Before you visit a place, for the first time, you imagine what it will be like. Martha’s Vineyard was so much better than I ever imagined.
I recently returned from a lovely time in Martha’s Vineyard. The weather was perfect, warm enough to swim, yet cool enough to visit on the porch. I could walk outside comfortably and loved the evenings when I needed a shawl or a sweater.
My visit was during the peak of the early blooming flowers. I found tightly planted gardens with multiple assorted blooms, white picket fences dripping with roses and the most vibrant, happy, Hydrangeas in unrivaled shades of blues and purples. We stayed in Tisbury, more widely known as Vineyard Haven. It is a year round working harbor. We could easily stroll, from are vacation home to the lively cultural district with eateries, galleries, shops and more.
Between my Sisters family and my own, we had a group of 14 staying in an historic house, looking over the Vineyard Haven Harbor. The house had three floors with porches and balconies. We found a well appointed kitchen, comfortable beds, high quality furniture and original artwork.
The event that brought me to M.V. was the Wedding of my Sister. The Grooms Sister lives on the Island, in Chilmark, and offered to host the event. Chilmark is located on the lush, green rural side of the island where you find rolling hills, isolated beaches, lovely vistas and stacked stone fences. Chilmark felt much like a Scottish countryside and was home to a working fishing village and healthy farms that seemed untouched by time.
Aquinnah is on the Western most side of the island and was once known as Gay Head. Aquinnah is home to the Wampanoag Tribe, the original Natives to the island. Here is where you will find the breathtaking Aquinnah Cliffs and the historic Gay Head Lighthouse. If you trek down to the bottom of the cliffs, the large rocks on the beach give it “another world” feeling. On the day that my sister walked to the base of the cliffs, she found nude sunbathers on the beach.
The sun rises and sets earlier on the east coast. I found the glow of sunrise at 4:30 AM and by 5:30 AM it was bright enough in my room, to blatantly promote getting out of bed.
I so enjoyed the sound of the ferry horn blasts. The sound was a constant reminder of where I was in the world… along the water… in beautiful Martha’s Vineyard. Hearing the horn blast while standing at the kitchen sink, overlooking the harbor, I imagined earlier times in history, when the sound of the ferry horn would be a signal of the arrival of a missed and not often seen loved one who had written in a letter, the date and time of there expected arrival. Occasionally,during my visit, my people were on the ferry and the sound represented the coming and going of my own.
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Oak Bluffs, is the coastal town next to Vineyard Haven and is home to the Ginger Bread Cottages that are a part of an Historic Methodist Camp. Here, you will find, America’s oldest Carousel, and the African American Heritage Trail. Oak Bluffs is the seasonal port for ferries from Cape Cod, New Bedford, Rhode Island and New York. I caught a small, passenger only ferry here to Nantucket. Oak Bluffs is known for it’s live music, many shops and eateries and nightlife.
Edgartown is the first town of the island, founded by whaling captains. The town is filled with historic homes, high end boutiques and many restaurants. Edgartown is where you can catch the “On Time” ferry to Chappaquiddick island. The island is very rural and the ferry is a few dollars and about a five minute ride.
There is a lively art scene on Martha’s Vineyard. I visited many galleries including, The Featherstone Center for the Arts and the Field Gallery.
An interesting Tidbit.
I took a small ferry out of Oak Bluffs to Nantucket Island. Nantucket had an historic harbor with ships that you may find on “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous”. It was bustling with cobblestone streets and historic buildings. I found high end, Rodeo Drive type boutiques, galleries and many places to eat and drink. I enjoyed my visit to the Whaling Museum and toured an historic home. It was a short trip and I nearly missed my ferry back to M.V. (it is hard to hustle on cobblestones.)
I found the people on Martha’s Vineyard kind, open and excepting. I have never encountered more considerate drivers. The Island was listed in the “Green Book” and during the Jim Crow years, was considered a safe place for Black people to vacation.
The need for a car on the island is downplayed. There are affordable and frequent buses to take you from town to town but not many stops in between. If you plan to bring your car, schedule your ferry as soon as you know your dates. Otherwise, there are car rentals on the island. You can also rent scooters and bikes. While there are many off road bike trails in town, there were many places where bikers shared the busy roads with cars.
I took a drive in search of Christian Town and the Indian Burial Grounds that I had read about. The building below was built in 1829 to replace the original gathering house of the “Praying Indians”, members of the early, easily converted, Wampanoag tribe. The building was somewhat hidden and in the center of a wooded, housing development with houses on multiple acres, built during many different eras. I found the trail to the burying grounds but it was much too overground to walk.
I was able to find a few Antique shops and a Thrift shop. I purchased a a few unique, affordable, second hand souvenirs
To end this post, I thought that I would share my telling, final experience on Martha’s Vineyard.
The MV Airport is very small. When we arrived we exited the plane from a ramp on to the Tarmac, like a President. There was a wooden “Welcome to Martha’s Vineyard” archway sign where people were greeting and hugging.
At the end of my trip, I returned to the same Airport and checked in at the airline counter. A middle aged, masculine, no nonsense woman, printed out my boarding pass. Later in the outdoor, tented, waiting area, the same woman checked my boarding pass and I made my way out onto the tarmac to get on the plane. Once on the airplane, I stuffed my always questionable in size, carry-on into the overhead compartment, buckled up and settled in for takeoff. When I felt the plane backing up, I looked out the window and guess who had the batons and was guiding the pilot out to the runway?
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