Chincoteague Pony Swim
 

I am thinking about going to Chincoteague VA to see the first day of the pony swim. Has anyone done this and can they give me any pointers? <BR> <BR>I am sure that all of the hotels are booked so I will probably have to stay outside and drive in. Can anyone tell me is there a good place to watch it and what time is a good time to be there? Any tips are appreciated.

Just curious - Can someone tell me what "pony swim" is?

Gee Curious didn't you ever read the classic children's book, "Misty of Chincoteague," when you were a child??? It's about the wild ponies on Chincoteague, why don't you go to your local library and check it out...

Misty, As a matter of fact, I never did read that book growing up. I've never even heard of it. Nor have any of my 10 co-workers that I asked at this morning's meeting. Apparently it must not be a book that's on the reading list in California.

Have not been to that area of VA in a long time, but if you can go to the library and find the New York Times travel section of Sunday, March 25,2001 there is an article about Chincoteague. The local chamber of commerce no. is 757-336-6161. Have never seen the pony swim, but my dad was from the area and heard alot of stories about it. Have a great time!

that was a great book! - along with all the others Marguerite Henry wrote!

Beware of fierce mosquitos!

I have been wanting to go to Chincoteague for awhile and when I saw your question I was hoping I would get some info, too. Has anybody out there been to Chincateague during the "pony swim" or any other time of year????

That sounds like such fun, I just loved that book! Philip, please let us know how it is if you get to go.

Hi! this is the other "curious". I have been to Chincoteague and I have read the book, as did my children, which is why we chose to go there as a stopover point while traveling to Williamsburg. We were there several days after the pony swim however and the rates were half of what they were during the swim. The beach is very nice as is the park area around the beach where you can view a lot of wildlife (including ponies). The town is O.K. but there wasn't a lot to do there so one night was really enough time to see everything. On the main drag was the best ice cream shop I have ever been to, in fact the line was out the door and down the street. If you do go make sure you stop there. IMHO it's worth the trip if you are nearby but definitely not a destination in itself.

Like others, I too was an avid fan of Henry and her books when I was younger. As a former English teacher and elementary librarian, I made certain that her books were on the shelf and available. When my husband and I vacationed along the east coast several years ago, I insisted on going to Chincoteague - just to say I was there. I didn't see much while there, but I still enjoyed myself just knowing where I was...and losing myself in somewhat fictional memories.

Lots of us in California have read Misty and loved it. I'll be watching to see what advice Philip gets. What a fun thing to do on a trip! Maybe combine it with D.C. or the Eastern shore of MD?? It starts me thinking.......

Everybody's talking about Chincoteague, Virginia, but the other "side" of the swim is in Assateague, Maryland. My husband and I spent a week in the Assateague area last year and LOVED it. We are going back on the 21st of this month. Assateague Island is part of the Assateague Island National Seashore and you can find out more info at http://www.nps.gov/asis/. <BR>

Didn't the Hardy Boys round up those ponies one time and use them to solve a mystery?

If you want to relax, Chincoteague is the perfect spot. Haven't gone during the pony swim. Went during Easter weekend, and couldn't get a B&B to save my life. Ended up in a nasty damp motel. Will definitely book ahead the next time. Island is lovely, and there are incredible trails. Nice place to spend a weekend. <BR> <BR>If you're camping (and don't mind misquitoes), Tom's Campground is the place.

Obviously Curious is another fine example of the education system in this country gone awry, graduating people who can barely read...

I am another teacher and Henry's books are required reading in my school and no I am not from California.

Thanks to all of you who have responded so far. I read Ms. Henry's books when I was a child and put the pony swim on my list of things to do when I grew up. Well 30-some years later, I'm working through my list. <BR> <BR>To those of you who are interested, Chincoteague has a very helpful Chamber of Commerce that can be reached at the number posted by Ceci above or at their website www.chincoteaguechamber.com. <BR> <BR>A special thanks to all teachers for using Ms. Henry's books. They are wonderful books and, as you can tell, have stuck with me for many years. <BR> <BR>The pony swim takes place on July 25 and I'll post my impressions when I return.

It's really wonderful when a book written eons ago can have such an impact on someone's life. To those of you who haven't had the pleasure of reading Henry's book, go to your library and check them out. Thanks Phil and we look forward to hearing your trip report.

I just realized, thanks to Philip's post, that our trip to Ocean City this year coincides with the Pony Swim on July 25, so I'm making arrangements to see the swim from Chincoteague. Thanks Philip!

Thanks for letting us know the date of the swim. We also are going to be in Ocean City the week of 22JUL, which is just a short distance from Chincoteague. For a break, maybe we will plan to go & observe the swim also.

To Curious (1), I too have never heard of this book. . . . And, uh, do the ponies wear swimsuits?

