I just got back from three days on the Eastern Shore of Maryland – two dads, two sons, one rented Coachmen Clipper, and a campsite at Assateague State Park. So how was the Assateague RV weekend?
It was my second time doing this trip. The first time, it was my son and a friend named Woj from Australia. It was one of the best camping weekends we ever had. Wild horses, ebiking around the island, and lots of fun and sun on the beaches.
Anyway, I pretty much retired from blogging 10 years ago, but now that I am logging my life through Claude code in an Obsidian diary, I thought that I might give posting another try.
I think a lot of people romanticize “let’s rent an RV for the weekend” without a clear picture of what that actually means. I’ve now done it twice on the Eastern Shore of Maryland (departing from Northern Virginia), and I want to give you the practical version – what worked, what I’d do differently, and which restaurant stops are worth planning your route around.
The Setup
I rented a small travel trailer, a Coachmen Clipper, from a local outfit near my house called BW RV Rentals. Three nights minimum, around $500 including insurance and cleaning. The plan: pick it up Friday morning, hook it up, drive to Assateague State Park on the Maryland coast, two nights of camping with two friends and their kids, drive home Sunday.
Total drive time on paper: about three and a half hours each way. Bay Bridge bottleneck included.
Friday: Traffic, A Late Start, and a Cold First Night
We left at 1:30 p.m. instead of noon. If I do this again, I leave by noon or earlier, no exceptions. The DC traffic to the Bay Bridge is unforgiving in the afternoon. Our three-and-a-half-hour drive turned into five hours plus.
We rolled into the campsite at 6:40 p.m., and that’s when reality set in. Sunset was coming. Kids were hungry. The camper needed to be leveled, water hooked up, propane checked. Everyone wanted to do everything at once.
By the time we got food cooked over the fire, the sun was down and a coastal wind had picked up. The boys ate s’mores wrapped in blankets, then fell asleep. The adults stayed up by the fire with whiskey until about 10:30. The fire was the only thing keeping us warm.
I will say this: that sunset over the campground was gorgeous. So even on a rough first night, you get moments.
Saturday: The Real Day
Saturday is when this kind of trip earns its keep, and where this one started to feel a little flat compared to my last trip out here.
The horses
Assateague State Park sits right next to Assateague Island National Seashore, where the famous wild horses roam. We walked down the road to find some.
But honestly? The wonder wasn’t there this time. Last year, watching my son see those horses for the first time was magic. This year felt more like a checklist item. First-time-Assateague is a different experience from second-time-Assateague. Manage expectations.
If you’ve already done this trip with a particular kid, consider whether you want to repeat it or try somewhere new.
Lunch at The Five Tides
There’s a restaurant called The Five Tides right at the entrance to the campground area. We ate there for lunch and it was excellent, way better than it has any right to be given the location. Solid sandwiches, good sides, kid-friendly without being a kid-restaurant. If you’re staying at Assateague State Park, eat at The Five Tides at least once.
Beach
Afternoon at the beach. Windy, sandy, beautiful. The coastal side stays cold and breezy long into spring, pack a layer.
Berlin, Maryland, the underrated stop
By mid-afternoon I was honestly ready to leave the beach. We drove inland about 15 minutes to the town of Berlin, Maryland. Two big climate observations:
- It is 10 to 15°F warmer inland than on the coast. The wind drops, the sun feels stronger, and you suddenly enjoy being outside.
- Berlin is charming. Small main street, brewery, ice cream, restaurants, art shops. Reads like a Hallmark town.
We started at Sinepuxent Brewing Company. They had cornhole going, live music, beer flights, picnic tables under red umbrellas. This was the first hour of the trip where everyone, kids included, visibly relaxed.
After the brewery, we wandered around downtown Berlin: ice cream shop, a meat market that doubles as a beer spot, and dinner at 410 Social, a gastropub that delivered last year and delivered again. Both casual enough for kids and good enough that I’d happily go without them.
By the time we got back to the campsite, the boys were so wiped out that they asked to go to bed after s’mores. Right after dinner. Around the fire afterward, my friend and I watched the firewood disappear faster than expected, by 9 p.m. the fire was out and we just went to bed early ourselves.
