We recently had a chance to stay with good friends out near Ocean City for a long weekend, and we jumped at the chance! Friends plus family plus beach time equals priceless memories! It was the best trip we have taken in a very long time! On our first full day of vacation, my bestie and I, and all five of our kiddos, headed for Assateague Island National Seashore. Stormy and Rainbow have seen the ocean before, but don’t remember it, and Pebble has only ever experienced the Chesapeake Bay.
Before we crossed the bridge over to the island, we stopped at the Assateague Island Visitor Center. Stormy has become interested in the junior ranger program just this summer, and she wanted the booklet so she could earn her badge. (I highly recommend this program! It made Stormy more aware of the island and it’s history, plus it is fun!) After collecting the booklet, I talked to the ranger about entrance passes for the island. This is not a free National Park. It was $25 for a 7 day pass or $45 for a one year pass. We went for the one year pass as we knew the girls would fall in love with this place. FYI, there is a part of Assateague that is state owned and free to enter, but the National Park area is much larger and so worth it!
We poked around the Visitor Center for only a short while. The kids liked looking at the exhibits, but, due to Covid, the touch tank was empty. There is a small gift shop where I remembered to stamp our National Park passports. I also spotted a copy of one of my favorite childhood books, Misty of Chincoteague by Marguerite Henry. I offered to buy it for Stormy, but she, and her sisters, only wanted the soft, plush horses that were available for sale. As my hubby put it, I said, “naaaaayyyyy!”
After using the restrooms, my friend and I herded our girls to the car, and headed across the bridge. I think I was the most excited person in the car! I had read Misty so many times as a child, and I was praying I’d see the ponies! When we visited the Virginia portion of Assateague five years ago, we only saw a few ponies way off in the distance, which was a disappointment. This visit was different…. We crested the bridge and spotted taillights. A family of ponies was grazing right next to the road! There was also a ranger present. With wild horses, visitors need to stay back a full bus length, roughly 40 feet. These are wild animals, they can and will kick or bite if threatened. Rangers also warn visitors not to feed the ponies. Keep food zipped up, and/or in the car. Human food is not good for their tummies!
I clicked some quick shots of these beautiful animals, and we drove onward to the entrance booths. This is another place you can secure passes if you don’t stop at the Visitor Center. Once past the entrance booths, we parked in the lots on the left, which is the ocean side of the island. We couldn’t see the water from the lot, but we could hear the waves and smell the salty breeze. After lathering on sunscreen, we headed up the boardwalk over the dunes to the beach. There are restrooms near the parking lots, but we didn’t use them, they were smelly! I was glad I brought the portable potty for the girls!
Once we found a clear spot on the sand, we dropped our bags and towels and took a long look at the ocean. Pebble grabbed my hand, and didn’t let go! The waves were intimidating! Stormy, Rainbow, and their friends made a beeline for the surf, though.
Both Stormy and Rainbow got knocked around by the waves and washed in to shore more than once. For both girls, it was a shock to be knocked over by a wave, and they weren’t sure what to think at first. It didn’t take long until they were jumping and playing around. Pebble was happy to jump in the surf, too, but remained further back than her sisters. She also maintained her death grip on my hand, rarely letting go.
If you bring your kids here, def keep a close eye on them! The waves are very strong, and we had to watch to make sure the girls didn’t go out too far or drift too far down the beach.
On this initial foray to the beach, the girls played happily for over an hour before we managed to round them up and head back to the car. It was lunchtime, and we knew the kids were heading toward hangry territory. We stopped near the bathrooms to use the outdoor showers to attempt to clean the sand off the girls, and it was a lost cause! When the waves knocked them off their feet, the sand went everywhere! Don’t ask how much sand we now have in our car! LOL!
Over the course of the weekend, we visited Assateague four different times, and each visit was amazing! Stay tuned for our next adventure at Assateague! Happy trails!
Assateague Island National Seashore
