Fun Things To Do On Chincoteague and Assateague Islands

In Virginia, people live on Chincoteague and only wild things live on Assateague.  In Maryland, a person can camp on Assateague, which isn't possible in Virginia.  There are a myriad of things to do and see in either state and on, or around, both islands.
    Assateague Island is a National Seashore in both states, and, in Virginia, Assateague is also the site of the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge (CNWR).  This confuses a lot of people.  Chincoteague ponies run wild on Assateague Island in both Virginia and Maryland - but each state has a unique way of dealing with the ponies.  All of the different kinds of wildlife on Assateague mingle and breed together - except the ponies (usually).  There is a fence separating the Maryland and Virginia sides of the island, but ponies do, on occasion, break through and mingle.  I can definitely say the ponies on the Virginia end of Assateague Island are branded and micro-chipped. The Maryland ponies are not branded.  I don't know if they are chipped or not.  A person, or family, can legally camp on the Maryland side of Assateague with a permit.  No over-nighters are allowed in Virginia.
   Chincoteague Island is located within the Virginia state borders only.  It's where people live, work and play.  If you visit Chincoteague or Assateague for the annual festivals, you know that you usually stay on Chincoteague in a hotel, motel, rental, or bed and breakfast. There are all sorts of festivals on Chincoteague.  The most widely known, thanks to Marguerite Henry's book and the 20th Century Fox movie, Misty) is Pony Penning.  There are also a Blueberry Festival, Seafood Festival, Oyster Festival, Decoy Festival, Arts and Crafts Festival, Chili Festival, the Volunteer Firemens' Carnival and multiple bird-watching festivals, throughout the year.
   If you visit the islands, be prepared for heat, humidity and mosquitoes in the summer.  Storms come from the Atlantic regularly - northeasters and hurricanes.  I can easily remember the five high tide lines on the wall paper in my Grandfather's kitchen.  A seemingly huge storm can sweep across the island in a few hours and wash everything new again.
   What is there to do on the islands?
  Well, first and foremost, Assateague is a National Seashore.  The beach is highly recommended.  Get some sun, play in the surf, or walk the beach.  There are many walks and trails available for hiking on Assateague in both states.  Check in at the respective Visitor's Centers and see what is recommended, or is off limits, for the day. (Some beach areas may be closed due to bird and/or turtle nesting.)  There is also a widely varied group of wildlife on Assateague - from over 400 different kinds of birds, including bald eagles and peregrine falcons, to otters, muskrats, the Delmarva fox squirrel, water and grass snakes, turtles and terrapins, white tail deer, miniature elk (aka Sika deer), seals, ponies, frogs and toads, butterflies, raccoons, fox, groundhogs and rabbits, to name a few.  Take a birding guide and/or a guide to wildlife tracks.  Wild turkeys are in abundance and might startle you.  With a fishing permit, you can surf fish from the beach.  And you can tour the Assateague Lighthouse from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. during the summer.
   Water activities?  There is swimming and surfing, or one can take out a canoe, kayak, paddle board, or small motorboat.  You can see all the sights on a guided tour; take a fishing boat into the bays or channels, or out into the ocean; you can fish, crab, clam and oyster - as long as it isn't on private or posted property.  You can cook and eat what you catch - flounder is running well, I hear.  On small cruises, one can take a hands-on ecological tour of the marshes and bays (with Captain Barry), tours around the island of Chincoteague with some local history thrown in, sunset cruises with champagne (with Captain Barry, and others), a guaranteed pony-sighting tour (with Captain Dan), sunrise and sunset cruises on the Miss Chincoteague, and just about anything you can imagine, or want, to do.
   On Chincoteague, the choices seem endless - walking, biking or trolley tours; shopping; eating; reading; the library; the cinema; coffee houses; the Carnival on weekends in July; Second Saturday art shows; the Saturday Farmers Market; the Chincoteague Island Museum; the Chincoteague Bay Field Station; the Chincoteague Pony Center; the Chincoteague Natural History Alliance; the Refuge Golf and Amusements Center; or just kicking back and relaxing....  There are three parks on the island where you can picnic.  And I mentioned eating a little earlier in this paragraph - the home made ice cream on Chincoteague is to die for!  The Island Creamery is known as having the best ice cream on the east coast of the United States; then there's Mueller's Ice Cream Parlor and Mister Whippy - all delicious!
   If you don't mind taking a short trip off the island, you can visit the NASA Visitors Center, go hang gliding with Virginia Hang Gliding, take an air tour with Carter Crabbe aviation, visit the Delmarva Discovery Center in Pocomoke City, or the Barrier Island Center of the Eastern Shore in Machipongo.  You can also go horseback riding at Queen Hive Farm in Assawoman.
   I never get around to doing everything I want to when I'm there - I have to pick and choose.  You will, too.

