Most visitors come to experience Assateague's beautiful, white sand beaches. Early risers enjoy golden Atlantic sunrises. Ocean swimming and sunbathing are the most popular oceanside activities, and in summer lifeguarded beaches are available at each end of the island. Surf-fishing for several kinds of fish is also done from spring through autumn. Fifteen miles of beach are accessible to four-wheel drive vehicles which carry proper equipment and display an annual $60 permit. Nineteen miles of a wild shore are reserved for beachcombers and hikers who may want to experience a beach in the manner of Native Americans and the first European explorers.

Assateague's wild horses are well known, even to many people who have never been to the island. The "wild" horses on Assateague are actually feral animals, meaning that they are descendants of domestic animals that have reverted to a wild state. Despite the often told tale of the horses swimming to Assateague from a shipwrecked Spanish galleon, the most plausible explanation is that they are the descendants of horses that were brought to barrier islands like Assateague in the late 17th century by mainland owners to avoid fencing laws and taxation of livestock. Todays horses are actually the size of ponies (average 12- 13 hands) probably due to their poor diet and harsh environment.

The multitude of birds found on Assateague Island is, at times, truly spectacular; nearly 300 species have been tabulated. From late fall through winter thousands of beautiful snow geese and other waterfowl fill the air with sound and flight. Along the surf, particularly during spring and late summer, many kinds of sandpipers and other shorebirds probe the wet sand for food. From spring through early autumn the shallow bays host a colorful array of herons, egrets, and other marsh species which stab at the many fishes which swim in these fertile waters. Ospreys are common nesting inhabitants, and in recent years even brown pelicans and bald eagles have taken up residence!