Flashback to a few months ago and my best friend Amanda and I were planning our next trip (see one of our previous trips to Philadelphia here!) to visit my Dad and Step Mom and my “Sissy” aka their Yorkie Ginger in Bethany Beach, Delaware. Out of the blue, Amanda texts me that we MUST go to visit Assateague Island National Seashore on our visit. I had been previously to Assateague and had yet to see *even* one horse, HOWEVER, we truly hit the jackpot this time around. Long and behold, we had a sunny day AND saw … HORSES!!! Needless to say, it is worth making an Assateague Island day, especially as its within a reach from Washington, DC and Philadelphia to catch some waves and perhaps see a pony (or a few!!).
Please note that this content is apart of my exploring the Washington, DC area series. For more information on planning your own trip to Washington DC (here), Northern Virginia (here), the Virginia Wine Country (here), Maryland (here), and beyond (here), please use the corresponding links for some recommendations and inspiration.
About:
Assateague Island National Seashore is located in Berlin, Maryland and is proudly on the edge of the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. Assateague Island National Seashore is a National Park Service destination and offers a variety of different day and overnight activities for visitors to do, including: oceanfront camping, kayaking, and simply driving through and sightseeing. Check out more information here.
Getting there:
Assateague Island National Seashore is located about 3-4 hours (give or take traffic) from Washington, DC. It is within either a day’s trip reach from the city or makes for a great overnight trip combined with the nearby beaches of Ocean City, Maryland/the Delaware beaches (Bethany Beach, Dewey Beach, and Rehoboth Beach) or the charming nearby town of Berlin, Maryland. Note that one must pay for admission via a Standard Pass of $25/vehicle to Assateague IF you do not have a National Park Service pass already, so plan accordingly!
Overall Experience:
While we opted to mainly drive through for our Assateague Island Day as we went on an overcast April day, yet you could easily spend an entire day or even weekend here! Through it all though, I was SOOOOO happy that we got to see … ponies!!!! After multiple visits to Assateague Island National Seashore without seeing ANY horses, I was genuinely SO SO SO excited to see many of them at once and I know my crew aka Amanda and Dad and my Step Mom and Ginger were, too. At the same time, we took the opportunity to walk to the ocean from the parking lot filled with horses. Amanda and I did a mini photo shoot, admired the gorgeous coastline with peeks of sunshine, and Ginger ran allll across the sand A TON. It was a GLORIOUS time!
Wrap-Up:
The bottom line is to keep expectations LOW when visiting Assateague as to whether or not you will see horses. Seeing horses there is definitely hit or miss, but can be so beautiful to see. Either way, the scenery at Assateague Island National Seashore from marshes to ocean to everything in between is STUNNING and worth a visit!
XOXO – Katie <3
Published by