Active Pursuits

Cruises

While most visitors head for the beach on Assateague, don't overlook the broad bays and creeks that surround Chincoteague. A good way to get out on them is with Captain Barry's Back Bay Cruises (tel. 757/336-6508; www.captainbarry.bigstep.com). Barry Frishman moved from New York to Chincoteague and set about learning everything he could about the water and what's in it. Now he shares his knowledge by taking guests out on his pontoon boat for 1 1/2-hour early-morning bird-watching expeditions ($25 per person); 2-hour afternoon "Sea Life Expeditions" ($25 per person); 4-hour morning or afternoon "Back Bay Expeditions" in search of crabs, fish, shells, and clams ($45 per person); champagne sunset cruises ($35); and romantic dinner cruises ($225 per couple). Call for Barry's schedule and reservations, which are required.

Another excellent option is Chincoteague native Mark Colburn's Assateague Explorer (tel. 866/PONY-SWIM or 757/990-1795; www.assateagueisland.com/explorer.htm). His 1 1/2-hour Pony Express Nature Tours ($20 per person) go up along the calm backwaters off Assateague in search of ponies and other wildlife to observe. He also has a 3-hour cruise around Chincoteague Island, flounder fishing trips, and sunset cruises (all $35 adults, $25 children under 12). He will also do private fishing and hunting charters off season. Mark's grandfather, by the way, had a role in the movie version of Misty of Chincoteague.

A Cruise to Tangier Island -- Barely above sea level and short on dry land (many deceased are buried in their loved ones' front yards), Tangier Island was discovered by Capt. John Smith in 1608 and permanently settled in 1686. In fact, the local accent hearkens back to the Elizabethan English. It's not a Nantucket or a Martha's Vineyard, however, for Tangier's charm is in visiting a remote and authentic fishing village -- the "Soft Shell Capital of the World," as evidenced by the many crab pens lining the channel into the harbor.

Local citizens await your arrival to take you on a 10-minute island tour by oversize golf cart; the tour is worth $5 to get an overview. You can bring your own bike or rent a golf cart at the wharf, although you can walk to almost every place worth seeing within 30 minutes.

Most day-trippers head to Hilda Crockett's Chesapeake House (tel. 757/891-2331), where $19 fetches an all-you-can-eat family-style lunch. Fisherman's Corner (tel. 757/891-2900) serves soft shell crabs, and Waterfront Restaurant, at the dock (tel. 757/891-2248), serves sandwiches at picnic tables under tin pavilions. After lunch walk up Main Street to Wanda's Gift Shop (tel. 757/891-2255), and see how soft shell crabs are harvested.

You can stay overnight at Hilda Crockett's, although I would opt for Shirley's Bay View Inn (tel. 757/891-2396; www.tangierisland.net) or Sunset Inn Bed & Breakfast (tel. 757/891-2535), both on the island's western side, which has a beach and terrific sunsets. All three charge about $120 for a double and accept MasterCard and Visa.

Weather permitting, Tangier-Onancock Cruises (tel. 804/453-4434; www.tangierislandcruises.com) leave Onancock May 15 to October 15 daily at 10am. The voyage takes 90 minutes. The return trip leaves Tangier at 2pm. Round-trip fare is $25 for adults, $12 for children 6 to 11, free for children 5 and younger, and $5 for bicycles. Reservations are not accepted. You can also get here from Reedville on the Northern Neck.

Plan to look around genteel Onancock (www.onancock.com), which dates to 1680 and whose gourmet market, boutiques, and art galleries stand in marked contrast to Chincoteague's fishing-town image. The cruise boat docks behind Hopkins & Bro. General Store, built in 1842 and now home to Mallards at the Wharf (tel. 757/787-8558), a good restaurant (daily 11:30am-9pm). Look in the store side of the building for walking tour brochures and other information about Onancock. Also worth a peek is Kerr Place, on Market Street (Va. 179), a stately Federal mansion built about 1800 and now home to the Eastern Shore of Virginia Historical Society (tel. 757/787-8012; www.easternshorehistory.org).

The best place to stay is the Charlotte Hotel & Restaurant, 7 North St. (tel. 757/787-7400; www.thecharlottehotel.com), which has eight rooms upstairs over a very good restaurant serving breakfast and dinner. For lunch I head to Stella's, 57 Market St. (tel. 757/789-5045), for salads, sandwiches, and tasty pizza.

Fishing

Before it became a tourist mecca, Chincoteague was a fishing village for centuries -- and it still is. Both work and pleasure boats prowl the back bays and ocean for flounder, croaker, spot, kingfish, drum, striped bass, bluefish, and sharks, to name a few species.

You can go flounder fishing with Mark Colburn's Assateague Explorer.

You can get to it yourself, either from a rented boat or by throwing your line from a dock. For charter boats, equipment, supplies, free tide tables, and advice, check in at Barnacle Bill's Bait & Tackle (tel. 757/336-5188) or Capt. Bob's (tel. 757/336-6654), both on South Main Street.

Kayaking & Surfing

The waters around Chincoteague are ideal for sea kayaking, and Oyster Bay Outfitters, 6429 Maddox Blvd. (tel. 888/732-7108 or 757/336-0700; www.oysterbayoutfitters.com), has half- and full-day trips. The company also rents kayaks, and it teaches surfboarding on Assateague Island. Call for prices and reservations.