Captain Barry is BEST on Chincoteague Island

While moving, my internet access was down.  Then I left for two weeks on Chincoteague Island  -  and I have to admit that I cried as I crossed the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, leaving the Eastern Shore, and headed for the mainland.  Back in the mid-1980s, there was an extremely popular bumper sticker (on the Shore) that read, "There is no life and no intelligence west of the Chesapeake Bay."  I completely agreed with that sentiment as I was crossing the Bay itself.
  But I'm back in Boulder, Colorado now.  I see the Flatirons of Boulder, the eastern outpost of the Rocky Mountains, from my current seat.  They are gorgeous.  They are awe inspiring.  But I miss the rhythms of the sea, the call of sea birds, and the scent of marsh mud.  Had it not been for my two cats, my new year-long lease, my sister, and Rosie, I would not be here.  I'd be getting more sand in my shoes and in my soul....
   I went on several cruises and tour boat outings while I was on the island, and I spoke to a lot of tourists who had also taken the tours.  Most tours are 90 minutes to 2 hours long.  Younger children (and, me, too, at age 59) can get very bored just sitting in a boat and looking in the direction someone points while talking.  Some of the information is excellent, and some is a bunch of hogwash, depending on the Captain, or "guide," you have. If you are there for ponies only, Captain Dan's tours are the best available.  However, if you want a fun, exciting learning experience that just might encourage your youngster to do some research on his/her own, then Captain Barry is the man with the magic.
   I have to admit that I wasn't too sure that I would enjoy a two hour cruise with a 2 year-old (just turned) on board.  I guess I had forgotten how Captain Barry's charisma and charm works.  First, small children adore Captain Barry - I think they can sense his enjoyment of their company and his high spirits and true love of the water.  Barry's trips are interactive cruises, unless you take the Champagne Sunset Cruise, for adults.  The Sea Exploration cruises that Captain Barry delivers are the best to be found on the Eastern Shore - and probably on the entire East Coast of the United States.  "An incredible learning experience for the whole family," was the response I heard most often from the adults I spoke with.  The majority of the kids said that it was "lots of fun" and that they were eager and ready to go out with Captain Barry, again, immediately.
  I'll admit that it was relaxing, occasionally, to clamber aboard a boat and just sit and listen to someone else spout information.  All I had to do was tune out the other folks' conversation, and look at the birds, a few dolphins, and the ponies, as we came upon them.  Captain Barry, however had me climbing on and off the boat, going into the water, handling clams, shrimp, oysters, crabs, jellyfish, and all the creatures and things that appeared in the trawl net.  I had a wonderful time!  And Evelyn, the two year-old, was always entertained, had things to do to "help" Captain Barry and, even though it was well past her nap time, she stayed smiling and bright.  And it was Captain Barry that made it happen.  He is simply the best when it comes to cruises with kids.  Period.
  And, yes, I'll give him more free advertising!   Check out Captain Barry's Back Bay Cruises on Chincoteague Island, Virginia.  The phone number for reservations is:  (757) 336-6508.  You can e-mail him at captainchincoteague@gmail.com   If you don't believe my reviews, you can always ask the folks as they disembark from a trip with Captain Barry at the dock at old Marlin Street (west of Main Street) - where the Chincoteague Inn used to stand, and where the Jackspot is now open.  Captain Barry helped make our vacation dreams come true.  He's a wonderful man.