washingtonpost.com: Style Live: The Beach

Chincoteague pony grazing on southern Assateague Island, Va. (Larry McEntire/The Washington Post)

The island consists of three major areas: Assateague Island National Seashore, which is managed by the National Park Service; Assateague State Park, managed by Maryland's Department of Natural Resources; and Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, which is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. There are no hotels or motels on Assateague but plenty of camping areas in the Maryland section. Hiking as well as biking trails lead you from forest to marsh and along shallows and dunes. Bird-watching platforms provide a panoramic view of the marsh and its feathered visitors. And while the island has two crowded beaches with lifeguards, it takes just a 15-minute hike to find yourself alone at last on an undeveloped (and unguarded) beach.

Near the southern end of Assateague, wedged between the undeveloped barrier island and the mainland, is the quaint village of Chincoteague, which was immortalized by Marguerite Henry in her "Misty of Chincoteague" children's books. There are lots of stories about how the ponies got to Assateague -- the most colorful legend has it that they are descended from the scrappy survivors of a wrecked 16th-century Spanish galleon -- and there are actually two separate herds of wild horses wandering the beaches, roadways and trails. (They are kept apart by a fence on the Maryland-Virginia border.) You may be tempted, but don't touch or try to feed the stocky, shaggy, friendly looking ponies; they have been known to bite and kick.

Each year on the last Wednesday and Thursday of July, many of the younger horses are rounded up, forced to swim the inlet between the two islands and sold at an auction to benefit the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Department.

Out and About

Stop by the Chincoteague Refuge Visitor Center (take Maddox Boulevard east from Chincoteague to the refuge and the center; 757/336-6122) for information, exhibits and activity schedules. (Drive slowly along that road: You may find your car surrounded by a herd of curious deer, who have become far less camera-shy than their more famous equine neighbors.)

Chincoteague's history and culture is linked to the bounty of the sea. That history is examined in the exhibits at the Oyster & Maritime Museum (7125 Maddox Blvd., Chincoteague; 757/336-6117). The area's isolation also made it attractive to the government for early rocket tests: Stop by the NASA Visitor Center/Wallops Island (Route 175 six miles west of Chincoteague; 757/824-1344), which uses videos, hands-on displays and full-scale models of rockets and airplanes to recount the history of the space program.

Fishing, of course, is a big deal here. Stop by Capt. Bob's (2477 Main St.; 757/336-6654); Charters by Kay (6435 Dogwood Lane; 757/336-6517) or Hooks & Feathers (7271 Jones Lane; 757/336-6812) to try your luck at charter fishing.

Chincoteague holds few attractions for the serious shopper, although there are some charmingly mixed curio shops in the old part of town. All kinds of treasure are on sale at the Shore Flea Market, which proclaims itself to be "MD & VA'S LARGEST!!" Promising "something for everyone," the huge flea market is open every Saturday and Sunday on U.S. 13 south of Temperanceville, Va., an easy drive from Chincoteague (call 757/824-3300 or 410/957-1984).

On Fridays and Saturdays in July, plus July 26-31 and Aug. 6-7, the Chincoteague Volunteer Fireman's Carnival is held on the fairground on South Main Street. The centerpiece of the carnival is the annual Pony Swim & Auction (call 757/336-6161 for information on both). The swim takes place on the morning of July 28, with the auction at the carnival grounds on the morning of July 29. But these "pony penning days," as they're called, always bring in thousands of Misty-eyed fans, so if you want to participate, you'd better plan ahead.

Camping

The National Park Service offers two campgrounds, with primitive outdoor facilities, including chemical toilets, drinking water and cold showers. Some sites are open year-round. For information, call 410/641-3030. The state park offers tent and RV camp sites with bathhouses with hot showers and flush toilets. The camp area also has a small store and snack bar. For information, call 410/641-2120 or 410/641-2918).

On the Virginia end, camping is not permitted in the wildlife refuge, though commercial campsites are available on Chinco-

teague Island (call 757/336-6161 for information). Campgrounds are available right behind the dunes at Assateague, and some four-wheeling is possible on sections of the Maryland beach, with a permit available at the park office.

Dining

Nightlife

For More Information

For updated weather, traffic and surf reports throughout the season, plus information on where to stay and what to do while you are at the shore, go to the Web: Chincoteague Chamber of Commerce

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