|
About Chincoteague Island
This page describes Chincoteague Island Virginia , home of the famous Chincoteague ponies. Chincoteague Island was made famous by the novel Misty of Chincoteague. The island is a wonderful family vacation spot, packed with adventures such as fishing, clamming, crabbing, nature cruises, kayaking, Chincoteague National Wildlife refuge, gorgeous sandy beaches, bird watching and more.
Chincoteague Island is a small, friendly, vacation resort along the coast of Virginia, USA. Vacations to the island can include recreational activities such as shopping, swimming, sunbathing, fishing, clamming, bird watching, nature cruises, biking, hiking, boating, kayaking, miniature golf, Chincoteague ponies, the pony swim, fireman's carnival, Chincoteague decoy and art show, Chincoteague Center's arts and crafts show and more.
The island is known for it's quaint shops and art galleries. Chincoteague area wildlife artists display art such as decoys and other bird carvings, paintings, photographs and sculptured wildlife pieces.
Located within minutes of the resort is Assateague Island, which is occupied by Assateague National Sea Shore and Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge covers over 14,000 acres of beach, dunes, marsh, and forest habitat. The majority of the refuge is located in Virginia although 418 acres are on Maryland soil. The refuge also includes Morris Island, Marsh on the Northern part of Chincoteague Island. The refuge extends southward, Assawoman, Metompkin, and Cedar Islands. Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge is one of the most popular refuges in the United States, especially among bird watchers. The refuge is either home to or a stop over point for a array of birds and other wildlife. Ducks, geese, swans, egrets, herons, and dozens of other shorebirds visit or live on the islands.
The Famous Chincoteague Ponies
The most famous Chincoteague Island event is the pony swim and penning, a tradition since 1924. The swim, penning and auction is held on the last Wednesday and Thursday of July. Ponies are rounded up and swim the channel between Assateague and Chincoteague Islands. The animals are penned, inspected, fed and most of the foals auctioned off to qualified buyers. Most of the population of the ponies are returned to Assateague after the penning to roam free for another year.
Annual Events
The Annual Pony Swim and Penning is the last Wednesday and Thursday of July. Started in the 1924 as a fund raising event, it now also serves to keep the population of the horses down to the 150 adult animals that the Fish and Wildlife Service deems appropriate to protect the island habitat from overgrazing. The ponies are driven across a narrow part of the Assateague Channel at slack tide on Wednesday, corraled and auctioned off on Thursday.This "pony swim" is the highlight of the summer season.
The Chincoteague Island Blueberry Festival is an annual summer event. The 2-day festival is normally held the third full weekend in July, preceding the world famous pony swim and fireman's carnival. The festival has been a Chincoteague Island summer event since 1987. It has grown in size and now draws over 100 artists and crafts specialists.
The Chincoteague Island Virginia Oyster Festival is a popular annual event, held each year in October. The festival, created by the chamber of commerce, features Chincoteague Island's famous oysters. The event promotes the oyster season, which includes the cooler months of fall, winter and spring. The popularity of the event may require obtaining tickets well in advance as the festival often sells out.
Chincoteague on MySpace
Chincoteague Book Reviews
|
| |
Leave a Comment