Our week long stay started with a ride through the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, $12 per car toll fee. The kids were excited and seemed amazed at the thought of going under the water in a tunnel instead of over it on a bridge.…Read More

Our week long stay started with a ride through the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, $12 per car toll fee. The kids were excited and seemed amazed at the thought of going under the water in a tunnel instead of over it on a bridge. As you turn off US 13N onto VA 175 Chincoteague Road, stop at the Food Lion to stock up since there are no grocery stores on the island (unless you stop at the Walmart in Onancock VA or Pocomoke MD). After you cross the draw bridge and come to the stop light, you will be at the intersection of Maddox Blvd. and Main Street, the two main roads. Following Maddox on down will take you to Assateague Island National Park, where you can pay $8 per day, $15 per week, or walk or bike over for free. We found the rental office, and since it was after hours, our keys were in the drop box. The rental was on the channel side with great views of the lighthouse and marsh. We took some tours to see the wild horses, which were actually in the marsh across from our house, but just a little too far to see. We did a kayak tour which we enjoyed; but the kids favorite was the boat tour with Captain Barry! Very entertaining. You could rent a scooter or one of the little two seater cars, have ice cream, play putt putt, bike around town - enjoy the slow pace of life! There's even a Mcdonalds if you need your fix. Main Street is full of shops, and don't forget to catch the sunset anywhere along Main Street, or the sunrise over the lighthouse. REMEMBER - if it's summer the mosquitoes will be relentless over on Assateague, even during the day. If you plan to hike along any of the many trails over there, bathe in repellant and take more with you! We enjoyed our stay, and are looking forward to visiting again!Close

Chincoteague Island, Virginia, is a great place visit some interesting shops, take pony rides, do some fishing and just plain relax. The island also is the gateway to Assateague Island, the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, the soft sands of the Assateague Island National Seashore and…Read More

Chincoteague Island, Virginia, is a great place visit some interesting shops, take pony rides, do some fishing and just plain relax. The island also is the gateway to Assateague Island, the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, the soft sands of the Assateague Island National Seashore and the stately Assateague Lighthouse.

Finding a place to stay on Chincoteague is easy; there are plenty of places to choose from, ranging from chains like the Hampton Inn & Suites and Best Western to rental homes (try Harbour Rentals to private motels like the Refuge Inn, where we stayed). Surprisingly (and happily), the island is rarely crowded with tourists, even in peak season.

In mid-June, our comfortable room for two cost just $75 per night, and the motel is perhaps half a mile from Assateague Island. Just about every motel on the island offers free wireless Internet access, so it’s easy to stay in touch if you really must.

I must mention the food; in our experience, it’s impossible to have a bad meal here. We tried several places, including The Village, Don’s Seafood Restaurant, Etta’s Channel Side Restaurant and A.J.’s on the Creek – all were wonderful. Crab cakes are a specialty here, and they’re well worth the cost – mostly lump crab meat with just enough filler to hold the whole thing together.

If you want a water’s-eye view of Chincoteague and Assateague, you’ll want to charter a boat, perhaps an evening cruise. You might try Chintogeague Cruises or our favorite, Daisey’s Dockside Pontoon Cruises. It’s a pretty good bet that on the latter, you’ll be accompanied by Captain Tom Daisey’s adorable dog, Bailey.

If you prefer, you can rent a canoe or kayak; bicycles and colorful little drive-it-yourself carts can be rented by landlubbers.

When you’re not exploring the wildlife refuge or on a boat, you’ll find plenty of things to do in the town of Chincoteague. You might hitch a ride at the Chincoteague Pony Centre, visit the Oyster & Maritime or Refuge Waterfowl museums, an art gallery or two or just browse around in the unique downtown shops. Don’t miss a stop at a Pony Tails store for some Pony Tails saltwater taffy; the stores were started by the now elderly father of our charter boat captain, Tom Daisey (and yes, the taffy is delicious)! Close

The kids really enjoyed the nature trails. We rented bikes and made a day of it. The wildlife there is so beautiful to see. We highly recommend doing this.…Read More

The kids really enjoyed the nature trails. We rented bikes and made a day of it. The wildlife there is so beautiful to see. We highly recommend doing this.Close

While downtown shopping in the antique stores or eating some great seafood, check out the statue of Misty. I read the book Misty of Chincoteague when I was little, and it was great to visit the place where the story took place.…Read More

While downtown shopping in the antique stores or eating some great seafood, check out the statue of Misty. I read the book Misty of Chincoteague when I was little, and it was great to visit the place where the story took place.Close

We've been to Chincoteague Island twice, both times in September. The first year the weather was wonderful & we were not bothered by a single mosquito the entire week. We were not so lucky the second year!! We were not prepared & unfortunately received…Read More

We've been to Chincoteague Island twice, both times in September. The first year the weather was wonderful & we were not bothered by a single mosquito the entire week. We were not so lucky the second year!! We were not prepared & unfortunately received numerous large bites that bothered us the entire week. The mosquitos were large and relentless both at the rental house on CI and on the beach on Assateague. They can spray for mosquitos on CI, but they cannot spray within the Chincoteague Wildlife Reserve or the Assateague National Seashore. According to some locals, the mosquitos come over from the unsprayed areas and the stuff they spray on CI "just makes them stronger." I hope this information is helpful.Close

We rented Misty Manor and found the porch very dirty upon arrival. The interior was cluttered with so much stuff there was no counter or dresser top space for our own belongings. There was stuff everywhere.We had dinner out of the porch with our family…Read More

We rented Misty Manor and found the porch very dirty upon arrival. The interior was cluttered with so much stuff there was no counter or dresser top space for our own belongings. There was stuff everywhere.

We had dinner out of the porch with our family and babies. Suddenly a town truck appears and fogged us with a pesticide containing Permethrin. A chemical that is very dangerous if inhaled. They hung up on us when we called to request that they make sure that we were not fogged with the pesticide again. They said that everyone knew that the area was regularly fogged. We didn't and I would expect the other families visiting from out of town would not know when to have their children and belongings placed indoors to avoid the pesticide.

I told them that I felt that this was an important disclosure and that in the future they should let renters know of the danger. They didn't agree.

BEWARE!Close