A Martha’s Vineyard vacation offers up an incredibly diverse and exciting list of things to do with experiences and sights that make it a wonderful travel destination for all age groups.
First things first though; how do you get here? Yes, we are an island and no, there is no bridge. So travelling to this idyllic New England jewel means either a flight or a ferry. In summer American Airlines, Delta, Jet Blue, Cape Air and Tradewind have flights arriving from New York, Washington DC, Boston, Chicago, Hyannis, Nantucket and Philadelphia. For ferries in the summer, you can choose between New York, Woods Hole (Cape Cod), Hyannis (Cape Cod), New Bedford or Rhode Island. Plenty of options but some pre-planning is required.
Next question is, where to stay? There are a wide variety of styles of professionally run, locally owned, fully inspected inns, hotels and resorts. You can explore all the options on the Martha’s Vineyard Lodging Association website. Official hotels and inns are able to provide local knowledge for advise on things to do, daily housekeeping, professional service and a high level of personal service. Alternatively you can opt for a vacation rental but “caveat emptor”, as these are often not inspected properties, provide no housekeeping, may not be locally owned and often are located away from the main towns.
Talking of towns, which town is it best to stay in? Well the three main towns, Vineyard Haven, Edgartown and Oak Bluffs are all located close to each other with excellent transport between them thanks to an awesome island bus system (additionally in 2025 the buses are free to use!). There are also many taxi companies and Lyft/Uber drivers. So any of the three towns act as a good base. That said they do have different characters they may influence your preference of where to stay. Ferries arrive into Vineyard Haven and Oak Bluffs (in summer) so for ease of getting to your hotel they have an advantage. Oak Bluffs is very much a summer resort location with lots to entertain kids and plenty of late night bars for adults. If you are looking for peaceful evenings and nights then Oak Bluffs is not your best option. Vineyard Haven is the quietest town in the evenings as, although it has many restaurants, it doesn’t have late night bars. Edgartown is the prettiest of the towns and definitely the most “preppy” and “chi-chi”. It has lots of up-market retail and restaurants and is also the location of the ferry to Chappaquiddick.
So what things are there to do on Martha’s Vineyard? Here is a list of our top 20 things to when you visit Martha’s Vineyard:
- Martha’s Vineyard Museum. Located on a bluff in Vineyard Haven this is one of the best museums in new England. Even the building itself is an historic beauty
- Hit the beach. Our favorites are Lambert’s Cove, Long Point, State Beach, East Beach, Lucy Vincent and Moshup Beach
- Take a boat trip to the Elizabeth Islands and Cuttyhunk
- Visit the Gay Head Lighthouse on the cliffs in Aquinnah
- Bike ride from Oak Bluffs to Edgartown and take in the spectacular water-views on both sides of the bike trail
- Take a hike on the Menemsha Hills Brickyard trail or Cedar Tree Neck trail
- Catch the sunset at Menemsha Harbor
- Come in August for the one-of-a-kind Oak Bluffs Fireworks and for Illumination Night
- Explore the historic Gingerbread Houses in Oak Bluffs
- Check out the local art at the Granary Art Gallery
- Treat yourself to a waterfront dinner at Garde East restaurant in Vineyard Haven
- Get a lobster roll from Larsen’s Fish Market, Net Result or Grace Church
- Take a sunset sail with Black Dog Tall Ships
- Visit Mytoi Japanese garden on Chappaquiddick
- Ride the Flying Horses Carousel, the nation’s oldest carousel
- Take the Trustees of The Reservation tour to Cape Pogue Lighthouse
- Take a tour of an Oyster Farm
- Kayak on one of the Great Ponds (Sengekontacket, Edgartown, Tashmoo or Tisbury)
- Take an afternoon exploring the cool local stores in Vineyard Haven or Edgartown
- Visit the Carnegie Heritage Center in Edgartown
Above all else relax and enjoy all that Martha’s Vineyard has to offer.
Safe travels,
Simon