Planning your vacations for the year? Still deciding where to go? Visiting Chincoteague and Assateague and want to explore more of the Eastern Shore?

 Need some ideas of what to do in Chincoteague and Assateague? 
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We recommend visiting Cape Charles and the surrounding area on the southwestern side of Virginia’s Eastern Shore. There’s plenty to do both in Cape Charles and in the surrounding area. Here’s some of our favorites.

10 fun things to do in and around Cape Charles

1. Brown Dog Ice Cream

We love our ice cream and had to stop by this little shop when we saw it. They have small batches of handmade ice cream in a variety of flavors that change frequently. We all liked ours and I thought it was better than the ice cream at the Island Creamery in Chincoteague, though Sunshine didn’t agree 🙂

2. Cape Charles Candy

This is a cute little candy store that only recently opened, but is definitely worth a visit. They have a variety of candies, fudge, chocolates, and craft sodas.

3. Visit the free public beach

The public beach in Cape Charles is the only beach on the Eastern Shore that has free parking along the street and no entrance fee. The water is shallow and perfect for swimming, sunbathing, and building sandcastles.

4. Walk to the LOVE sign for a photo

You can find LOVE signs all over Virginia (Virginia is for lovers, after all!), but I love this beachy version. It’s easily accessible and easy to find, next to the fishing pier at the public beach.

5. Cape Charles Museum

The museum is housed in a building that used to hold two diesel-powered electric generators, providing power to the area. One generator remains on display and there is a variety of exhibits showcasing Cape Charles history.

6. Visit a genuine old fashioned hardware store

You know the type that you see in movies featuring small towns? Watson’s Hardware is a real-life version. We stopped in to buy a boogie board and were amazed at the vast variety of merchandise available. They truly have a little bit of everything, and the high ceilings with tin panels add to the charm. The old linoleum flooring is wearing thin in places, but when a store is 48+ years old, that’s to be expected.

7. Cape Charles Farmers Market

Every Tuesday afternoon May thru October, buy locally grown foods at the Farmers Market. It’s held in the parking lot of the Cape Charles Museum and you can find local produce, meat, fish, honey, eggs, baked goods, bbq, and more.

8. Eastern Shore of Virginia National Wildlife Refuge

The refuge is next door to the Eastern Shore Welcome Center, just after you cross over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. Two and a half miles of hiking trails, a butterfly garden, a historic WWII bunker with a 16 inch gun, and migratory birds are just some of what you can see and explore. We even found blackberry bushes along the trails!

9. Kiptopeke State Park

The state park is near Cape Charles and has lots to do. Watch the migratory birds, go camping, hike the trails, go swimming, try your hand at fishing, and more.

10. Go for a horseback trail ride

Pfeiffer Riding Stables north of Cape Charles offers trail rides.They also offer lessons and pony rides, for those who need a slightly tamer experience.

Have you visited Cape Charles? What was your favorite thing to do or see? Anything I should add to this list?

Not sure where to stay while visiting Cape Charles? There’s lots of campgrounds in the area (we stayed at a Thousand Trails campground about 45 minutes away), but there’s also many houses in and around Cape Charles that are available to rent. AirBnB has a number of listings for rental houses close to the beach.