The communities, farms and former plantations here are inhabited by people who can often trace their linages to early 17th-century settlers, enslaved African-American ancestors or indigenous people. For years, they lived in relative isolation, forging a simple living from land or sea.
But the Eastern Shore is increasingly being discovered by retirees and others lured by small-town life yet is close to Washington and other major cities. Here's a look at some of the major destinations in Virginia's Eastern Bay country.
Assateague Island
Perhaps most familiar is Assateague Island, home to the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge and the Assateague Island National Seashore. Here the famous wild ponies have roamed since the 17th century, when legend says they swam ashore from shipwrecked Spanish galleons.
Cars, bikers and hikers are welcome; however, no pets are allowed - not even in cars - lest they disturb the fragile environment. A two-hour narrated tour departs from the visitors' center and provides a good understanding of these barrier islands and the importance of the seashore in protecting wildlife, especially birds that stop here during long migratory journeys.
Chincoteague Island
There are a few three- and four-story chain motels here, but its bed-and-breakfast inns give this island its charm.
Go 10 minutes in any direction and you will come to the water's edge. Whether enjoying a beach loaded with sun worshippers and surf fishermen, or watching waterman hauling in a catch of oysters, you'll feel that life here moves as slowly as the ebb and flow of the tide.
Onancock