Sunday: Pack-Up, Drive Home, and the Camper Return Saga
Cup of coffee, and a quick gripe: my Outin portable espresso maker burned out after three or four shots of espresso. It was supposed to be the perfect camp coffee setup. It wasn’t. I’d skip it next time and just bring an Aeropress and a kettle on the fire.
Morning hike
We did the forest trail boardwalk on Sunday morning. It’s fine.
But I recommend the marsh trail instead. It’s better. Wider views, more wildlife, more interesting to little kids. Last year on the marsh trail we counted dozens of crabs scrambling around. This time? Not a single one, water levels were different, maybe, but I’d still pick marsh over forest if I had to choose just one.
Packing up the trailer
This is where renting a trailer with anyone who’s never towed before becomes a bigger deal than you think it’ll be. Hooking up a trailer is not the moment to rush. You want the hitch seated, the locking pin in, the safety chains crossed, the breakaway cable attached, the lights tested.
I ended up doing the setup and breakdown solo while my friend watched the kids. But it took longer than budgeted. If you’re towing for the first time, do a full dry run in your driveway before the trip. Better yet, rent a cabin instead of an RV if your group isn’t tow-experienced.
We were on the road by 9:40 a.m.
Harris Crab House, the trip-saver
There’s a tradition on the Bay Bridge run: stop at Harris Crab House in Grasonville, just on the western side of the bridge, for lunch. Crab cakes, hush puppies, mac and cheese, a view of the water. It’s the kind of meal that converts a long drive into an actual experience.
We rolled in at 11:50. The food was as good as I remembered.
If you’re driving from D.C. or the western shore to Ocean City or Assateague, Harris Crab House is a non-negotiable stop in at least one direction. Lunch on the way back is my preference, you’ve already done the hard driving, the kids have a goal to fight through the morning for, and you get a real meal before the last leg.
The trailer return
I’m not going to fully relive this, but a quick summary of what to ask when you rent an RV: Make sure you know exactly where to park it.
What I’d Do Differently
If you’ve made it this far, this is the section worth bookmarking. Here’s the practical post-mortem from two trips:
- Leave by noon, not by 1:30. The Bay Bridge is the bottleneck.
- Don’t rent an RV if you don’t have power at the site, unless you have a generator. A trailer without consistent power is a trailer where the burner, the lights, and the water pump are all running on a coin flip.
- For two adults plus kids, get a cabin, not a trailer. A queen plus bunks is fine for one adult and a kid. Two grown men in a small Clipper is tight, and one of you is sleeping in bunk beds with your feet hanging off the end.
- Marsh trail beats forest trail at Assateague. Every time.
- Build the day around Berlin, not the beach. Berlin is the secret weapon, warmer, more interesting, better food, better vibe. Treat the beach as a 90-minute side quest.
- The Five Tides for a meal. 410 Social for dinner. Harris Crab House on the way back. That’s the food triangle.
- First-time Assateague is a different trip from second-time Assateague. Be honest with yourself about whether you’re chasing a new experience or trying to recreate an old one.
- Ask every question at pickup. Especially about where you’re parking the trailer when you return it.
- Pack heavier clothing than you’d pack for “May at the beach.” Coastal wind pushes the temperature down 15°F from inland.
- Have a backup for the burner. A second propane stove, an Aeropress, a way to boil water on the fire. Don’t be the parent cooking cold steak at 8 p.m. (ask me how I know).
Would I Do It Again?
A trailer rental to Assateague? Probably not, with this configuration. The math just doesn’t work for two adults, the cost ($500 plus insurance plus the time to hook up and return) is real, the camper isn’t quite big enough for grown-ups, and Assateague State Park itself has cabins right on the shore that I could rent for less hassle and more comfort.
Berlin and the Eastern Shore in general? Absolutely yes. I’ll be back. Just probably staying somewhere with a real bed and a real coffee maker.
If you’ve got a first-timer kid and who’s done with mid-week meetings by Thursday afternoon, this trip is still one of the better quick getaways on the East Coast. Just go in with the right expectations, and the right hitch lock.
Have your own Assateague tips or Bay Bridge stops? Drop them in the comments. I read all of them.
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