Travisma 1,317 Posted June 30, 2015 Report Share Posted June 30, 2015 Has anyone been to see the wild ponies on Chincoteague Island in Virginia? We are heading to NY from FL and are thinking of detouring over to that area. My granddaughter read about them in third grade and has been wanting to see the place ever since. We will not be camping, but looking for an affordable place to stay either there of before we leave the mainland down around Norfolk. Is it worth the detour to go see them? We read that the round up is at the end of July, but we will be passing thru the area the second week so we will be missing that. Some reviews say that you can drive along the main road and see them running on the island. Other people say you have to take a chartered excursion. Any information would be welcomed. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bhall 115 Posted July 1, 2015 Report Share Posted July 1, 2015 The wild ponies are on Assateague Island. I've had several interactions with them on both the Maryland portion and Virginia portion. The Maryland side has a nice visitior's center that is great for the kids. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Travisma 1,317 Posted July 1, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 1, 2015 The wild ponies are on Assateague Island. I've had several interactions with them on both the Maryland portion and Virginia portion. The Maryland side has a nice visitior's center that is great for the kids.Thanks. Supposedly Chino is the northern part of the Assateague Island.It's where the Misty Books took place... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bhall 115 Posted July 1, 2015 Report Share Posted July 1, 2015 No, Chincoteague is actually near the southern portion of Assateague Island. Ocean City, Maryland (sitting on what is officially known as Fenwick Island (Not a real island but a spit) was once connected to Assateague Island but a hurricane in 1933 created what is now known as the Ocean City Inlet, thus creating a true island in Assateague. Ocean City is in the upper part, Assateague is in the bottom. Here is a map showing the whole island and the location of Chincoteague Island. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
psunexus 5 Posted July 1, 2015 Report Share Posted July 1, 2015 I grew up in DE and went to Assateague and Chincoteague a lot as a kid. If you want to see the wild ponies then you want to goto the national seashore park on Assateague. If you looking a place to spend a weekend or even a week then you goto Chincoteague where there are tons of activities to choose from including chartered tours to see the ponies or to even visits to farms where the not so wild ponies grow up. Also if I remember correctly twice a year some of the ponies swim between the islands and then are auctioned off. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Travisma 1,317 Posted July 1, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 1, 2015 I grew up in DE and went to Assateague and Chincoteague a lot as a kid. If you want to see the wild ponies then you want to goto the national seashore park on Assateague. If you looking a place to spend a weekend or even a week then you goto Chincoteague where there are tons of activities to choose from including chartered tours to see the ponies or to even visits to farms where the not so wild ponies grow up. Also if I remember correctly twice a year some of the ponies swim between the islands and then are auctioned off.Thanks, we will look into the national park area. My wife found a Misty area that we will probably have to check out since that was the basis for the series of books. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Clark W Griswold 24 Posted July 1, 2015 Report Share Posted July 1, 2015 We just went in April for the first time....I was nice but ponies were far away and those that were close were fenced in..There was one little guy who had escaped and was walking down the side of the road...He was pretty cool...We biked inside the park which was fun and the beach was beautiful ......Overall a fun trip but a day or two would do... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Travisma 1,317 Posted July 1, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 1, 2015 We just went in April for the first time....I was nice but ponies were far away and those that were close were fenced in..There was one little guy who had escaped and was walking down the side of the road...He was pretty cool...We biked inside the park which was fun and the beach was beautiful ......Overall a fun trip but a day or two would do...What part did you go to? The C part, the A part, the National Park, the Maryland State Park? We are getting info from some of the centers up there and it is getting confusing. We aren't planning on spending a lot of time there. Hopefully just a few hours maybe at the Misty area then see the ponies. Is there a way of just driving to see them? