Attractions

The Wildlife Reguge

You first enter the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, which is open May through September daily 5am to 10pm, April and October daily 6am to 8pm, November through March daily 6am to 6pm. The refuge accepts the annual entrance passes issued at national parks; otherwise, admission is $10 per car for 1 week, free for pedestrians and bikers.

Unless you're here just for the beach, start your visit at the refuge's Herbert H. Bateman Education and Administrative Center (tel. 757/336-3696), on the left, 1/4-mile east of the bridge, where you can watch a video about the refuge and its wildlife. It has wildlife and birding programs, which are great for kids. The center is open daily 9am to 5pm except New Year's Day and Christmas.

You may see some of the wild ponies while driving to the beach, but the best place to see them -- your chance is greatest at dawn -- is on the paved Wildlife Drive, which runs for 3.2 miles through the marshes. This one-lane, one-way road is open to pedestrians and bicyclists all day, to motorized vehicles after 3pm. The Woodland Trail, a 1.6-mile hiking loop, is another good place to spot the wild ponies grazing out in the marshes.

My favorite way to see the multitudinous wildlife minus the mosquitoes is on a Wildlife Tour in an air-conditioned bus. The 1 3/4-hour narrated rides depart the visitor center at 10am, 1, and 4pm daily Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day, on weekends in March, April, September, and October. They cost $12 for adults, $5 for children 2 to 12. Buy your tickets at the visitor center.

If your heart's up to it, you can climb the 198 steps for a terrific view from atop Assateague Island Lighthouse, built in 1867 to warn ships of the shoals offshore. It is open to the public from 9am to 3pm on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday Easter to Thanksgiving. Admission is $4 adults, $2 children 2 to 12.

For information about the refuge and visitor-center seasons and programs, contact the Refuge Manager, Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, P.O. Box 62, Chincoteague Island, VA 23336 (tel. 757/336-6122; www.fws.gov/northeast/chinco).

The National Seashore

The beach itself is in the Assateague Island National Seashore, operated by the National Park Service. You'll find a visitor center, bathhouses, and summertime lifeguards. In addition to swimming and sunning, activities at the beach include shell collecting (most productive at the tip of the Tom's Cove spit of land, on the island's southern tip) and hiking. You can ride a bike here from Chincoteague on the paved bike path beside the main road (or make a detour along Wildlife Drive) to the Tom's Cove Visitor Center. Rangers give summertime programs such as wildlife viewing, aquarium talks, nighttime hikes, and campfires. Pick up a copy of the "Assateague Island Times" for the schedule. The visitor center is open daily 9am to 6pm in summer, 9am to 5pm spring and autumn, 9am to 4pm in winter. It is closed Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Several regulations apply. Pets and alcoholic beverages are prohibited, even in your vehicle. In-line skating is not allowed, nor are off-road vehicles. Surf fishing with a Virginia state license is allowed except on the lifeguard beach at Tom's Cove. Climbing and digging in the sand dunes is illegal. No overnight sleeping is allowed anywhere (backcountry camping is permitted on the Maryland end, a 12-mile hike from the Virginia-side visitor centers). And finally, thou shalt not feed the horses.

For information about the national seashore, contact the Superintendent, Assateague Island National Seashore, 8586 Beach Rd. (P.O. Box 38), Chincoteague Island, VA 23336 (tel. 757/336-6577; www.nps.gov/asis).

Pony Rides

You can't bring a child to Chincoteague without letting him or her ride a pony -- perhaps one of Misty's descendents -- at the Chincoteague Pony Centre, 6417 Carriage Dr. (tel. 757/336-2776; www.chincoteague.com/ponycentre), off Chicken City Road south of Maddox Boulevard. This small-scale equestrian center is open Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day daily 9am to 10pm, with pony rides ($5) 9am to 1pm and 3:30 to 6pm. There's a pony show during summer Monday through Friday at 8pm. If your child falls in love with a pony, you can buy one here.

Museums

The large airstrip you pass on the way to Chincoteague on Va. 175 is part of NASA's Wallops Flight Facility, a research and testing center for rockets, balloons, and aircraft. The facility also tracks NASA's spacecraft and satellites, including the space shuttles. Across the highway is the NASA Visitor Center (tel. 757/824-2298; www.wff.nasa.gov), one of the best places to park the kids on a rainy day. The center's exhibits and entertaining 20-minute film explain the role of astronauts in the space program. Kids will get a kick out of seeing a practice space suit from Apollo 9. Admission is free. The visitor center is open July 4th through Labor Day daily 10am to 4pm; March through June and September to November Thursday through Monday 10am to 4pm; winter Monday through Friday 10am to 4pm. The center is 5 miles west of Chincoteague.

On Maddox Boulevard, between the traffic circle and the bridge to Assateague, are two small marine-themed museums. The Oyster and Maritime Museum (tel. 757/336-6117) tells the area's history and the role played by the vital seafood industry from the 1600s to the present, with examples of marine life (some of them live). The highlight is the original lens from the Assateague Lighthouse, which mariners could see 23 miles offshore from 1865 to 1961. Open Memorial Day to Labor Day Monday through Saturday 10am to 5pm, Sunday noon to 4pm. Admission is free; donations are accepted.

Virtually next door, the Refuge Waterfowl Museum (tel. 757/336-5800) has a variety of antique decoys, boats, traps, art, and carvings by outstanding craftspeople, some of whom do their carving here. There's very good shopping at this museum; in fact, you should come here before buying decoys elsewhere. Open Memorial Day through Labor Day daily 10am to 5pm. Call for off-season hours. Admission is $3 for adults, $1.50 for children younger than 12.