Chincoteague & Assateague — Wild Ponies, the Lighthouse & Toms Cove

Three hours east of Richmond, across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel country and up the Eastern Shore, the barrier islands of Chincoteague and Assateague hold one of the wildest stretches of the mid-Atlantic coast. Day one crosses the marsh causeway onto Chincoteague Island and into the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge on Assateague's Virginia end — a mosaic of salt marsh, loblolly forest, and impounded ponds alive with migratory birds — climbing the candy-striped Assateague Lighthouse for the long view over the barrier system. Day two seeks out the refuge's famous wild ponies in their marsh pastures, walks the undeveloped Assateague beach, and explores the shallows of Toms Cove before the drive home. Overnighting on Chincoteague Island puts the seafood, the sunsets over the marsh, and the early-morning wildlife within easy reach. Note the storied annual Pony Swim and Penning, held on Chincoteague in late July.