Chincoteague/Assateague anyone?

[Pembo]

We are considering a summer vacation to this area. For those familiar, would you say 4 nights is too long? Should we plan on a couple nights somewhere else?

We have 3 kids, 15, 12, and 8. The oldest has informed me that a week at a beach is not his thing.

Opinions wanted....Any suggestions on what else to do, on the cheap?

btw-We are driving from Cleveland OH.

 

[wdwmom2]

I would just drive on up to Ocean City MD for a while. It is VERY close to Assateague.

Yes, it is a beach town, but there are plenty of things to do. Jolly Roger Amusement park, Frontier Town, miniature golf, all types of gocarts, great seafood, rent a jetski or go parasailing, go fishing, take in a movie, walk the boardwalk!!!

Right now I am booking my 3 days there in September for bike week. Too much to do there to get bored!!!

And as my tag says, that is where I first encountered The Fractured Prune! Gotta visit it at least once!

 

[Pixiedust34]

We go to Chincoteague/Assateague every fall for a long weekend. We stay right on Chincoteague Island.

Chincoteague/Assateague is not the same as Ocean City, MD at all!

Chincoteague is a small, old fashioned island town. There are two mini-golf places, bike rentals, a place where you can visit ponies, a few ice cream parlors (Mr. Whippy and The Creamery are both a must do for us), a movie theatre (1 movie shows!), and a McDonalds. There are plenty of gift shops, a few art and antique shops, and 1 small grocery store. There are restaurants, though no chain restaurants other than McDonalds and Ledos Pizza (local pizza chain) are on the island. We stay at the Comfort Suites every year and enjoy it there. It's a quiet, laid back and relaxing vacation.

Assatuegue is a lovely island and rustic. Imagine the beach w/o a boardwalk, shops, hotels, etc. There are a couple of nice hiking trails (one leading to a lighthouse) and a couple of nature centers.

For our family, 3 nights would be ideal. It's the kind of trip where we enjoy the simple things such as reading a book on the beach, flying kites, building sandcastles, taking walks, getting an ice cream in the evening, etc. There isn't a lot of hustle/bustle (boardwalk atmosphere), but we enjoy it. We never feel the need to go to Ocean City, though some families like that sort of vacation more than we do.

 

[Pembo]

Pixiedust...What you describe is exactly what I want in a vacation..3 nights sounds good.

However if we are driving 9 hours to get there, what else should we do before driving home???

 

[Tink888]

I would just drive on up to Ocean City MD for a while. It is VERY close to Assateague.

We go to Chincoteague/Assateague every fall for a long weekend. We stay right on Chincoteague Island.

Chincoteague/Assateague is not the same as Ocean City, MD at all!

I think the poster might have meant that OC is very close to Assateague in term of proximity. Assateague National Park seashore (MD side) is located right off of Rt. 50 before you enter Ocean City. We've made day trips there during our OC vacations.

Pixiedust...What you describe is exactly what I want in a vacation..3 nights sounds good.

However if we are driving 9 hours to get there, what else should we do before driving home???

If you're looking for more to do during your vacation, have you thought about spending any time in D.C.? The majority of museums and memorials are free and would keep you busy for days.

West from D.C. in the Shenandoah valley is Luray Caverns. That would be a nice day trip on your way home.

Two hours north of DC is Gettysburg and also Pennsylvania Dutch Country.

 

[Breezy_Carol]

We have gone to Chincoteague several times for 2 - 3 days. We like to bike ride while there and eat oysters. Be aware that no matter where you stay, you will have to drive to get to the beach. There are no hotels in the national park. Not a long drive but we are used to just walking from a rental house to the beach in OBX. Also, if you go take bug repellent. This is not a negative but just be prepared.

Also, not sure the name of it, but on Wallops Island as you drive out to Chincoteague is a visitor area about space exploration that was good for a half day visit.

 

[wdwmom2]

I think the poster might have meant that OC is very close to Assateague in term of proximity. Assateague National Park seashore (MD side) is located right off of Rt. 50 before you enter Ocean City. We've made day trips there during our OC vacations.



If you're looking for more to do during your vacation, have you thought about spending any time in D.C.? The majority of museums and memorials are free and would keep you busy for days.

West from D.C. in the Shenandoah valley is Luray Caverns. That would be a nice day trip on your way home.

Two hours north of DC is Gettysburg and also Pennsylvania Dutch Country.

Tink888 is correct. I only meant that it was close by. They are two different things. Just thought that if your children started getting "ants in their pants", OC could provide some different things to do.

DH and I enjoy OC for what it is, a beach town. We enjoy the food, people watching on the boardwalk, and the activities that are there. But, we also enjoy riding down to Assateague to marvel over the ponies and the real quietness of the area.

