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Difficulty: Easy
Length: 0.2 miles /
0.3 km
Duration: Full day
Family Friendly
• Dog Friendly
Overview:
Just seven miles off the coast of Massachusetts lies the island of Martha’s Vineyard. Though occupation of the island dates back to 2270 B.C., its modern history begins in 1602, when explorer Bartholomew Gosnold named it for the wild grapes found there and supposedly for one of his daughters.
There are six towns on the island, classified as up-island or down-island. Aquinnah (formerly known as Gay Head), Chilmark and West Tisbury are up-island; Vineyard Haven (also known as Tisbury), Oak Bluffs and Edgartown are down-island. Vacationers, day-trippers and weekend visitors gravitate to Oak Bluffs, Vineyard Haven and Edgartown.
Edgartown, where most of the 19th century wealthy whaling captains lived, is the county seat and the grande dame of the down-island towns that became rich in the 19th century (along with Nantucket) on whaling profits. It is still filled with the stately, white clapboard Federal-style mansions of the whaling captains.
Tips:
The majority of visitors get to the island by ferry. Passenger ferry boats leave from four mainland Massachusetts ports. These are Woods Hole, Falmouth, Hyannis and New Bedford. Each offer year-round service except for Falmouth, which operates just in warmer weather.
If you opt to bring your car, you’ll have to leave from Wood’s Hole. Reservations for cars are always recommended, and in the high season, required. Ferries operate several times a day and there are a few different companies that offer service.
The Steamship Authority operates routes to and from Woods Hole, Hyannis, Nantucket and New Bedford daily year-round. Boats dock in Vineyard Haven in the winter, and in both Vineyard Haven and Oak Bluffs in the summer. This is the only line that transports vehicles (508-477-8600).
The Island Queen offers seasonal daily walk-on passenger-only service to and from Falmouth to Oak Bluffs (508-548-4800).
Hy-line Cruises has year-round high-speed ferry service from Hyannis to Oak Bluffs (800-492-8082).
By Air
Cape Air offers year-round flights to the Martha’s Vineyard Airport from Boston, Hyannis, Nantucket, New Bedford and Providence (800-352-0714).
For more details, visit the Martha’s Vineyard Chamber of Commerce website www.mvy.com or call 800-505-4815.
