Chincoteague VA/Virginia Beach
 

I am interested in bringing the family to Virginia this summer any suggestions for a quant place for family in the Chincoteague/Virginia beach area?

My family and I do like Virginia Beach and stay there often, but you won't find many quaint (charming, quiet) places in Virginia Beach, unless you go up past the strip to about 50th street or more and rent a house or stay at a B&B. And then, it's so crowded in summer, it still isn't quaint. Chincotegue would be a better bet, or somewhere around there on the Bay. <BR>

We've probably stayed at nearly every imaginable type accomodation in Chincoteague at one point or another. The Willows, and the Sea Shell are two basic but nice places to stay. They are inland in a quiet area of the island (preferable to staying on Beach Road, IMO). I think the website: www.chincoteague.com has links to just about everywhere. If you're there for a week or more, consider renting a cottage. We've also enjoyed staying on the bay side. I'll check the website and come back with suggestions. Chincoteague is delightful and the beach at Assateague is lovely. It is a perfect family vacation.

OK - memory refreshed. Last year we stayed at Anchor Inn. It is on the bay and has a pool. Also a small gym and an in-door hot tub with a gorgeous view of the bay. You can easily walk to town (our fav in-town place is Bill's, and if you want to cook your own, Don's makes fabulous crabcakes you can buy & bring back to your place to grill.) Don's is a place where we always have breakfast at least once -- the kind of place we were always comfortable bringing lively young kids to for a casual dinner. (Don't go there if you are looking for a romantic grown-up dinner, that would be The Verandas, out on beach road!) One of the nicest places we have stayed was in a 3-room suite at the Seashell. Very comfortable. The Island Creamery on Beach Road is a MUST. They make wonderful ice cream. If peaches or blackberries are in season....WoW. Have the kids read Marguerite Henry's Misty series before you go. I read them when I was in first grade (over 40 years ago) and that is what sent me to Chincoteague when I moved to Washington in 1971. The old movie theater in town is always good for an evening's entertainment. We saw "The Perfect Storm" there...very spooky in a town where there are still folks who make their living fishing out on the Atlantic! There is a nice little supermarket in town, and a Dollar Store for picking up forgotten necessities like flip flops or sun hats. This is a true small town, not much honky-tonk or wild beach-party about it.

Pat, if you're wanting quaint, Virginia Beach most likely won't fit the bill! At least not in the area that most people associate with summer vacations, which is hotel after hotel right on the ocean, and one street in, loaded with crowded and somewhat tacky tourist-y type shops. Chincoteague or even the Outer Banks of North Carolina sound like they would offer more of what you have in mind. Good luck with your planning.