Cool name, huh? There's a good chance that you've never heard of Chincoteague Island. I'd never heard of it before living in Virginia, but, man, what a place to visit. If you are an outdoorsy person, you are going to want to go here.

Chincoteague is a very small island off the mainland of Virginia. On the island is a quaint little town that is known for its famed Chincoteague ponies. Legend has it that back in 1750, a Spanish ship sank off the coast of Virginia. On board were horses that ended up surviving and making it to the island. They took up residence there and the ponies there today are descendants from those first shipwreck survivors. That's the legend, anyway. ;)

The ponies actually live on the island of Assateague which is just a bridge ride over from Chincoteague. Assateague Island is a national park and so nobody lives on it. There are a few roads for Forest Rangers and visitors to get to the Visitor's Center, but that's about it. You get around it by walking or riding a bike. It's a pristine piece of land that is fun to explore.

Since Chincoteague is very small, this will be a smaller blog. I will give you a place to stay, what to do, a food place, and where to worship. Our family went to Chincoteague in 2015 for our 14th wedding anniversary and we still talk about how great it was to find this little-known gem.

WHERE TO STAY

I would suggest staying at the Refuge Inn. It's very close to the National Park and once you rent your bikes, you can hop on over to see the ponies. The Inn has ponies for your kids to feed. You can't get near the ones on Assateague Island as they are wild, but the Inn has a few for petting.

WHAT TO DO

Explore, explore, explore Assateague Island. Rent bikes and plan to spend the day riding around the island. I'm crazy about lighthouses and there is one there to see. Stop in at the Visitor's Center because they have lots of interesting information there about the island and activity booklets for kids.

As you ride around, you'll see lots of wildlife and, hopefully, you'll see the ponies. Traveling around, you'll go through all different kinds of terrain. You can play at the beach or cruise through a marshy area. There are even shady "forests" that offer some relief from the sun. Because there are no cars and hardly any man-made structures, you really feel like you've left civilization behind. Be sure to bring snacks, water, bug spray and sunscreen.

WHERE TO EAT

There are a lot of local restaurants to choose from and we had some great seafood. I wanted to talk about the old fashioned soda fountain that we found there, but, alas, it's permanently closed. That makes me very sad because we went there not once, but twice. Soooo...I'll have to recommend a place to eat for dinner. We ate our anniversary dinner at Etta's Channel Side Restaurant. The views of the water are great and the inside is charming and has a very local vibe to it. We all really enjoyed our seafood dinners. I wish I had a picture of it, but, sadly, I don't.

PLACE TO WORSHIP

When we visited, the Catholic Church was under construction so we had Mass in a lunchroom type place. Not super exciting, but whatcha gonna do? Because the church was under construction, I don't have any pictures. It's a small little church with what feels like a very tight-knit community. The local parishioners at St. Andrew's are used to tourists and they are very welcoming and friendly.

What I really loved about Chincoteague is the simplicity of it. There were other tourists, but it wasn't over the top. It was a great place to connect as a family and enjoy nature and each other. I love the fact that the town is small enough to just walk around and see it all. You get a feel for the heart of it. I like that you ride your bike everywhere on Assateague. It gives you a freedom that you don't have in a car. Want to see something? Just pull off, jump off your bike and go check it out. The beach wasn't crowded at all and we had so much fun playing in the breaking waves. Seeing the wild ponies was a real treat. They look so free, wild, and happy.

Chincoteague is not a place people usually put on their bucket lists, though I think it's a treasure spot. If you ever get the chance, you should go. You'll love it, I promise.

Until next time, travel well, Catholic Pilgrims!