Assateague Island National Seashore — Family, Food & Frolic

It seemed that everyone on the East Coast had the same idea as me…escape for Labor Day Weekend. My first instinct was find a hotel where we could visit some sights…or maybe a beach. Unfortunately, most of the hotels in the areas that we looked into were either booked or capitalizing on this high travel weekend by spiking their prices (really- who could blame them). Even though my family is not overly outdoorsy, I decided to look into camping.

Originally, I faced the same issue…everything was booked. I found an abundance of state and national parks that offered camping with varying degrees of amenities. Apparently, all East Coasters knew to book months in advance…not being from the East Coast, I missed the memo. Disappointed, I accepted the fact that we would be spending our extended weekend at home. There was one spot that looked so interesting that I kept checking back hoping that by some small chance we could go…Assateague Island National Seashore. I thought I was crazy checking back. It wasn’t as if the system would all of a sudden show an opening when reservations could be booked 6 months in advance and it was within a week of the holiday weekend, but there it was…a cancellation.

So, what makes this seashore so interesting that I kept checking back? Wild ponies. Imagine camping at a sandy beach where ponies randomly roam through your campsite or you can watch the ponies swim in the surf. At the time, my oldest daughter was 9 years old and I knew that this was something she would love. I told her that at the end of our drive (several hours) there would be an island where ponies roamed free. She only half believed me, but as soon as we drove across the bridge onto Assateague Island our first pony was waiting to greet us.

The highlights of our weekend included being awaken in the morning by the sound of ponies outside the tent, watching beautiful sunrises and sunsets as we played on the sandy beaches, and participating in the Junior Ranger Programs at both the national seashore and state park. The Junior Ranger programs allow children to complete a wide range of activities that help them to learn about the island. Some of activities include simple beach and dune exploration which is great for families with younger children. For families looking for more adventure, they also offer ranger guided kayaking. The Junior Ranger program at Assateague is intended for ages 4-14; however, they are pretty good about not leaving out the little ones too. My youngest was 6 months old, but still earned her mini ranger badge for playing at the beach with the family, sitting quietly as we listened to ranger talks, and for touching sea animals in the touch tank.

Things to remember:

(1) The animals, including the ponies, are wild. Please respect them as you would any other wild animal. They will bite and kick if provoked.

(2) It is a sandy location; so, bring long camping spikes if using a tent. If you aren’t into camping, many people had RVs. It is also good to bring some sort of covering for shade as there are not many trees.

(3) Check the extended weather forecast ahead of time. We had a storm come in “earlier than expected” and we were at a location where our weather alert radio did not get a signal. (Don’t worry- cell phones do get a signal there.)