March 10, 2023

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First stop, Ocean City.

Assateague Island National Seashore, Maryland has been on my travel bucket list ever since I heard about the wild horses that roam freely on the island . I had recently moved back to New Jersey and decided that it would be a perfect time to finally cross this destination off my list. I coordinated a girls road trip with my Aunt , Mom , Cousins, and my daughter. From where we are located in New Jersey it was only a 3 hour and 30 min ride to Maryland. Our first stop , Ocean City. We decided since we were going to be in the State for the entire weekend we might as well explore other areas as well , and so we rented an Airbnb in Ocean City . I was very intentional about traveling here during the winter season. Lately , I have been craving solitude and avoiding large crowds. I was very pleased to see I was right ! Ocean city was for sure a ghost town and I was living for every cozy moment !

Our Airbnb was a gorgeous beach condo with a breath taking view and was only a 25 min car ride to Assateague Island National Seashore . The master bedroom and living room area had an ocean view with gorgeous bay windows and access to a balcony. Every morning we would have a cup of coffee or tea while enjoying the gorgeous ocean sunrise view and sounds of the waves and every evening while the baby slept we bundled up and enjoyed the sounds of the waves over a glass of Pino Grigio on the balcony. There are many different birds and marine life that you can discover for your peaceful leisure and the Airbnb provided binoculars for this reason. We were lucky enough to spot some dolphins swimming by on our first morning. Because we traveled here during the winter season , the beaches were cleared of any human life, making this experience extremely serene and peaceful. Every morning while everyone was asleep I would bundle up and take a peaceful stroll on the beach enjoy the sounds of the waves and watch the occasional surfer crush some waves or local walking there dog. There were also plenty of restaurants and stores in the area , but be mindful to look up at what time they open and close if you visit during the off season. Unfortunately, I forgot to take any great photos of the Airbnb we stood in , but the host was kind enough to provide me with a link . https://www.airbnb.com/h/sg201

Ocean-city, Maryland; March 2023.

Assateague Island national seashore.

The ride to Assateague Island was pretty simple, and easy to find. As soon as you enter the park there is a slight fork in the road, make sure you bare right to actually enter the park, there is no sign so it can be easy to miss. As soon as you drive in you pay the 25 dollar fee, which gives you a 7 day pass in and out the park. At the visitor center, you can park your car and walk or bike across the bridge onto the Island for free there is no admission charge if you are on bike or foot. The park its self has a 3 mile radius that you can drive, bike or walk , and there are camp grounds and the beaches. Assateague Island National Seashore is known for the wild horses that live on the island. These horses are the size of ponies and live all over the island. At first we were walking on foot and didn’t see any horses, but we kept seeing lots of horse poop so we knew we were close! It was very cold and I had a 32lb toddler on my back , so we decided to drive around until we found a great spot to observe the horses, not even 5 min later we saw our first set of wild horses, and we were very excited! Even though it was the middle of winter, people were still at the park camping and exploring, I can only imagine how beautiful the spring/summer months must be.

Tips for seeing the horses

You might not see the wild horses in the first place you explore on the island. Have patience and enjoy the beach and trails. The more time you are on the island and the more of it you explore the greater your chance of seeing the horses. The island is absolutely stunning, although I thoroughly enjoyed coming during the winter season, it was EXTREMLY cold because of the beach wind, and would love to come back to camp out during the fall where the weather is slightly more tolerable for exploration.

Keep your distance and don’t feed the animals. These are not domesticated horses, they are wild and have a tendency to bite , charge and kick visitors who do not respect the space and boundaries. Feeding the horses anything including grass from the park is not allowed. Be sure to store food in your car or locked tight in a sealed container so the horses and other wildlife don’t invade your food. We had to learn the hard way ! I opened my trunk to get a snack for the baby not realizing we had containers of left over Denny’s in the trunk and the horses approached the car while my back was turned and invaded our doggy bags of eggs , bacon and pancakes. Although no one was hurt or injured , this could of ended badly and was a lesson learned for sure.

Last stop Berlin!

On the last day of our trip , we stopped and visited the small town Berlin. I had read that Berlin was considered the coolest small town in America, and they were absolutely correct. It was unfortunate that on Sundays many of the businesses were closed, especially the thrift and vintage clothing stores, but there were still many cool antique shops open , coffee shops and boutiques. Berlin is also home of the Burley Oak Brewing Company and the historic Calvin B. Taylor House. We also came across a Mermaid museum that seemed super cool but it was also unfortunately closed. Although we were unable to get the full Berlin experience on a Sunday, it was still a perfect way to close out our weekend trip to Maryland.