THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO VISITING CHINCOTEAGUE ISLAND IN A WEEKEND
An island getaway is always what the doctor ordered. Escaping to the sea, relaxing in nature, taking in the wildlife, and indulging in ice cream and saltwater taffy are quintessential summer activities.
Visiting Chincoteague Island is a must – it truly is a hidden gem. At just over three hours from the Washington DC metro area, Chincoteague makes for the perfect weekend getaway or an epic day trip – making you feel worlds away from the craziness of the city.
Located just west of Assateague Island, on the eastern shore of Virginia, Chincoteague is far from a tourist beach town – you know the ones that are overcrowded and most of us come to have a love/hate relationship with – which is exactly what you should be looking for.
Visiting Chincoteague also gives you a perfect home base to both the Wildlife Preserve side of Assateague (the Virginia side) and the National/State Park side of Assateague (the Maryland side with all the horses!).
Where is Chincoteague Island?
Chincoteague is located just west of the larger Assateague Island (which is divided between Maryland and Virginia).
The best part about Chincoteague’s location is that it gives you the option of visiting a Wildlife Preserve and lighthouse (which is only 5-10 minutes from the center of town), or taking a modest drive up to the National Park & State Park side of Assateague Island where you can find wild ponies!
How to get to Chincoteague Island
There are a couple of options for getting to Chincoteague from the Washington DC metro area – both requiring renting and car and heading out on a road trip. One is the ‘free’ way (which avoids tolls), but that will take you about 5.5 hours. The other does require a toll fee both ways (which is in the $5-6 range each way) but knocks off a little over 2 hours of driving, taking your total drive down from 5.5 hours to 3 hours and 15 minutes.
Visiting Chincoteague Island
The best time to visit
Spring, Summer and Fall, Chincoteague is great to visit pretty much year round. But if you want some fun in the sun definitely make an early summer visit!
You can spend hours on the beach, go for a dip in the ocean, head back to town and pick up some awesome vegan ice cream, and enjoy water activities in the bay.
Visiting in the Spring and Fall can offer even more outdoor fun, as the temperatures are a bit cooler, there are less crowds, the weather is perfect for hiking and biking, and the mosquitos have died down.
The main thing to remember is that conditions on this island are to the extreme: the summers are hot and humid, the winters are cold, and the bugs are intense.
TIP TO NOTE: The reason you should avoid a late summer visit is because the mosquitos on the island get epically miserable, and the jellyfish start to arrive. Even though the Coast Guard flies over and sprays the island, after 3 days on the island I returned with almost 30 mosquito bites. When I was kayaking I saw about 15 jellyfish in the course of 1.5 hours – you definitely don’t want to be falling into the water with those friends all around!
Wild Horses on Assateague Island (and the Chincoteague Wildlife Preserve)
As mentioned above Assateague Island is divided between Maryland and Virginia, into three different sections: Chincoteague Wildlife National Refuge (which is about two miles east of town), Assateague State Park (which is about an hour north of Chincoteague Island in Maryland and requires its own entry fee), and Assateague National Seashore (the entrance of which is just down the road from Assateague State Park via Route 611, and has a separate entry fee – your National Park Pass does work in this section).
The main reason to visit Assateague Island from Chincoteague is because of the local wild residents: the ponies. You can see them in the marshes of the Chincoteague Wildlife Preserve (the best way to see them is by taking a kayak or boat tour), and can find them on the beach on the National and State Park side. If you’re not camping (aka spending 24/7 of your time on the beach) there are no guarantees you’ll see the horses on the beach in Assateague National Seashore, but there is still a good chance you’ll see them in the marshes or walking down/crossing the street.
This is where I actually saw them when I was leaving Assateague National Seashore. As I was driving off of the island I saw people parked off to the side of the road looking through the vegetation at something, so I pulled over, grabbed my camera and went to take a peek. As I walked up to look through the hole in the tall marsh grass 4 horses (including a foal) walked right out! So I definitely wasn’t able to be 40 feet away at that second but ultimately I was able to put some distance in between us and get some amazing photos and video.
