Your Travel Guide to Martha’s Vineyard
Martha's Vineyard sits seven miles off the coast of Cape Cod, close enough to see and far enough that you have to earn it. There is no bridge. You come by ferry or by small plane, and the moment the mainland drops behind you the pace changes. This is a guide to the island: its towns, its cliffs and lighthouses, and the best places to eat, sleep, and slow down once you arrive.
The island covers about 96 square miles. Roughly 17,000 people live here year-round, and every summer they make room for more than 200,000 visitors. If it looks familiar, that is probably Jaws talking. Steven Spielberg shot the 1975 film here, and the island has been shorthand for a certain kind of Atlantic summer ever since. Fair warning, though: your usual morning coffee run may require a boat ticket back to the Cape.
A whaling island that became a getaway
Like its neighbor Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard made its early fortune on whale oil. Ships left these harbors to hunt whales for oil and blubber, and the money they brought back built much of what still stands today. The Vineyard had already found its second calling as a resort by the time of the Great Depression, when city families came for the sea air and stayed for the quiet.
The name has wandered a bit. A small island off the southwest corner was first called Martha, after the daughter of the British explorer charting Cape Cod. That speck was later renamed No Mans Land, and the name Martha's Vineyard moved to the larger island just to the northwest. You can still find No Mans Land, uninhabited, about three miles off the Vineyard's coast on any good chart of the water.
The six towns, and their thirst
The island is divided into six towns, each run by its own elected selectmen who look after building, land, and the local character everyone here guards closely:
- Tisbury
- Edgartown
- Oak Bluffs
- Chilmark
- Aquinnah
- West Tisbury
One quirk worth knowing before dinner: each town sets its own rules on alcohol. Tisbury, Edgartown, and Oak Bluffs are "wet," with full liquor service. West Tisbury and Aquinnah are "soggy," meaning beer and wine only. Chilmark is dry, the last holdout on the island. Plan your evening accordingly.
Six places you should not miss
The beaches, and how different they are
The Vineyard's beaches change completely depending on which way they face. The northern and eastern shores give you calm shallows along Vineyard Sound, good for families and easy swimming. The southern and western sides trade that calm for crashing surf and soaring cliffs. So whether you want to kiteboard, windsurf, or just stand ankle-deep and do nothing, there is a stretch of sand for it. Four to start with: Lobsterville Beach, Lucy Vincent Beach, East Beach, and Lighthouse Beach.
Aquinnah Cliffs
At the island's western tip, in an area once called Gay Head, the Aquinnah Cliffs rise in bands of red clay above the sand at Moshup Beach. Glaciers carved them millions of years ago, and the color is genuinely startling in late light. Climb to the top for views of Gay Head Light and the Elizabeth Islands across the sound. The cliffs are a protected part of the Wampanoag reservation, so admire the clay and leave it where it is. Taking any home is off-limits, and the rule is taken seriously.
The Oak Bluffs gingerbread cottages
Oak Bluffs began as a Methodist camp meeting ground, and the tents eventually became cottages. Today those cottages are the candy-colored, filigreed "gingerbread" houses that line the streets around the old campground. Flower boxes, painted trim, a rocking chair on every porch matched to its house. Walk the tree-shaded lanes and the whole neighborhood feels pulled from an earlier, slower century. It is a short stroll from here to the shops of Oak Bluffs and only a few blocks more to the water.
Edgartown Lighthouse
A keeper is usually on hand at Edgartown Lighthouse to tell you its history. There has been a light guiding ships into Edgartown Harbor and Katama Bay since 1828. The first tower was wooden and did not last; the cast-iron structure standing now is the second on the site. The narrow entrance to Katama Bay shows plainly on a chart of the water, and one look explains why the light has mattered for two centuries.
Island Alpaca Company
Yes, you can do yoga with an alpaca here. The farm's herd is gentle, curious, and, in summer, joined by babies. It is also a reminder of the island's other life: in the 19th century most of the Vineyard was farmland, and much of it still is. More than sixty farms are working the island today, selling to local markets and roadside stands.
The Flying Horses Carousel
Tucked into Oak Bluffs among the gingerbread cottages, the Flying Horses Carousel is the oldest operating platform carousel in America. It came from New York, like plenty of the island's summer people, and simply never left. Built to run on steam, it was converted to electricity in 1900 and now turns on a 10-horsepower motor in the basement. Its gears and belt were rebuilt in the 1980s, but the original brass ring assembly still works: grab the ring and you ride again for free.
Planning your day
A day trip is easy to do well. Catch the ferry from Falmouth, rent bikes at the dock, and let the etched roads that ramble from town to town set your route. Stop at the Jaws Bridge, where kids have been jumping into the channel since the film. Watch the kite surfers work the wind. Then leave time to shop, because you will notice something as you browse the boutiques and cafes: wood maps are everywhere on this island, hanging in the shops and over the tables in the restaurants. The Vineyard has always understood the pull of a good chart.
Where to stay
May through September brings the best weather, with Atlantic water temperatures climbing from the low seventies into the eighties. Edgartown tends to win the argument on where to base yourself, thanks to its central position and its collection of historic hotels. A few worth a look:
Honestly, with this much shoreline and this many views of open, rural land, it is hard to pick a bad spot.
Where to eat
Wrapped in ocean and backed by farmland, the Vineyard eats very well. Seafood comes off the boats and produce comes off the fields, often the same morning. Charter boats work the surrounding water for striped bass and sea scallops, and the depths on any nautical chart tell you why the fishing is this good. A short list to start with:
Come hungry. The island runs on lobster rolls and lobster bisque, but it also turns out onion rings, fudge, crepes, and the late-night donuts people line up for at the back door of the Oak Bluffs bakery. The only real decision is sweet or savory first.
Take the island home
A vacation here is hard to match: clean sunsets, miles of beach, the odd celebrity sighting, and a whole island built for doing less. Seven miles off the Cape, and it feels like a different latitude entirely.
The best souvenir is the one that keeps the geography honest. A Martha's Vineyard wood chart carves every shoal and channel to its true depth, so the red cliffs of Aquinnah, the mouth of Edgartown Harbor, and the shallows of Vineyard Sound all read at a glance on your wall. Browse the full run of East Coast charts and find the water you already miss.