Assateague Island National Seashore, Maryland

Prologue

The first place I want to go when the stay-at-home orders are lifted is Assateague.  This beach holds a special place in my heart and invokes a nostalgia and memory that warms me to the core. My family grew up  vacationing many summers in Chincoteague, Assateague's southern district located in Virginia. Both beach districts have wild horses roaming the area and are a big tourist draw. We bought a cozy, little place in West Ocean City a little over a year ago, and Assateague is always our favorite place to enjoy the ocean.

Turning Pages

Visitor's Center
Before driving over the Verrazzano Bridge onto the island , be sure to stop in to the visitor center. They have a really cool touch tank and lots of displays about the history and ecosystems of the island. Kids can work to earn a Junior Ranger certificate and badge by completing an activity book and returning it to the visitor center. You can also park here and ride bikes over the bridge for an incredible view.

Assateague is a little bit quieter and nature-oriented which is a huge part of the appeal for me. There are no hotels, rides, or boardwalk crowds distracting views from the ocean. 

There are two different parks on Assateague Island, and each has different costs and different services.

Assateague State Park
The state park side is more expensive but also has nicer facilities. Check their website for current rates but they typically charge per person for day use ($6 per person for out of state). They have a concession stand, restaurant, and gift shop right off the beach. They also offer a bathhouse with showers and flush toilets. Beaches are guarded during peak season. You can also reserve camping sites right next to the beach. This is a pretty cool experience. The facilities are fantastic, but they also book out far in advance. Some people reserve more than a year ahead of time.

Assateague Island National Seashore
The national park side is a little more basic in terms of facilities but also costs less if you're planning to visit for multiple days. They charge $25 per vehicle for a 7-day pass. They do not offer a daily rate. You can also purchase a yearly pass for $45. They have basic facilities at the beach including pit toilets and outdoor showers just for a quick rinse-off. You can bring pets on some parts of the beach, and we see lots of people taking advantage of this. They have camping facilities on this side as well, but we have never tried them out. We mainly use the national park beaches.

There are two main parking areas. North Ocean Beach is the first one you come to after paying to enter. South Ocean Beach has a tiny parking lot and fills up pretty early in the morning during the summer months. Beyond that is the Over Sand Vehicle Zone which requires a permit.

Assateague at night is absolutely dreamy. The sunsets are breathtaking, and the summer breeze is perfect. Our kids love to chase the crabs that pop up from sand holes as the sun goes down. Beach bonfires are also allowed, and this is an especially fun way to spend vacation nights with a group of friends and family.

Hiking
There are three short trails in the national park. Each is a half-mile loop and winds through different ecosystems - dunes, marsh, and forest. Our favorite is the Life of the Marsh trail. When you follow the path all the way to the end, it opens up onto a tiny bay beach. The seaweed and debris can get thick here, but if you visit on the right kind of day, it's beautiful.

Wild Horses
Assateague is best known for the wild horses that roam freely all over the island. It's rare that we drive to the beach and don't see them grazing by the sides of the road. They are often clumped in groups in the parking lots and will wander the beaches as well. I've seen them early in the morning before the sands get busy, but we've also seen them traipsing through throngs of beach goers in the middle of the day at the height of the summer season. There are signs everywhere cautioning people to keep a safe distance as they do bite and kick. They also will rummage through your belongings to find food. Coolers are allowed on the beach but they must be hard-sided containers that close tightly. The horses will try to bite through bags if they smell food. We've seen them sniff out a sandwich and banana from a closed beach bag and destroy it in seconds. The posted rules are for your safety and that of the horses as they can get sick from food and non-food items like plastic bags that aren't properly secured. The horses are lovely to watch and part of the charm of this beach sanctuary.

Every Kid Outdoors - National Park Pass for 4th Graders
We learned about this special pass that allows 4th graders to apply for a special park pass to get into national parks for free. We were able to use this pass last year for our oldest daughter. It allowed the entire family to enter Assateague Island National Seashore for the whole year for free! It's a great program to encourage kids to see our country's natural and historic wonders.

Get Your Pass

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When I think of light, airy beach books, I think of Nicholas Sparks. Even though I'm not a huge fan, the books certainly do possess an air of reverence for the calming effect the ocean and those quaint coastal towns have on our psyche and souls.

Every Breath by Nicholas Sparks
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I don't know why I do this to myself. I read a lot of books with heavy, dark themes, and when I need something different and lighter, my first instinct is to look to Sparks. I rarely like his books, and yet I still read them for some unknown reason. I guess it's the predictability and the beach themes that suck me in. Set on a North Carolina beach, Hope Anderson laments her crappy boyfriend and longs for something different without knowing it yet. The part of the summary that caught my attention and is probably the reason why I decided to try Sparks again is the character, Tru Walls. Tru is a safari guide living in Zimbabwe who comes to Sunset Beach, North Carolina at the request of a man claiming to be his father. Tru's tumultuous childhood and back story is interesting but ultimately blends in with Hope's boring one and becomes a glob of gelatinous mush. The strangers meet, slowly reveal their lives to each other, and the love story bulldozes the rest of the book. The one part I really enjoyed is the Kindred Spirit mailbox. A random mailbox is posted up on a beach with a bench beside it. People write stories, letters, drawings, recipes, and whatever else is on their minds, leaving them signed or anonymous inside the box. It's a sweet idea and plays a big part in Hope and Tru's story.

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