MASSACHUSETTS | MARTHA’S VINEYARD
Morning Afternoon Evening
DAY ONE
D E ST I N AT I O N
GETTY IMAGES
THE VINEYARD
Spend 48 hours on this beachy East Coast enclave By Frances Katz
W
ITH MILES OF SANDY beaches and plenty of unspoiled green spaces, Martha’s Vineyard is the idyllic New England summer getaway. Bursting with traditional seafood shacks, trendy restaurants, general stores and artisan boutiques, this hotspot can easily
40
be a day trip, but if you have two days, you can take more time to enjoy almost everything the island has to offer. The Vineyard is known for its celebrity and presidential visitors, but you don’t need a lot of money to have a wonderful time. In fact, you don’t even need a car. Clocking in at about 96 mostly flat square miles, the layout of the island makes everything easily accessible by foot, bike or moped.
(And if you do suddenly need a car, Uber has come to the island to get you where you need to go.) We recommend making the town of Oak Bluffs your base for a weekend stay. Of the Vineyard towns — Edgartown, Vineyard Haven, Acquinnah, Chilmark and West Tisbury — Oak Bluffs (the primary ferry landing site) has the easiest access to beaches, shops, bars, restaurants and quintessential Vineyard history.
MILES OF BEACHES, COLORFUL COTTAGES Take the Steamship Authority ferry from Woods Hole, Mass., and make sure you’ve packed sun block. Head to the upper deck to enjoy the scenery and get a glimpse of Cape Cod during the 45-minute ferry ride. As you exit the ferry, the Oak Bluffs Town Beach is to your left. Bike or take a shuttle bus down Seaview Avenue, which turns into Beach Road, to find the ideal spot for sunning, swimming and picnicking. Bring your own towels and snacks or stop off in Oak Bluffs (there are shops across the street as you exit the ferry terminal), as nothing is sold on this stretch of beach. The water is cool but pleasant for swimming or collecting seashells in the surf. You’ll pass the Joseph Sylvia State Beach, where Steven Spielberg shot scenes for Jaws and you’ll see kids of all ages jumping off the American Legion Memorial Bridge — much better known as the “Jaws Bridge” seen in the movie. If you’re in the mood — and don’t mind ignoring the signs saying not to do it — jump in at high tide. When you’re ready to head back into Oak Bluffs, cut through Ocean Park and make your way toward one of the most iconic Vineyard sights, the colorful and charming Victorian gingerbread cottages known as the Campground, a community that dates back to the 1800s. The Martha’s Vineyard Camp Meeting Association (mvcma.org) is a private foundation dedicated to preserving the campgrounds and the Tabernacle, which were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. There are organized tours of CO N T I N U E D
USA TODAY SPECIAL EDITION