The Island Creamery

Island Creamery in Chincoteague was named one of the best places for ice cream in the USA. We were surprised by the astronomical line out the front of the ice cream establishment. We waited about 20 minutes before ordering.

We ordered the chocolate dipped waffle bowl sundae. We chose the Iced Nirvana and the Absolutely Nuts as our ice creams and topped it with hot fudge, whipped cream and two cherries.

The ice creams were thick, rich, and creamy and the waffle bowl crispy and warm. The waffle bowl was dipped around the edges in dark chocolate.

There is seating inside and outside and there is parking in the lot out front and a parking lot behind the building as well.

Definitely make this a stop on your trip to Chincoteague, but plan some time to spend here with the wait and enjoying your ice cream.

Famous Pizza & Subs

We were surprised by how busy Famous Pizza in Chincoteague was on a dreary Saturday evening. However, the wait for our meal was worth it - the food was delicious.

We ordered an Italian cold cuts hoagie (sub sandwich) which was a good size and full of meat and veggies on a nice, soft roll.

We also ordered the baked ziti marinara with meatballs, which conveniently came in a carry out container, even when dining in (easier to take left overs back home!). The marinara sauce is house made and fantastic - better than my mom's sauce! Zesty, and salty with just enough acidity from the tomatoes allowed to shine through. And the pasta wasn't swimming in sauce, either, there was a perfect meat-to pasta-to cheese ratio.

For the kid's meal, we ordered the spaghetti with meatballs, without sauce. The waitress was very friendly and remembered to not bring sauce on this meal.

While the dining room was busy, there was a very long wait for carry out pizzas and meals. The pizzas looked amazing, as well. We would definitely recommend Famous Pizza if vacationing in Chincoteague.

Chincoteague Pony Center

We stopped by the Chincoteague Pony Center in the morning. The main building is mostly a gift shop, however, you can also purchase pony rides or riding lessons. On the dreary, rainy day we spent here, the outdoor pony rides seemed like a bad idea. However, the riding lessons - a 30 minute lesson with an instructor, inside, for about $30 more, was a bargain! And, our niece loved it!

The instructor was very good with her. She walked alongside the pony for the first lap around the ring, but then gave our niece instruction on how to control the pony and get him to do what she wanted. The half an hour went by very quickly and our niece enjoyed the riding lesson immensely!

Best Western Plus Chincoteague Island

Chincoteague Island has a decent amount of hotels to choose from, all of them being a bit laid back and small in size compared to the resort style hotels in nearby Ocean City, MD. The Best Western Plus Chincoteague Island was our choice for our short weekend getaway, and it is a solid hotel all around.

The staff we interacted with were all very friendly. The grounds are very clean as was our room. We found our room to be quite spacious and the beds were comfortable. There was a sink both inside and outside of the bathroom, which is helpful for multiple people getting ready in the morning. The only negative we had was that the Wi-Fi connection was on the slow side.

There was a good amount of parking for guests and the pool area was nice. There are also tables outside where you can enjoy the breakfast or food you bring into the hotel. The location is perfect as it is right outside the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge and it is the closest hotel to the beach. In addition, it's a short drive to any part of the island for shopping and dining.

Address: 7105 Maddox Blvd, Chincoteague Island, VA 23336
Wifi: Free
Parking: Free
Restaurant: No
Bar/Lounge: No
Smoking: Non-smoking
Hidden Fees: None
Free Breakfast: Yes

NASA Wallops Center

About a 10 minute drive from Chincoteague Island, VA is the NASA Wallops Flight Facility. It is free for all guests to enter, and is a great stop to hit either on the way into Chincoteague Island or on the way home. This is best experienced by children, and you shouldn't expect anything like NASA's Kennedy Space Center.

This is a small facility that weather satellites are typically launched from. There's various displays around showing visitors what is done at this facility, as well as interactive exhibits and toys to entertain younger kids. In addition, you can see an actual moon rock here.

Assateague Island National Seashore - Virginia

Located right after the final hotel of Chincoteague Island, you'll find the entry to both the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge as well as to the Virginia side of the Assateague Island National Seashore. In the wildlife refuge, there is plenty of birding that can be done, ponies to be seen and a lighthouse you can climb (but make sure you get there with plenty of time before closing as they do close the entry way for the lighthouse about 30 minutes prior to closing time). For the ponies, you won't find them out everywhere like on the Maryland side, but penned up in a large enclosure. Once you reach the seashore, there is a National Park visitor's center as well as a beach. We found the beach to be a bit dirty, especially for something maintained by the National Park Service, and in comparison to the Maryland side of the island, which was disappointing. However, it's still a decent place to visit.