Along with the DC suggestion, Mount Vernon, which is only a short drive from DC, is VERY interesting!!! I highly recommend it!

Gettysburg has a new Visitors Center. Very interesting. I think I learned more there than in all my years in school. The displays they have and the movies that they play definitely keep your attention.

 

[Pixiedust34]

I think the poster might have meant that OC is very close to Assateague in term of proximity. Assateague National Park seashore (MD side) is located right off of Rt. 50 before you enter Ocean City. We've made day trips there during our OC vacations.



If you're looking for more to do during your vacation, have you thought about spending any time in D.C.? The majority of museums and memorials are free and would keep you busy for days.

West from D.C. in the Shenandoah valley is Luray Caverns. That would be a nice day trip on your way home.

Two hours north of DC is Gettysburg and also Pennsylvania Dutch Country.

If it's not too far out of your way, Gettysburg is a nice place to stop. The renovated visitor center is a free museum. There is an extra charge for the movie, but we have skipped that and didn't feel we missed anything. The National Cemetery is well worth a visit.

Hershey Park is not far from Pennsylvania Dutch Country.

Would you be able to break up your trip in Pittsburgh? I'm not sure of the route you'd take from Ohio. Pittsburgh has Kennywood Park, Sandcastle Water Park, the Carnegie Museums, etc. If this is during the summer, maybe you could do a Pirates game?

We have gone to Chincoteague several times for 2 - 3 days. We like to bike ride while there and eat oysters. Be aware that no matter where you stay, you will have to drive to get to the beach. There are no hotels in the national park. Not a long drive but we are used to just walking from a rental house to the beach in OBX. Also, if you go take bug repellent. This is not a negative but just be prepared.

Also, not sure the name of it, but on Wallops Island as you drive out to Chincoteague is a visitor area about space exploration that was good for a half day visit.

Bug spray is a must have! The beach isn't bad because there's a breeze, but sometimes the hiking trails are covered with mosquitos.

We stop at Wallop's Island every year, but probably spend 30 min. tops there. We're not that interested in space, though it is worth the stop and it's right on the way to Chincoteague. You drive right past in on the way to the island.

Tink888 is correct. I only meant that it was close by. They are two different things. Just thought that if your children started getting "ants in their pants", OC could provide some different things to do.

DH and I enjoy OC for what it is, a beach town. We enjoy the food, people watching on the boardwalk, and the activities that are there. But, we also enjoy riding down to Assateague to marvel over the ponies and the real quietness of the area.

Along with the DC suggestion, Mount Vernon, which is only a short drive from DC, is VERY interesting!!! I highly recommend it!

Gettysburg has a new Visitors Center. Very interesting. I think I learned more there than in all my years in school. The displays they have and the movies that they play definitely keep your attention.

I agree. What I meant is that OC and Chincoteague are world's apart atmosphere-wise. The OP might want to divide their trip between OC and Chincoteague, depending upon what type of trip would appeal to their family. We're more of a Chincoteague (than OC) family, but I agree her older kids may like OC better than Chincoteague.

As mentioned above, Gettysburg is a great place to visit.

DC would be good, too. I'd have a very hard time limiting myself to just 1 (or 2) days in DC on the way to/from the beach. There is so much to see and do there that it's a destination in and of itself. If you do decide to stop at DC, account for heavy traffic and pick just one or two things to do because you could spend weeks simply exploring the Smithsonians. I usually recommend walking the Mall area (which is a lot of walking) and picking a favorite Smithsonian or two to explore if you're there for just a day. Doing that--walking the Mall and exploring a Smithsonian or two--can easily fill a whole day.

 

[Buckalew11]

As a kid I went to Wachaprague. Fond memories and I'd love to go back up that way!

 

[Christine]

My in-laws live about 15 minutes south of Chincoteague.

As another poster said, if you stay in Chincoteague, you cannot stay right on or near the beach. The beach is run by the state park so you will have to drive to their lot and park, pay, and then use the beach. During busy summer months, it actually does get "full" and you might have a wait to get on the beach or get turned away for a few hours until some spots free up in the lot. This has happened a few times but *only* if we didn't get to the beach early.

If you want to drive up to OC to please your teen, it is about a 45 minute drive from Chincoteague. Much closer from Assateague.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

However if we are driving 9 hours to get there, what else should we do before driving home???

I'm not sure where from Ohio you are, or how you are going, but you could stop in Baltimore for a day or two if you go that way.

 

[java]

My boys similar ages as your children, all loved that little space museum. While it did't take long they talked about it for days. My Mom lives in ocean pines so we are down there often.

I am always surprised at how much is going on in that area. Sign up on the ocean city travel web page and see if there is some festival going on when you are there. It's all very close!