Sun, surf, sea and sand @ the beach

As much as kids know that the 3 R's define the school year, they also know that summer is all about the 4 S's. That's right: Sun, surf, sea and sand are about all kids need for a memory-making family vacation.

Of course, a week at the beach along the Delaware-Maryland-Virginia shore also means arcades, thrill rides, water parks and Thrasher's fries. But if you find that, by day four or five, you're looking for something a little different, something a little special that might mean new memories, you're probably not alone. Here are a few favorite excursions. Some take a full day, others just a few hours, but regardless of where you're staying, they're worth the effort.

• Assateague Island National Seashore: This sandy gem in Maryland is about as different from the hustle and hubbub of the boardwalk as you can get, but it's not without its thrills -- many of them natural instead of man-made.

From the southern end of the boardwalk in Ocean City, Md., you can see the island in the distance. What you can't see from there is that the island is home to about 300 wild ponies and just as many species of birds that find its beaches, pine forests and salt marshes the perfect oasis.

The ponies were made famous in Marguerite Henry's 1947 book Misty of Chincoteague and the annual pony penning, during which horses swim from Assateague to Virginia's Chincoteague Island the last Wednesday of July. But the Maryland side of Assateague (the state line runs through the middle of the island) is wonderful to discover any day of the summer.

The visitors center is always a great place to start. (Some kids, and adults, love to collect the National Park Service brochures.) It has aquariums and exhibits on marine life, and it's a great place to pick up tips on biking, shell collecting and seeing the ponies.

And let there be no doubt, you will see ponies -- very possibly close up, perhaps even more close up than you want. They cross in front of your car, wander on the side of the road grazing and walk in herds up and down the beach. The horses are no doubt more accustomed to people than the people are to them. Seeing the horses so near will delight many kids, but these are not like ponies they may have ridden at birthday parties. These are wild animals, but with very little fear of humans, and have been known to bite and kick. They have also been known to eat picnic lunches spread out on the beach.

But what a wonderful opportunity to show kids animals in their own environment and remind them to behave as they would as guests at someone's house. The National Park Service describes the animals as ''beautiful, tough and wild'' and says feeding or petting them is ``detrimental to both visitors and horses.''

If your kids insist on something more than a ''look, don't touch'' outing, Assateague has much to offer. Visitors can leave with as much as a gallon jug of shells. (Unoccupied ones, please!) Family-friendly hiking trails lead through various habitats. And of course, there's the beach -- but it's a beach that feels more than a world away from Ocean City.

HOURS: The Maryland side of Assateague never closes, and camping is allowed. For information on camping, visit www.recreation.gov or call 877-444-6777.

FEES: A $15 fee per car allows you to go in and out for seven days. There's no fee for walking or biking onto the island.

INFORMATION: www.nps.gov/asis.

• Frontier Town: Think you can't get a taste of a Wild West town while at the beach? Think again. This trip back to the 1860s includes rides, bank holdups, cancan shows, ceremonial Indian dances and of course a re-creation of the gunfight at the OK Corral.

There's nothing politically correct about this place, near Ocean City, Md. The cowboys carry guns that look real and are really, really loud. (When the train gets ''hijacked,'' some toddlers have been known to cower under their seats in fear; but it's just edgy enough for most 5- and 6-year-olds.) Cowboys and Indians are played out to their more stereotypical extremes, but families have been coming to this place that time forgot for generations. There are very few places where a father can say to a son, ''I first saw the cancan show when I was your age,'' and therein lies the reason that Frontier Town is worth a stop.

It's worth noting that Frontier Town also has a mini-golf course (not as fancy as those you'll find closer to the beach but very tricky) and a water park (again, not as thrilling as others but a great way to cool off).

HOURS: Western park, water park and mini golf open 10 to 6 (mid-June through Labor Day).

FEES: For Frontier Town, mini-golf course and water park: $22, ages 4 to 10 $18, free for kids 3 and younger. Separate admissions available.

INFORMATION: www.frontiertown.com.