Hey xxx, <BR>What the heck is your reply about? <BR>Saying that 'Curious is an example of what's wrong with the education system...graduating people who can barely read....' <BR>Where the heck does that statement come from? All Curious said was that 'the book was not REQUIRED reading for her....' <BR>Jeez.

It may be that this particular book is required regionally. I was and still am an avid reader, though I'm not familar with this particular book. Also was not into horses (still not) so this would not have been a choice I would have made on my own. Although many of us in CA graduated with a decent education, we certainly can't read all the books that are published. I won't list all the books I've read and tell those who've have not that they are a fine example of the education system gone awry. Strange logic at work.

Is the first person named curious a guy? Did he just guys at his meeting, or was it a good cross-section of America? Boys tend not to read as much as girls and I remember the book as more for girls. Before you bash me for being sexist, how come it's okay for women to read Tom Clancy, but guys wouldn't be caught dead with a Danielle Steel novel. (Ok, you won't catch me with either just examples used to make a point)

Although I read quite a bit as a kid (and yes, I'm male), I only faintly remember the book in question. And I never read it. But I like horses. And I like swimming. Ah, well. Can't read everything, I guess. I never finished Moby Dick, either.

To answer your questions, I am a female in my late 30's. And as for the sample group, they consisted of 6 women and 4 men, all being well-educated. As for my education, I hardly feel that I was deprieved of a decent reading background in my youth. While I don't mean to boast about my knowledge, let's just say that I was admitted into Harvard (and graduated) without having any knowledge of "Misty of Chincoteague". Having missed out on one book is hardly enough to judge my education background.

CuriousAlso--- <BR> <BR>You've got me laughing so hard, my 4 year old daughter is demanding to know what's so funny. Where, oh where do I start?!

"all being well educated." Fine example of a Harvard education (sorry, sentance fragment). <BR> <BR>I read everything I could get my hands on as a kid, but I didn't read "Misty." However, pretty much everyone on the east coast has heard about the wild ponies.

Tim: I wouldn't correct other people's grammar when you use the spelling: sentance. Most people are posting while at work and don't take the time to run spell check or worry about proper sentence formations. Just chill out and enjoy the postings.

Tim, you're wrong on the grammar point, too. "All being well-educated" isn't a sentence fragment. Better usage would have been "all well-educated," but let's not split hairs, shall we?

Tim wasn't the one bragging about his education.....so let's not give him a hard time. Anyway, I read his statement as if he was asking us to pardon his use of a sentence fragment. I also thought he misspelled the word "sentance" on purpose. Now, please do not critique my grammar. I did not graduate from Harvard.

Where is the spell check on this thing???

Sorry...back to swimming ponies. I am British and never heard of this event/book. Do the ponies want to swim or are they thrown in?? Why do they swim - is it just for fun or do they know its 25 July and all gather there for a bit of a knees up?

In the state of Virginia, there are two islands across the bay from one another: Assateague and Chincoteague. On Assateague, wild horses are allowed to roam free. There are various tales about how the horses came to roam free on the island. One is that a Spanish galleon shipwrecked in the area and the horses swam to Assateague Island. <BR> <BR>Every year on the last Wednesday of July, the town of Chincoteague rounds up horses on Assateague and drives them into the water to swim over to Chincoteague (commemorating the swimming of the shipwrecked galleon). On the last Thursday in July the horses are auctioned off and the ones that are not sold swim back to Assateague Island. <BR> <BR>This event was chronicled by the author Marguerite Henry in the book "Misty of Chincoteague" and its sequels. "Misty" was also made into a movie several years ago. Even though the book has been printed internationally, it may have been more popular regionally on the East Coast of the United States.

Does anyone know if the swim can be seen by shore or do you have to go out on a charter boat to see it?

I keep waiting to see a post from anyone who went to the pony swim this <BR>year. We will be camping in Chinc in <BR>a few weeks - having purposely avoided the penning of the ponies. We just prefer to watch them roaming free. We <BR>will be camping and are really looking forward to biking and hiking aound the national seashore, wildlife refuge and free horsies. <BR> <BR>If you have visited there lately, please post your thoughts! <BR> <BR>

top!

I fondly remember reading the book from my childhood. Now that I have 2 daughters, I'd like to introduce them to that book. What age/reading level is it? Obviously it's at the local public library.

We were in Ocean City,MD the week of July 22, but on 25JUL, my wife wanted to go to the outlet stores in Rehobeth instead of going to Chincoteague, so we went to the stores. But the local newspapers had a number of pictures & stories about the Swim & the penning. The actual roundup started about 8:30am & was over by about 11am. I seem to recall that the paper said there were about 50,000 people there for the swim & that some people got there at 5 in the morning to get a good spot. <BR>The penning (auction) of the ponies took place the next day from about 8am until about noon. There was a story in the paper about how 1 lady, who attends & buys at the auction every year, paid a record $10,500 for a pony. She was going to stop at $5,000 but the pony was too good stop bidding until she got it.