The site is home to the Blackgang Chine amusement park, established in 1843 by Victorian entrepreneur Alexander Dabell, whose descendants have owned it ever since. It is allegedly the oldest theme park in the UK, and famous for its life-size plastic dinosaurs. Originally a general-purpose scenic and curiosity park, it featured a whale skeleton and landscaped paths down the chine to a waterfall and the beach below. The paths were swept away in the early 1900s, and the continuing coastal erosion has since obliterated the chine itself and forced the owners to repeatedly move the cliff top facilities inland. The park's focus now is themed entertainments for families with young children. The same owners run a sister site, the Robin Hill countryside adventure park.

The owners were considering moving all of the attractions at Blackgang Chine to Robin Hill due to the continuing erosion. However it has been decided to phase out the children's attractions, and aim for a more adult-orientated heritage centre.

Blackgang is also the name of the nearby village. According to a May 2000 talk to the Isle of Wight Postcard Club by the present owner, Mr Simon Dabell, the etymology is simply "black pathway" (the original appearance of the chine), but the theme park understandably fosters the interpretation of a smuggling origin. Thus visitors to the park are greeted by a gigantic fibreglass smuggler between whose legs they must pass to enter.

Cliff top walks in and around the area give panoramic views of the English Channel and the south-western Isle of Wight coast. Blackgang is also notable for dinosaur fossils and the nudist Blackgang Beach.

Blackgang was the birthplace of the actress and comedienne Sheila Hancock.