Now the key word with the horses is they are wild, they are feral animals that have not been domesticated at all, and you need to keep this in mind when you see them. The horses live on the island year round. Seeing wildlife in any situation is amazing, and especially if you visit when there are new foals it’s even cuter!
3 Tips to Remember with the horses:
Don’t feed them: As cute as they are, especially the babies, you must remember when you see the horses don’t forget they are wild animals. Feeding them may seem like a harmless thing to do, but in reality this messes up the natural order of things, they can start to get used to this, and ultimately you could get hurt because they can get aggressive.
Stay at least 40 feet away: As mentioned above, they are wild, so they can kick, bite and hurt you. There are signs all over the place stating for you to keep your distance, and you can actually be fined if you are caught too close to them. There are some situations that may be unavoidable if they come too close to you and you are unable to get out of the way, but in general don’t go seeking out close proximity to them.
Make sure you bring your camera with a good zoom lens and admire and capture their beauty. The horses are gorgeous and it’s so amazing to see them in their natural habitat, especially if you’re able to see them on the beach.
Pack your food away: Think about it as if you were going camping in Yellowstone: Keeping your food packed away not only keeps you safe, but keeps the animals safe as well. Assateague Island (both the Virginia and Maryland side) are no different.
Beware of Mosquitos
I feel like I can’t mention this enough. The mosquitos are HORRIBLE in Chincoteague – both in town and on the Wildlife Preserve. It seemed as though any time I was outside for a minimum of 5 minutes I got 2-3 new bites. I guess it’s par for the course of visiting this island, but it’s also why trying to time a visit earlier in the summer is key.
Just know, in Chincoteague no one is safe from these bugs!
Things to do in Chincoteague
Spend the afternoon at the beach
If you don’t go to the beach did you even go to Chincoteague? Part of the charm of an island getaway is the art of doing nothing on the beach – just going to relax, search for shells, lay on the sand and listen to the waves, get a tan, go swimming. The beach is part of the magic of summer.
Chincoteague’s beach is located on the Wildlife Preserve, which is about 2 miles from the center of town. Because it’s on the Wildlife Preserve there is a fee to enter – but if you have the National Park Annual Pass you don’t need to pay the entry!
If you plan to work the beach into your trip, make sure you head there early – arriving between 830 and 9am. This may seem a little too early, but the parking lot will quickly fill up and in the time of social distancing the longer you can stay with less people around.
Another bonus of the Wildlife Preserve is that this is where you can take a boat or kayak tour to see the wild horses, and the Assateague Lighthouse is also located on the island.
Taking a tour to see the horses is a one-in-a-lifetime opportunity, especially if you don’t have plans to stop by the Maryland side of the island. Multiple tour companies operate on the island, with tours taking place in the morning, late afternoon and early evening, including Captain Dan’s Tours, Assateague Explorer and Daisey’s Island Cruises, but one thing to note for all of them is that you need to book at least a day in advance (if you’re visiting during the week) and more than that if your visit is over a weekend.
The lighthouse requires a quick 5-minute walk from the parking lot (be prepared in the summer there are a TON of mosquitoes) but you can get an amazing view of the surrounding area from the top!
Ride a bike around town
Part of the beauty of Chincoteague is the fact that the island is small – it has less than 10 square miles of land – making it super easy to bike around as your main mode of travel.
You can bike down Main Street to see the cute LOVE VA Adirondack chairs on the waterfront, bike down Maddox Blvd to check out all of the great food spots, and even bike all the way to the Wildlife Preserve – the bridge right before the entrance is the perfect spot for crabbing!
When it comes to renting a bike in Chincoteague there seems to be a rental spot around every corner – I recommend looking into Fun On Wheels, The Bike Depot and Jus’ Bikes. From singles, to doubles, to surreys, to scooters, there are a ton of options for fun ways to jaunt around the island.
