Chincoteague Island Vacation in the Winter

Chincoteague and Assateague Islands in winter areapproaching tourists to beg for food.
entirely different, but no less inviting, places than theyVisiting Assateague in the winter, after the ponies
are in summer. The summer crowds of tourists havehave had a chance to decompress from their days in
departed, and many of Chincoteague's mainstaythe limelight, will let you appreciate them for what they
summer attractions like the Oyster and Maritimeare: living links to an island past which included visits
Museum have battened their hatches until the return ofboth from Virginia's Native Americans, who gave
spring. Chincoteague's amazing seafood, however,Chincoteague its name "beautiful land across the
remains available at island restaurants all year long!water," and from English settlers who arrived in the
What a winter visit to these Eastern Shore islands willearly 1600s to begin the process of building a new
give to those who pay attention is the chance to seenation.
the world of barrier islands in an entirely different light.In the town of Chincoteague itself, the winter
Coming to Chincoteague and Assateague in thedecompression from the frenzy of summertime
summer, when the water offers respite from themeans kids heading back to school and resumption of
blazing sun and thousands of visitors crowd the beachthe town's official business. But it also means that it's
sands, it's hard to reach beyond the obvious appeal oftime for Chincoteague's Old-Fashioned Christmas
these islands to the more subtle treasures lyingParade, a festive night-time celebration during which
beneath.Santa himself joins the Saltwater Cowboys, several
By the time winter arrives on Chincoteague andEastern Shore marching bands and fire departments,
Assateague, the golden, green, and sapphire tones ofand some ingeniously decorated floats in a procession
summer have been supplanted by quieter browns,down Main Street.
grey-greens, and grey-blues. The brightest hues you'llDeath By Chocolate, during which local merchants
find are the iridescent black, blue, and green patchesentice visitors with chocolate treats, celebrates
decorating the wings of the teal ducks which nowValentine's Day and the almost-end-of-winter. Enjoy
descend on the islands in large numbers, attractingenough of them, and you'll have a chance to win some
waterfowl hunters in large numbers of their own.terrific prizes!
Life changes dramatically during the winter for the herdFinally, as they are everywhere else, the winter days
of Maryland's Chincoteague ponies on Assateagueon Chincoteague are short. You'll simply have to pack
Island. While the ponies are summertime's biggest drawmore as much daylight fun into your visit before the
for the more than one million visitors coming towinter witching hour between 4:00 PM and 5:00 PM,
Chincoteague each year, all that attention make somewhen the most glorious sunsets of the entire
of the members of the free-running Maryland herdChincoteague year occur!
forget their wild heritage and behave like panhandlers,