Martha’s Vineyard

Presidents come here for retreat. So do the commoners. Martha’s Vineyard develops an affinity in the hearts of the visitors that is very hard to shed and they come again and again to spend their vacations.

The vineyard became popular in recent times as Bill Clinton made it his vacation home, while in the 1800s Ulysses Grant the then President of USA made its town Oak Bluff his summer home. This island has been the preferred vacation destination of Bill Gates to Warren Buffet. The summer regulars here include celebrities like Art Buchwald, Walter Cronkite, Beverly Sills and many more.

Martha’s Vineyard is a friendly and unpretentious place. Situated to the south of Cape Cod and away from the southern most tip of Cape Cod by only 7 miles, Martha’s Vineyard is an area of 120 square miles and triangular in shape. It is surrounded by the Vineyard sound on the North West, Nantucket sound on the north east and the Atlantic Ocean in the south.

Martha’s Vineyard is just 80 miles away from Boston and 150 miles from New York. If there is no fog, the Vineyard can be accessed by air or ferry services on sea. Cape Air provides daily flights from Martha’s Vineyard to Providence and US Express Air operates daily flights from the Vineyard to New York’s LaGuardia Airport and Washington D.C.’s Reagan Airport. From all the harbors on the southern part of Cape Cod, ferry services run boats and ferries at regular intervals to the Vineyard.

The island was originally inhabited by Wampanoag Indians who have been living here since ages and continue to do so. The settlers from Great Britain came here in the 1642 and the island became famous for its whaling and fishing activities. Chilmark, Edgartown, Gay Head, Oak Bluff, Tisbury and West Tisbury are the six major towns in the Vineyard.

Wedding and tourism has become big business in the island. So much so that the chamber commerce of the Vineyard has a portion of their web site devoted wedding related information about – blood sample testing to horse carriages. There are at least 40 weddings taking place in a week. June and September are the busiest months in the Vineyard for weddings. The lighthouses even host two weddings on the same day.

A trip to a lighthouse can brighten up the day. The beacon of West Chop Lighthouse in Vineyard Haven is the first to greet you as you travel on a ferry towards the Vineyard. The largest and most stately lighthouse is the Gay Head Lighthouse in Acquinnah. This lighthouse sends out alternating lights of red and white. Overlooking Nantucket sound the East Chop Lighthouse stands on a high cliff in Oak Bluff. Edgartown Light house stands at the entrance of the Edgartown harbor. The Cape Pouge Light is situated on a bluff in Chappaquiddick.

A trip to many of the elegant and sturdy houses of the sea faring captains would transport you back to the days of whaling and fishing lives of the residents of the Vineyard.

Chicama Vineyards, West Tisbury; Cottage Museum, Oak Bluffs; Flying Horses Carousel, Oak Bluff; Polly Hill Arboretum, West Tisbury; Martha’s Vineyard Historical Museum, Edgartown; New Agricultural Hall, West Tisbury; The field Gallery, West Tisbury; and the Tabernacle, Oak Bluffs are some of the places worth seeing in the Vineyard.

There are festivals happening all round the year in Martha’s Vineyard. Tivoli Day Festival, Possible Dreams Auction and the Island Theatre Workshop are some of the popular festivals that would transport you to an altogether different world of fun and entertainment.

For shopping in Martha’s Vineyard, you should look out for antiques and hand crafted gift items. Artworks of painters and handcrafted works by local artisans are also worth buying.