Kayak (or SUP) in the bay
If you are short on time and have a tight budget to work with – aka you need to decide between a water activity and riding bikes around – my suggestion is going to be to make a water sport adventure the priority.
Kayaking or stand up paddle boarding in the bay is an activity that not only gets you closer to the natural beauty and wildlife of the island, but also is a cool vantage point when it comes to exploring around.
I didn’t have time to do every, single activity so I made kayaking a priority. I did an hour and a half rental which was the perfect amount of time, and at $20 a great bargain. I was able to see crabs swimming, jellies floating along, and big white cranes – so the wildlife watching was amazing.
Literally a 5-minute walk down Main Street from Key West Cottages is Big Papa SUP which offers a 15% discount to anyone staying in the cottages or Comfort Suites!
Go on a food tour
To my surprise, I found there were a good amount of amazing spots on the island – Chincoteague seems to becoming more of a foodie paradise. Expect to do most, or all, of your eating along Maddox Blvd and Main Street, with Main Street being closer to many of the accommodation options. From breakfast, lunch, dinner and afternoon snacks the island has got you covered!
Sandy Pony Donuts
If you plan to eat out very little, make sure that a stop (or two) at Sandy Pony is on the list. I wasn’t able to try the donuts because they didn’t have any vegan options, but I did have Sandy Pony’s acai bowl, which was amazing!
It’s slightly randomly placed, as it’s in a parking lot for a t-shirt shop, but it’s less than a 10 minute walk from Main Street so it’s perfectly location for a morning meal.
Amarin Coffee
Amarin Coffee is one of the few coffee shops in Chincoteague. With its delicious, and well-known, Vietnamese iced milk coffees and chocolate croissants, Amarin is worth a stop for breakfast or to fuel up in the afternoon after a morning full of exploring.
Pico Taqueria
This is probably the most infamous spot on the island, and for good reason. The drinks are refreshing, the ambiance a perfect balance of beachy and trendy, and the most amazing tacos you’ve ever had — seriously these were some of the best tacos I have had since moving to Virginia.
It’s worth it to note that Pico Taqueria is one of those taco places where each individual taco will run you about $4, so know that you’re not going to be stocking up on tacos and plan to sample a couple, with a drink and a side of chips and guac.
Sea Star Café
I didn’t have enough time, or a big enough stomach, to stop at Sea Star during my stay but I was informed of their epically LARGE hoagie sandwiches. After taking a quick peep at their Yelp page I can confirm: their sandwiches are crazy big - enough to fill you from lunch through dinner.
Bill’s Prime Seafood & Steaks
Because I was on an island I knew I needed to have seafood for one of my dinners. It’s just something you have to do when you are near the sea. Bill’s came highly recommended and it did not disappoint. I got one crab cake, a lemonade, and fish & chips and I’m not going to lie it was the most expensive meal I had throughout my stay. Was the food amazingly delicious? Yep! Is there a way to experience it on a budget? Yes, just make sure you’re eating from the starters and sides menu, or get one entree to share. This is how to can stick to your budget with all the amazing tastes.
Village Restaurant
If you think to yourself, I just want a burger or some pasta, Village Restaurant is the spot. This was another place I did not have time to visit while I was in town, but it was recommended to me as an alternative to Pico Taqueria and Bill’s.
Island Creamery
When I found out that Chincoteague had an ice cream shop that offered a handful of vegan flavors I jumped for joy. It’s rare you can find vegan options in a place so small. I knew immediately I had to pick up a couple of scoops to have during my stay.
Island Creamery’s flavors do rotate, but I can confirm that the vegan coconut and vegan strawberry colada were soooo good. I got my scoops to go and ended up putting them in the freezer for the next afternoon, but the atmosphere and outside seating of the shop are also super cute and nautical feeling.
Where to stay on Chincoteague Island
My Top Pick: Key West Cottages
There are multiple spots to stay on the island – but I am someone who is always going to choose the boutique and unique over the chain. One of the best places to do this is by staying at the Key West Cottages.
