Martha's Vineyard

Introduction

Martha's Vineyard

© vegasmike6

Martha's Vineyard is an island off the coast of Massachusetts, USA, south of Cape Cod. It's about 88 square miles (230 square kilometres) and has roughly 15,000 inhabitants. It is the largest island on the east coast of the US, not connected by bridge or tunnel and is a popular summer getaway, mainly for US citizens. Together with Chappaquiddick if forms the Outer Lands region.

Foreign travellers who want to have a taste of the island are better of visiting in the shoulder season of May/June or September, when the weather is great and the crowds are far less.

Towns

• Oak Bluffs
• Edgartown
• Tisbury
• West Tisbury
• Chilmark
• Aquinnah

Sights and Activities

• Flying Horses Carousel in Oak Bluffs
• Katama Farm in Edgar Town
• Wine tasting
• Lake Tashmoo
• Capawock Theatre
• State Beach and the Inkwell Beach
• Whaling Church
• Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary
• Gay Head Cliffs and Lighthouse
• Lambert's Cove Beach

Martha's Vineyard, Mass

© vegasmike6

Events and Festivals

• The Grand Illumination
• Martha's Vineyard Film Festival and Cinema Circus
• Martha's Vineyard International Film Festival
• Aquinnah Music Festival
• Annual Martha's Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby

Holidays

• New Year’s Eve - The US celebrates the outgoing of the old year and incoming of the New Year quite dramatically. Every state boasts its own parties to ring in the New Year, but none is more extravagant than New York’s Time Square, which sees people overflowing into the neighboring restaurants, bars, parks, beaches, and neighborhoods.
• Martin Luther King Jr. Day (officially Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. and sometimes referred to as MLK Day) is an American federal holiday marking the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. It is observed on the third Monday of January each year, which is around King's birthday, January 15. The holiday is similar to holidays set under the Uniform Monday Holiday Act. The earliest Monday for this holiday is January 15 and the latest is January 21. King was the chief spokesperson for nonviolent activism in the Civil Rights Movement, which successfully protested racial discrimination in federal and state law.
• St Patrick’s Day - March 17 celebrates the US’s large Irish population. Many cities around the country boast boisterous parades and Irish-themed parties, especially New York and Chicago, where the river is dyed green. Be wary of the drunkenness that dominates as this is definitely a party-day.
• Memorial Day - Memorial Day is an important holiday throughout the United States, but not for crazy festivities. Parades commemorating wartime heroes are often held and the day is also the ‘unofficial’ start of summer. Most visitors follow the crowds to parks and beaches, which are capped off with informal BBQs.
• Independence Day - Also known as the Fourth of July, Independence Day celebrates the US’s break from the British during the 18th century. Barbecues, street parties, beach trips, and weekend getaways are commonplace to appreciate freedom.
• Labor Day is a public holiday celebrated on the first Monday in September. It honors the American labor movement and the contributions that workers have made to the strength, prosperity, laws, and well-being of the country. It is the Monday of the long weekend known as Labor Day Weekend. It is recognized as a federal holiday. Beginning in the late 19th century, as the trade union and labor movements grew, trade unionists proposed that a day be set aside to celebrate labor.
• Halloween - Halloween is a fun holiday on October 31 for all generations to dress up in costumes and relive their youth. Children walk around the neighborhood trick-or-treating for candy, while adults attend parties. Other seasonal events include haunted houses, pumpkin farms and carving, and corn mazes.
• Thanksgiving - On the fourth Thursday in November, Thanksgiving is held in almost every home in the US. Tourists will have a hard time finding anything to do as the country essentially shuts down in observation. A typical Thanksgiving meal consists of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie commemorating the original Pilgrim’s feast at Plymouth Rock.
• Christmas - On December 25, Christians celebrate Christmas as the pinnacle of their calendar by attending church and opening gifts from Santa Claus. Almost everything shuts down to promote family togetherness. The northern regions hope to experience a “white Christmas,” with trees and festive lights blanketed by snow.

Sport

• Super Bowl Sunday - the world’s most watched sporting event and one of the highest grossing TV days of the year, Superbowl Sunday is a spectacular extravaganza. Held the first Sunday in February, the Superbowl is the final playoff game between the NFL’s top two teams. The venue rotates every year around America, yet the local parties seem to remain. Pubs, bars and restaurants are great places to enjoy the Superbowl or locals throw their own parties with different variations of betting.
• The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in North America, contested since 1903 between the American League (AL) champion team and the National League (NL) champion team. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff, and the winning team is awarded the Commissioner's Trophy. As the series is played during the fall season in North America, it is sometimes referred to as the Fall Classic.

Getting There

By Plane

Martha's Vineyard Airport (MVY) has flights to a number of destinations. Cape Air flies to Boston, Nantucket and Providence, among a few other places. Other airlines flying here are ExpressJet Airlines to Newark Liberty International Airport, Piedmont Airlines to New York LaGuardia, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., and Colgan Air to LaGuardia and Hyannis in Massachusetts.

By Car

Some ferries take cars (see below), but book well in advance.

By Boat

The Steamship Authority has ferries to/from Woods Hole (mainland Massachusetts) to Vineyard Haven (nine per day in summer) and to Oak Bluffs (five per day), a 45-minute voyage ($14 round-trip, car is $230!). Book well in advance if taken a car.

Island Queen has ferries from Falmouth ($15 round-trip), and Hyline Cruises from Hyannis ($37 slow ferry, $59 fast ferry, round-trip per adult), both to Oak Bluffs. Falmouth and Hyannis are both located in Massachusetts as well.

There are smaller ferries connecting Martha's Vineyard with Quonset Point in Rhode Island.

Martha's Vineyard

© vegasmike6

Getting Around

By Public Transport

Martha’s Vineyard Regional Transit Authority operates buses throughout the island and it costs $6 for a daypass, $15 for a 3-day pass

By Car

There are car rental companies, but prices are usually way higher compared to mainland US, so if you are planning on doing a lot of driving, just take the car by ferry, it works out cheaper.

By Boat

Ferries regularly travel between Edgartown on Martha's Vineyard and Chappaquiddick island.

Sleep

View our map of accommodation in Martha's Vineyard