Hello! My hubby and I are taking a long weekend trip in April. We will be staying at the Hampton Inn in Chincoteague. We want to see the ponies, do some biking and eat some seafood. Looking for any recommendations from those of you that live or have visited there. Also, is the drive up to the MD side a must-do? Any suggestions for stops along that route would be helpful too. Thanks all!

Chincoteague is very nice at that time of year. There are some places that are closed, but there were still a few places to eat. The park is a nice place to bike. There is a road around a pond that is only open to cars a couple of hours a day which is ideal for biking. The birds were wonderful there too.

I would use the park service map to go up to the MD end of Assateague. Part of it is state park, but I don't think you would have to pay to park in it in April. There were lots of ponies close to the road there.

If you are coming from the north, taking the Garden State to Cape May and then the ferry to Lewes DE is a nice way to go.

I am pretty sure you have to leave the park to access the Maryland portion. It's not a quick drive either. It's a pretty portion of the park. You have to decide whether the drive is worth it.

In order to go to the MD section of Assateague you must leave Chincoteague and head about 45 minutes north to have access to the Md section. It is a great time of year in that area! A great resource for that area is gotoeasternshore.com! Hope you enjoy your trip! Also the Hampton Inn is amazing!

I am envious.............. I have always wanted to go there!!

We spent a week there a couple summers ago and loved it.

Here is the link to my trip report - Chincoteague starts on Day 4:

http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...rip-report.cfm

The park service leaflet shows how to go to the Assateague end of the park on the surface roads without going all the way back to the hwy.

Thanks Everyone! I appreciate the feedback and will check on the links provided and the park service information.

Nov_Moon - I previously read your trip report after doing a search on the forums for Chincoteague and it definitely helped me decide that this was a place that we'd enjoy. Thanks for that! I look forward to doing one as well when we return!

Yes, please let us know how your trip went when you get back.

emalloy, thank you for sharing that. That's a change since I've been to the park. It used to be only water or hiking access.

You do need to go across the inland waterway, just not back to the main n-s hwy. It is a nice ride through the countryside.