Welcome to Assateague Beach

There isn’t anything better than going to the beach on a sunny summer day. 

Unless you happen to be in the path of five galloping wild horses being herded away from beachgoers. Then you might feel time slow down while you debate the best way to get out of these beautiful yet massive animals’ way. My response was to freeze and hope the horses chose to not go into the waves.

Assateague Island is part of the National Parks as a National Seashore. It’s one of the barrier islands on the east coast of the United States - especially it runs from Ocean City, Maryland to Chincoteague, Virginia. The island is divided by the Maryland State Park, the Maryland side National Seashore, and the Virginia side National Seashore.

It is also most famous for its wild horses. 

About 300 horses live on the island. Most are allowed to roam freely (on the Maryland side), while the Virginia side horses, or ponies as they are sometimes called, are behind fences as they are “owned” by the Chincoteague fire department. Last year, in April, I went to both ends of the island for the first time and wrote a post (which you can view here).

This year, my sibling decided to come visit me and go on a bit of an adventure. We stayed at a historic and supposedly haunted hotel in Berlin, Maryland - “the coolest small town in America”. The movie “Runaway Bride” had been filmed there and we stayed in the room Richard Greer had stayed in (sadly 1999 Richard Greer was not included). Another movie, “Tuck Everlasting” had also been filmed near the town. There’s a mermaid museum in town that I would call quaint and the book store is run by a woman who used to be an undertaker…and wrote about her experience as one. Ocean City, Maryland (not to be confused with the far superior one in New Jersey), is about 20 minutes away. 

We did not see or experience any ghosts on the trip.

Unfortunately, it rained most of the trip. So we explored the town and enjoyed the different restaurants. Though today was nice and sunny (and I got a bit crispy). Which is why we ended up going to Assateague Beach. 

Sure, Ocean City is also close by, but if you want something a little nicer, so to Assateague.

Plus you have the horses. They are really cool. Just don’t get too close as they will bite, charge, and stomp on anyone who gets too close. I saw a lot more horses (and babies) this trip than back in April last year.

The beach is very nice and decently guarded. There’s a long sandbar, so the water doesn’t drop off too quickly. Surfing is allowed, but I’ve never tried it and the east coast just doesn’t seem like the place to surf. The horses hang around the parking lot, so you’ll need to dodge the horse poo, but the actual beaches are very clean of human and animal debris. You can even bring your dog.

It was foggy when we arrived at 9:30am. The tide was coming in and you could hardly see ten feet out. The water was cold, but refreshing once the sun broke through the haze. Other than the horses, I saw deer, different birds, a horseshoe crab, and a mermaid purse (which are shark, ray, or skate eggs - depending on the species).

My sibling and I would have been happy to spend all day on the beach, but sadly we did have to drive the three hours home. 

Oh and the horses did in fact turn away from where I was standing. They ran along the water edge until they were safely away from people. It was really cool, but a bit nerve wracking to see and experience.

I’m happy to recommend Assateague beach to anyone who wants a unique beach and wildlife experience. Just stay at least 40 feet away from the horses. They bite.

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Until next week.