Let me begin by saying it was REALLY hard to leave the magical island of Assateague. Only the promise that we’d return next year, for a much longer stay, allowed us to somewhat reluctantly head home. Having never been to Assateague Island, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I knew we’d be staying at a primitive campsite, there would be wild horses, and beaches where we could swim. I read online there was a nature center and that people who visited wished they’d had more time. I figured three days would be enough. We could have stayed so much longer.

History

Assateague Island is a 37-mile barrier island. Nestled along the coasts of Maryland and Virginia, two-thirds of the island is managed by Maryland and consists of Assateague Island National Seashore and Assateague Island State Park. The other third, Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, is owned by Virginia. Legend has it a Spanish galleon carrying horses wrecked 300 years ago and the surviving horses swam to the Assateague where their ancestors live today. History tells us settlers probably used the island to raise and feed their horses because Assateague was a free place for them to live and graze.

Today Assateague is home to two herds of wild horses. One herd is managed by the “Salt Water Cowboys” of Chincoteague, Virginia. Also known as the Chincoteague fire department, the Cowboys swim the horses from Assateague to Chincoteague every summer. In order to raise money for the fire department and manage the herd, they hold a week-long event and auction off the foals. The second herd is managed by The National Park Service. These horses are allowed to roam freely as well. Other than a yearly sterilization vaccine given to each mare, the Maryland herd is not managed. Mares on the Maryland side are allowed to foal once in their lives.

Where to Stay

Depending on your sense of adventure, there are a couple different ways to vacation on or near Assateague Island.

Camping-

If you want to stay directly on the island, camping on the Maryland side is your only option. Tents, trailers, and RV campers (no hookups) are permitted. Tent camping is seasonal (Back Country camping is year round) and trailer/RV sites are open year round. There are not a ton of sites.  Reservations fill up quickly!

We stayed at an Ocean Walk-in Tent site for three nights. Huge, clean, and just minutes from our car, bathrooms, showers, and the beach, it was the perfect location! Each site has a fire pit, picnic table, plenty of room for multiple tents, and costs just $30 a night.

Things to Know:

• Sites are primitive

• Cold water showers, chemical toilets, and drinking water is near all sites

• Wild horses are everywhere, including campsites. They come and go as they please.

• Food must be stored in vehicles! I witnessed a stallion stomp and destroy a plastic tote (with safety strap) filled with food. He and his buddies stole all the food while the family could do nothing but watch.

• Long tent stakes for sand are a must

• Shade tents are a must too unless you really like the sun

You can also camp on Chincoteague Island (not where ponies live) and take day trips to Assateague Island.

Check out my Quick Guide to Camping with Kids for all the things!

Hotels & Rentals-

Chincoteague, Berlin, Ocean City, and surrounding towns all have a variety of housing options. We always love staying with Airbnb.

What to Do

There are SO many things to do on and around Assateague Island. If you love nature and being outdoors, you’ll have too many choices.

Explore

• Take one of the many hiking trails

• Walk along the beach and look for treasure

• Walk in the bay and find sea life

• Play in the ocean

• Look for animals- there are so many to find!!

• Observe the horses

• Complete a Junior Ranger book and earn a badge

• Watch the sunrise or sunset on the beach (You won’t be only one! Other campers and horses will be there too! It’s magical.)

• Ride bikes

• Do a program with the nature center

• Sit and do nothing but breathe in the sea air- my fav!

Assateague Island Visitor Center

Just off of the island is Assateague Island Visitor Center. Filled with hands-on activities and information about the park, this is a place to stop and spend time!

Make sure you check out- 

• Their movies! One on the history of Assateague Island, the other on the history of the ponies, both films are engaging and you’ll learn a lot!

• Touch Me Tank

• Information Desk- Get your Junior Ranger Books here or at the Ranger station on the Island, find out about the island’s nature programs, and general info about the area. You can also get your National Park Passports stamped or like we did, forget the passports at home, buy stickers, and stamp them instead.

• This WARNING

• The Nature Trail beyond the center leads here

• Huge Map of Island

• Gift Shop

Assateague Outfitters

Located on Assateague Island, we rented a canoe and paddle board here. We also filled up on snacks and souvenirs. Locally owned, this is a great place to support.

Berlin, “America’s Coolest Small Town”

Filled with lots of little stores & great restaurants

Tom’s Cove Visitor Center

The nature center on the Virginia side of Assateague Island. One of the many things we’ll have to wait to see.

Where to Eat

While food is pretty scarce on Assateague Island (unless you want snacks at the Outfitters) there are many restaurants close by.

Usually, when we camp, we cook our food at our site. This time, we decided to keep snacks and drinks in the car and eat two meals a day out. It was so nice!

Here are our favorite places!

Surf Cafe

Perfect for coffee and a quick breakfast!

Decatur Diner

The BEST breakfast EVER!!! A must stop!

Finns Ale House and Raw Bar

Eat here if you love seafood or if you’re like us, eat here if you don’t! We ate here two nights in a row. The kids’ menu is great and comes with a frisbee and ice cream. They also have good beer, amazing salads, huge burgers, and to die for tater tots!

On What Grounds?

Good coffee and even better breakfast sandwiches!

Be Prepared

Not trying to scare you, but there are some good things to know about Assateague, especially if you’re bringing little ones.

• The horses are EVERYWHERE!! It is illegal to touch them.

• Obey speed limits and be careful when you drive. Horses aren’t afraid of cars, and like buffalo out west will walk right out in front of you.

• Horses fight! We saw a handful of spats, all unnerving. Keep little ones close and stay a good distance away.

• Horses will come up to you if you have food.

• Horses bite.

• Horses will take your food. Bad for everyone!

• Horseflies, crabs, green-head flies, ticks, mosquitos all love Assateague too! They also like to bite!

• There are no lifeguards

• There is horse poop everywhere

Also, know!!

Having been on beaches along the Mediterranean Sea, Red Sea, Dead Sea, Baltic Sea, and along the Pacific and the Atlantic Ocean- Assateague is my favorite beach of all times!! Clean (except for the horse poop), breathtakingly beautiful, no infrastructure, filled with wildlife- a nature lover’s bliss for sure!

Additional Resources

Want to turn your vacation into a traveling unit study? Here are books and films to get you started.