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bhall 115 Posted July 1, 2015 Report Share Posted July 1, 2015 on the Maryland you can definitely encounter them while driving on the road. Some can be a PITA though because idiots have been feeding them. Some of these horses are used to the vehicles and will come up begging for food. Loud vehicles don't scare them away either as many hot/street rodders will go over to the island during many of the car show evens held in Ocean City. I'm trying to find pics from some of these events where we went over to the island with my one car and we were behind a 69 Camaro that got kicked by a hungry impatient horse. We also have spent a lot of time on Chincoteague Island and have gone to that side of Assateague. One time on the walking trail we encountered a horse who came up beside us and immediately started to nuzzle my wife's purse, most likely looking for food. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Travisma 1,317 Posted July 1, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 1, 2015 Keep the ideas coming. My head is spinning now, what's a few more rotations before it explodes! I guess we are being selective, since we are only going to have a partial day there. It's about a 5 or 6 hour drive from that area to where we are ending up. But all of the info so far is helpful. Any hotel recommendations? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bhall 115 Posted July 1, 2015 Report Share Posted July 1, 2015 On Chincoteague Island, we liked Comfort Suites the best. One early morning we even got to witness a rocket launch from Wallops Island. However, this time of year, that hotel might be super expensive. On the Maryland side, pretty much anything in Ocean City or Berlin will do. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Travisma 1,317 Posted July 1, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 1, 2015 On Chincoteague Island, we liked Comfort Suites the best. One early morning we even got to witness a rocket launch from Wallops Island. However, this time of year, that hotel might be super expensive. On the Maryland side, pretty much anything in Ocean City or Berlin will do.Thanks. I was even thinking something around Norfolk. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bhall 115 Posted July 1, 2015 Report Share Posted July 1, 2015 You're welcome. I can't recommend anything around Norfolk really. Closest I've stayed there was Williamsburg. Norfolk has to be something around 100 miles from the island? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Travisma 1,317 Posted July 1, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 1, 2015 You're welcome. I can't recommend anything around Norfolk really. Closest I've stayed there was Williamsburg. Norfolk has to be something around 100 miles from the island?Wow you're right. It didn't look that far on the map. Scratch that idea. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Humphrey Bear…Rob 42 Posted July 1, 2015 Report Share Posted July 1, 2015 TN22 and our gang recently stayed in Rodanthe on the OBX - definitely something to see at least once! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Travisma 1,317 Posted July 11, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 11, 2015 Made it to here yesterday. Was going to do the search for ponies this morning, but the woman at the hotel front desk told us we should go last night since they come out when it's cooler. Were able to see two large groups standing in a Meadow area. Will post some pictures later when I figure out how to link Imgur photos to the forum using an iPad. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bhall 115 Posted July 11, 2015 Report Share Posted July 11, 2015 Are you actually staying on the island of Chincoteague? Which hotel did you decide on? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
twiceblessed....nacole 433 Posted July 11, 2015 Report Share Posted July 11, 2015 Made it to here yesterday. Was going to do the search for ponies this morning, but the woman at the hotel front desk told us we should go last night since they come out when it's cooler. Were able to see two large groups standing in a Meadow area. Will post some pictures later when I figure out how to link Imgur photos to the forum using an iPad.Have fun!! :) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Travisma 1,317 Posted July 11, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 11, 2015 Are you actually staying on the island of Chincoteague? Which hotel did you decide on?We ended up staying in Chincoteague itself. We got a room at the Rodeway Inn on the Main Street to the pony island for $110. It was two queen beds, free breakfast, within walking distance to ice cream stands and shops. It was an older place, but staff was friendly, room was clean. We were just looking for a place for the night and it worked out great.We were going to take a trolley ride in the morning but I don't think it was running that early. We drove to the museum, but that didn't open until 11 and we wanted to get on the road. We stopped at the NASA Wallops Island visitor center. It was small but interesting and the price was right.... Free! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547 Posted July 11, 2015 Report Share Posted July 11, 2015 Looking forward to your pictures! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ceemike...Mike & Judy 50 Posted July 12, 2015 Report Share Posted July 12, 2015 I hope you got to see some ponies. We go to Assateague Island every September & camp in the MD state park, which is the only way to get into the state park. There's always good pony action in the campground. The adjacent Assateague National Seashore is open to the public (for a fee) & there's good pony action there too. We visited Wallops Island a few years ago & it was interesting seeing another side of NASA than the one people are more familiar with. