Happy Hampton New Year!

With the arrival of action-packed 2012, we pause to share our resolutions for the coming twelve months. They aren’t the sort of resolutions that relate to weight loss, going to bed earlier, exercising and such, but our commitment to you, the Hampton visitor, to make your Hampton experience the most positively memorable, exciting, relaxing, and profound it can possibly be. After all, the more familiar we are with Hampton visitor experiences, the better our recommendations to you. We invite you to join us!

We resolve...

To search out and share dining experiences that are truly unique in Hampton and to highlight the dishes that we think you’ll love.

To explore Hampton parks, blueways and hiking trails firsthand and soak in the wonder of Hampton’s Great Outdoors. With miles of waterway shoreline and sites like Grandview Nature Preserve, Sandy Bottom Nature Park, Newmarket Creek, and Buckroe, we can hardly wait to begin our exploration.

To appreciate Hampton’s fine art and artists at the Hampton University Museum, The Charles H. Taylor Art Center and at Halls of Art in the Hampton Roads Convention Center.

To cast a fishing line from Buckroe Pier and the recently-opened Fort Monroe Pier, experiencing the thrill of the catch and the thrill of release.

To take the Hampton Civil War Sites Guide and use it to visit each of the sites where monumental decisions that impacted our nation were made 150 years ago.

To tour Hampton University campus via Hampton smartphone app and to stand beneath the sheltering limbs of Emancipation Oak.

To catch as many shows possible at The American Theatre and appreciate the gift of performing art this early 1900’s former vaudeville house brings to Hampton on an annual basis.

To take the controls of a Boeing 717, wing-walk on a Curtiss Jenny, take a virtual trip to Mars, and explore the planets, all in an afternoon at the Virginia Air & Space Center.

To spend lunchtime outdoors at Hampton attractions like Carousel Park, Air Power Park, the Miss Hampton II, and Bluebird Gap Farm.

To dress in our finest and attend a community benefit fundraiser gala at the Hampton Roads Convention Center.

To shop until we drop in Downtown, Phoebus, Coliseum Central and at Peninsula Town Center and then treat ourselves at one of Hampton’s six spas.

To cheer for the Peninsula Pilots at War Memorial Stadium and for the Mid-Atlantic region’s best drivers at Langley Speedway.

To sample the latest award-winning brew at St. George Brewing Company.

To dress like a pirate, drink from a tankard and sneer “Aaarg” a lot during Blackbeard Pirate Festival, and throughout the year just for the fun of it.

To attend a fishing workshop at Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World and then apply what we’ve learned aboard the Ocean Eagle, the Matty J, or one of Hampton’s other charter boats.

To learn how to golf and play rounds at The Hamptons and The Woodlands golf courses.

To rock out, marvel at ice racing and skating, groove to Jazz, cheer for the circus ringmaster, clowns, animals and acrobats, and generally be thankful for the shows and performances presented at Hampton Coliseum.

To sit a spell at Aberdeen Gardens Historic Museum and listen to stories from Claude Vann and Margaret Wilson about their childhoods in historic Aberdeen.

To take a picnic to Olde Wythe and spend time reading the historic markers scenic overlooks along Chesapeake Avenue and imagining Hampton days gone by.

To reflect on Hampton’s history at the Hampton History Museum, St. John’s Church, Fort Monroe, and other Hampton sites. To take in “An American Turning Point: The Civil War in Virginia” exhibit, including both “Waging War” and “Surviving War” at the Hampton History Museum.

To meet with more people face to face. To shake hands, exchange smiles, build relationships and solidify friendships.

To provide excellent service to Hampton visitors, to our tourism stakeholders, to Hampton residents and to our Virginia tourism partners.

To continuously tell our visitors and tourism partners how much we value their business and partnership.

We sincerely do value our Hampton visitors and look forward to serving and welcoming you in 2012! Thank you for making Hampton part of your 2012 travel plans.

The Hampton Convention & Visitor Bureau staff