The Key West Cottages are 5 individual, pastel hued, one-bedroom (some two) tiny homes placed along a Chincoteague Bay and Channel. Their location right off of Main Street offer the perfectly nautical, “home away from home” vibes for a memorable stay – and they are the perfect option for enjoying all of the beauty, history and adventure the island offers (in the best socially distanced way).
Each of the cottages feature a full kitchen with kitchen and cookware, waterfront views, amazingly HUGE walk-in showers (which have the coolest pebbled spa floors), private parking, AC, cable TV and front and back porch decks with tables and chairs.
Key West Cottages also offers the additional amenities of being “connected” to the Comfort Suites next door. This is where you go to check-in and check-out, which also gives you access to Comfort Suites’ gym, indoor and outdoor pools (the outdoor pool has an AMAZING view), laundry and fitness center. It’s the perfect way to feel like you are visiting like a local in your own home, and enjoy hotel amenities you want on a holiday.
Check the latest rates and availability for Key West Cottages here
Comfort Suites
If you don’t want to go the full route of staying a tiny home, then base yourself solely at Comfort Suites. The hotel offers free breakfast, waterfront views, spacious rooms for watching the sunset, and like I mentioned above the outdoor pool, larger lounging deck, and wooden boardwalk path make for the perfect relaxed experience with a few additional amenities.
Check the latest rates and availability for Comfort Suites here
Waterside Inn
If you are looking for a hotel stay that is more budget friendly, look no further than the Waterside Inn. A huge perk to this spot is that all of the rooms have balconies overlooking the bay, which means no matter what room you stay in you have a dedicated spot to watch the sunset every night – preferably with a glass of local wine.
Check the latest rates and availability for Waterside Inn here
What to pack for a visit to Chincoteague
I visited Chincoteague mid-August so when it comes to packing for the brutal heat of summer there are a few things you need to remember to bring:
Bug repellent with Deet – The best kind is going to be an extreme condition/backwoods grade which has Deet in it.
Sunscreen 30 SPF or higher – This is not the time for 20 SPF, bare minimum you should bring 30 SPF in order to help prevent both sunburns and skin cancer.
Sunglasses with UV protection – And I’m not talking about the super fashionable ones with colored lens. I’m talking about sunglasses with dark lenses with proper UV protection, the good thing is there are many stylish brands that also protect your eyes from the rays.
A wide brim hat – As I’m sure you’re gathering; the sun can be intense while you’re exploring around Chincoteague. Whether you’re walking around, riding a bike, lounging on the beach or kayaking, you are going to need some extra protection, and a wide brim hat will do just the trick.
A dry back and water shoes – If you have any plans to kayak or SUP you need to have proper footwear (many places won’t even let you rent something if you only have flip flops). In addition to this, you need to have somewhere to put your keys, phone, water bottle, camera, a snack, etc. that is going to keep them dry. A Dry bag is perfect for this. I love this one because it’s big enough to carry everything I needed (my water shoes, a hat, water bottle, mini tripod, GoPro, my phone), was easy to carry around on my shoulder, and also included a waterproof cell phone pouch.
Visiting Chincoteague Island
Chincoteague Island features a seasonal trolley called the Pony Express. Throughout the main streets of the island there are 'Trolley Stop' signs — watch out for these to catch a ride, or hail the trolley as you see it pass by along the route. The best part about this trolley is it’s a fun, budget way to see the island — the fare is only 50 cents per person, per ride.
Three days and two nights on Chincoteague was the perfect amount of time to truly experience everything the island has to offer. I was able to feel more comfortable and have a great place to privately rest (with the bonus of additional amenities) in my tiny home. I visited the Wildlife Preserve and the beach multiple times as a place to get out and relax in nature. I had the fun activity of discovering the island from the water in a kayak. And I sampled some AMAZING tacos and vegan ice cream.
There is a reason people return to Chincoteague Island year after year, and you can bet that I will be back!
Like this post? Pin it for later and share it with others!