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Campingdad 3 Posted September 3, 2015 Report Share Posted September 3, 2015 Next time you want to see the wild ponies head to the Maryland side. They are truly wild ponies. The ponies on the Chincoteague island are actually a captive heard owned by the Volunteer fire department. I highly recommend the National park area on the Maryland side as the deer and horses are seen all day and night in that area. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bhanback 1 Posted February 7, 2016 Report Share Posted February 7, 2016 Umm.....I am new here, so excited to be planning a trip to the Fort in November, first time EVER Disney trip for my daughter, SIL, and three grandboys. This is my first post response, I know it seems to be an older post, but I live on Chincoteague Island and work on the wildlife refuge. The ponies on Assateague,Virginia side, are wild ponies. These are the ponies made famous in Marguerite Henry's children's books, Misty of Chincoteague, Stormy of Chincoteague, and Sea Star, Orphan of Chincoteague. The management techniques used by the National Park Service in Maryland are very different from the methods used in Virginia. in Virginia, the wild pony herds are "owned" by the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company, but they live wild and free on Assateague under a "grazing permit" issues by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Yes, you may see some fences with the Virginia herd, but these are used to keep the pony herds from damaging environmentally sensitive areas or habitat needed for other wildlife. Also to keep a safe distance from the human visitors. Every year in Maryland, visitors are bitten or kicked and ponies get hit by cars, or get sick from being fed the contents of picnic baskets by well meaning but uneducated visitors. We try to keep that from happening in Virginia?! The pony herds have thousands of acres in which to roam. Which does make them difficult to see unless you are hiking or taking the bus tour. Anyway. Chincoteague Island is a wonderful place to stay for a week or a weekend, there are three nice campgrounds here, one of them is situated right on the Assateague Channel, overlooking the lighthouse and you can sometimes see some of the wild ponies grazing right from your campsite. It's kind of an old fashioned place, with ice cream parlors, great little local seafood restaraunt said, art galleries, good fishing, and of course the wildlife refuge. Sorry, I got a little excited when I saw my hometown mentioned here, but I do hope some of you may come and visit someday! BradyBzLyn...Mo 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023 Posted February 7, 2016 Report Share Posted February 7, 2016 WELCOME!! And that was a great first post! One of the things I love most about Fort Fiends is that we have all kinds of people from all over, with all kinds of knowledge and information to share. Thanks for sharing. :) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799 Posted February 7, 2016 Report Share Posted February 7, 2016 2 hours ago, Bhanback said: Umm.....I am new here, so excited to be planning a trip to the Fort in November, first time EVER Disney trip for my daughter, SIL, and three grandboys. This is my first post response, I know it seems to be an older post, but I live on Chincoteague Island and work on the wildlife refuge. The ponies on Assateague,Virginia side, are wild ponies. These are the ponies made famous in Marguerite Henry's children's books, Misty of Chincoteague, Stormy of Chincoteague, and Sea Star, Orphan of Chincoteague. The management techniques used by the National Park Service in Maryland are very different from the methods used in Virginia. in Virginia, the wild pony herds are "owned" by the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company, but they live wild and free on Assateague under a "grazing permit" issues by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Yes, you may see some fences with the Virginia herd, but these are used to keep the pony herds from damaging environmentally sensitive areas or habitat needed for other wildlife. Also to keep a safe distance from the human visitors. Every year in Maryland, visitors are bitten or kicked and ponies get hit by cars, or get sick from being fed the contents of picnic baskets by well meaning but uneducated visitors. We try to keep that from happening in Virginia?! The pony herds have thousands of acres in which to roam. Which does make them difficult to see unless you are hiking or taking the bus tour. Anyway. Chincoteague Island is a wonderful place to stay for a week or a weekend, there are three nice campgrounds here, one of them is situated right on the Assateague Channel, overlooking the lighthouse and you can sometimes see some of the wild ponies grazing right from your campsite. It's kind of an old fashioned place, with ice cream parlors, great little local seafood restaraunt said, art galleries, good fishing, and of course the wildlife refuge. Sorry, I got a little excited when I saw my hometown mentioned here, but I do hope some of you may come and visit someday! Welcome! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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