Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge and Assateague Island
add photosFrom bowling lanes to pony rides, Chincoteague and Assateague Islands have a lot for families to do and see. Steeped in tradition and history these two small islands have many different activities for families to do. But if beach time is what you're looking for you can do that as well.
Assateague Island is the larger of the two islands, but is a preserve. It's home to many different species of birds, plants, and animals.
7 Reviews for Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge and Assat...
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70 families found this helpful
"Keep your eyes peeled!"
We go to Chincoteague several times a year. It is a National Park, so you pay a daily or weekly fee. The park opens and closes, there are no campers on the VA side. We buy an annual pass good for one year for $30 and we use it at other national parks, such as in Maine and Assateague Island MD. In Chincoteague, there are a ton of trails. We hiked to the lighthouse. There is also a short trail with a lookout to see the horses. There is a nature loop which you can hike or bike in until 3pm when cars come drive through. You are pretty much guarenteed to see Great Blue Herrons and Snowy White Eggrets as well as a family of bald Eagles. The beach is nice, you can obtain a permit to have a bonfire, there are outhouses, you can take your own food in. There are large conch shells on the beach in the morning and at dusk. ON your way out, next to the McDonalds there is a small barn where you can use quarters to buy corn and feed ponies.
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0 families found this helpful
"Assateague Island"
We visited Chincoteague for the ponies, but visited Assateague much more often. We had lots of luck seeing the wild ponies here. They have a great visitor's center before you enter the park, and the kids love the touch tank. The beaches are beautiful too, and the kids searched for sand crabs by day, and ghost crabs at night. There are several trails, and we especially love the boardwalk trails and the birdwatching. It's a wonderful peaceful place (at the right time of year!) and it will always be part of home for me :)
0 families found this helpful
"Great beach!"
Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge has something for everyone. You can hike, bird watch, see the lighthouse, marvel at the wild ponies or just go to the beach! For a small fee, the entire car gets in to the refuge for the day. It is well-kept and the beach is great. Generally, even in summer the crowds are not overwhelming as they are at some of the larger area beaches.
'10, '11, '12
0 families found this helpful
"Worth the visit for the Nature/Visitor Center"
A trip into the Wildlife Refuge is worth the $5 state park admission if for no other reason than to visit the Nature/Visitor Center. We spent almost two hours in the center wandering through the interactive hands on exhibits. Your visit can definitely be much shorter but our kids were having such a wonderful time exploring. Then we spoke to one of the employees and found out where the best spot to see ponies was and got a little bit more history about the refuge. The ponies can be seen from the road but there are not very many lookouts. The beach is beautiful. The one thing I noticed was the nunber of bathrooms spread out throughout the beach.
1 family found this helpful
"A different beach experience"
Our small family went to Chincoteaque for a long weekend in late August. We were warned by several people ahead of time that the bugs would be horrible; however, we did not have that experience. We enjoyed the hometown feel and "natural"-ness but a good dining experience was definiately lacking. The kiddo enjoyed the speedboat tour of the island and watching the wild horses. The beach was relaxing.
1 family found this helpful
"Wildlife, beauty and the beach"
We visited in islands for a few days in July/09 and absolutely loved it. Birds are everywhere! The wild ponies were visible from the road leading to the beach. The beach is clean and has lifeguards. Bring a picnic to the beach, because it is a national park without restaurants or hotels. A wonderful place for families!
0 families found this helpful
"Fun with the Family"
Except for small parcels of land, the entire Virginia portion of Assateague Island comprises Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge.
When the entire island was designated Assateague Island National Seashore, the Virginia portion of the island remained Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge.
The National Park Service, Assateague Island National Seashore, helps to administer public uses on an assigned area of the beach that includes land from parking lot #1 south.
The refuge ends at the Virginia-Maryland border. The Virginia side and the Maryland side each contain about 9,000 acres. The Maryland side offers more beach and primitive camping facilities, while the Virginia side has more winter waterfowl, denser pine forests, and a Victorian lighthouse.
Summer is certainly the prime time for families to visit here. The water’s right for swimming and the shore can be crowded. The farther you walk away from the main beach access areas, though, the thinner the crowds.
Take time in summer to driveor bicycle through the cool loblolly pine forests populated by white-tailed deer and sika elk. With luck you’ll encounter some of the island’s famous wild ponies.
Do not get too close and do not pet these animals; they are wild and may bite or kick. In summer, spring, and fall, rangers lead guided walks (check at the visitor centers for details).
Besides swimming, try such shore staples as surf fishing, clamming, and crabbing.
The best place for surf fishing is at the southernmost tip of the island, just beyond the public beach. Crabbing is permitted along the banks of Swans Cove, and clams can be found in the saltwater marshes of Tom’s Cove.
Generally you don’t need a permit for these activities, but you should obtain information at one of the visitor centers.
Fall and winter are special times to visit, too. There are 18,000 acres of natural landscape—no motels, condominiums, or fast-food restaurants to mar your communing with nature—and few crowds except during the peak of the fall migration.
The island is located on the eastern flyway, so the sky is filled with thousands of migrating waterfowl in fall. Here the crisp, clear air vibrates with strange sounds, such as the high-pitched honk of snow geese and the throaty duck calls that carry from marsh to marsh.
At this time of year there’s enough space to walk hand-in-hand with your children along the shore, admiring how an arc of sunlight is caught in a wave.
In winter you can walk the miles of wild beaches bordered by dunes, bike through the acres of marshlands, and observe scores of black ducks, snowy egrets, and great blue herons. This is a special winter refuge, not just for the migratory waterfowl, but for beach lovers, bird-watchers, animal enthusiasts, and especially burned-out city dwellers. Both sides of the island offer unusually striking scenery: windblown dunes, gnarled pines, and storybook ponies. It’s a world of subtle earth hues, from the wheat-colored reed grass caught in frozen freshwater ponds to the soft browns of tree bark and shrub thickets.
To learn more about the refuge, visit the beautifully appointed Herbert H. Bateman Visitors Center, a green building that serves as a state-of-the-art environmental learning center with an array of interactive, educational exhibits in a sustainable- design facility.
Here, children ages 8 to 13 can pick up the Junior Refuge Manager or Junior Birder booklets for educational activities and earn a handsome patch for completing them.
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