Blvd and Butler Farm Road. If you got lost on Big Bethel, you may have come past it…
I’ll be blunt; Hampton is a shithole with very, very few redeeming qualities.
It’s high in crime, dirty, and (sorry to be un-P.C.) predominantly black. There’s not really anything to do there, and most of the open space is cluttered with chains and strip malls of the worst, most homogenous variety.
The site lists all the stores and businesses there and has a link to an event calendar as well.
It’s a real nice little downtown area - very pretty and easy to walk around. I really liked The Pottery Wine and Cheese Shop - used to be called 22 Wine St. when I lived in the Hampton Roads area. They have a great deli there.
As long as you have a DoD sticker on your car and your ID, you should be able to get in just fine. Have the hub treat you to an overnight stay at the Chamberlain for a special occasion! Most of the rooms have beautiful views, and I was told that spotters were stationed there to look for subs during WWII.
Do you like to shop? Do you like a bargain? Then you must visit The Williamsburg Pottery Factory:
It’s a popular hangout for W&M students, but since they take checking ID to an almost religious level, there’s no/few undergrads there.
The same cannot be said of Paul’s Deli next door, which has a fratty atmosphere.
If you’re hauling all the way to the 'Burg, take note of the quasi-art-house movie theater (Williamsburg theater). They tend to run movies for 2-3 days max so there’s always something to see. And stop into the otherwise-cheesy Pharmacy at the corner of Duke of Glousceter & N.? Boundary. The lunch counter in back makes a lime soda that is joy in a styrofoam cup on a humid summer day.
July brings the Virginia Shakespeare Featival, based out of William & Mary’s Phi Beta Kappa Hall mainstage.
Williamsburg Pottery Factory is surely one of the stragest cultural experiences in America. A collection of a half-dozen ramshackle warehouses loaded to the gills with… geez, well, everything. Terrifying and amazing at the same time.
If we’re getting deep into Williamsburg arcana, you should stop in at Pierce’s Pitt Barbecue, it’s a little hard to find and really divey, but if you like pulled pork it’s the place to be.
