Bright Ideas: Road Scholar & Chincoteague Celebrate 30 Years Together
Off Virginia's Eastern Shore lies Chincoteague, the only inhabited barrier island along Virginia's coast, a paradise for birders and nature-lovers. It has long captured imaginations, from the children who fell in love with Marguerite Henry's 1947 classic Misty of Chincoteague to the million-plus visitors who flock annually to explore its beaches, dunes, marshes and maritime forests.
But in this paradise for naturalists and history aficionados, where a community of just 3,300 people helps steward one of America's most-visited wildlife refuges, a remarkable transformation has taken place. Over three decades, a small museum's dream of preservation has grown into a force for community-wide change, powered by a partnership that exemplifies the very essence of educational travel.
"When we started our relationship with Road Scholar over 30 years ago, it made such a difference to our community and to the organization," reflects Cindy Faith, executive director of the Museum of Chincoteague Island. "I've been here long enough to see it evolve from a small, struggling community museum with more dreams than funds, to what we are today."
That evolution began in 1993, when the museum first partnered with Road Scholar to offer four educational programs about the island's unique heritage. The waiting lists grew so long that they kept adding more opportunities. Today, the museum hosts 30 programs annually — one for nearly every week of the season — bringing participants to explore this special corner of Virginia where wild ponies still roam and maritime heritage runs deep.
The impact of this partnership, however, extends far beyond numbers. "We would not be where we are now without Road Scholar," Cindy emphasizes. The museum has doubled in size, thanks to an expansion made possible by the steady income from educational programs. "When we went to the bank in search of funding support, we could show we had a consistent relationship with Road Scholar,” Cindy explains. “They trusted us enough to give us the loans we needed."
That expansion proved crucial when the museum faced one of its greatest preservation challenges: saving the Assateague Island Lighthouse's original Fresnel lens. After 30 years of neglect in an open field, the historic lens, first installed in 1867 and replaced in 1961, was at risk of being lost forever. "My mother was the executive director then," Cindy recalls. "She really spearheaded the fight to save the lens. Without that addition we built, we wouldn't have had a place to protect it." Today, the rescued lens stands as the museum's centerpiece, a testament to the power of preservation made possible through partnership.
The success stories keep coming. In spring 2023, the museum undertook its most ambitious preservation project yet: working to help save the historic Beebe Ranch, original home to the famous pony, Misty of Chincoteague. When Cindy presented an update to the town council, she shared details about the Road Scholar partnership. "They were blown away by how it supports not just the museum, but local restaurants, hotels and guest lecturers — it benefits the entire town."
The partnership continues to evolve, responding to changing interests while maintaining its core mission of education and preservation. The partnership's newest offering, A Hands-On, Sea-to-Table Extravaganza on Chincoteague Island, explores the island's seafood industry and maritime culture. "Our programs offer something new every time," Cindy notes, explaining why many participants return three, four or even five times. "Wildlife and nature are different every visit. It's not just something they check off their list — they feel a connection to the area and want to come back."
That connection goes both ways. Road Scholar participants enjoy special access to cultural treasures, like exclusive access to the lighthouse, while their presence helps sustain the very heritage they've come to experience. In a community where the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge welcomes 1.5 million visitors annually, Road Scholar's participants stand out for their desire to learn, their deep engagement with local culture and their commitment to contributing to its preservation.
For Cindy, the relationship has come full circle. After decades of creating and leading programs, she recently experienced Road Scholar from a new perspective, as a participant herself. "I've led programs, organized programs, created programs and now I've been on programs," she says. "I couldn't be a bigger cheerleader for Road Scholar."
As Road Scholar celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2025, the Museum of Chincoteague Island partnership illustrates the profound impact that sustainable, long-term and evolving relationships can have on communities. What began as four programs in 1993 has blossomed into a three-decade collaboration that continues to preserve history, protect cultural heritage and prove that educational travel can truly transform communities — one lighthouse lens, one historic ranch and one participant at a time.