Two Days on Martha's Vineyard - June 2015

On June 6th, my dad and brother threw my mother a surprise 70th birthday party on Perkins Pond.  After spending  a couple of days in Sunapee, New Hampshire; Christine, Maddi, Carson and I headed down to Martha’s Vineyard for a couple of days of vacation. 

We stayed at my Auntie Carolyn’s in Middleboro on Monday night, so we could start our Martha’s Vineyard journey early Tuesday morning by taking the high-speed ferry out of New Bedford  We choose New Bedford over Falmouth or Hyannis on Cape Cod, because it is quicker to get back to Boston, which we ended up needing, because we were the last ones to board our flight home on Thursday.

 

As is a tradition with Christine and I, we love to start our vacations with a cheesy local tour, and this time we dragged Maddi and Carson with us.  Right after checking into the hotel, we got on an old school bus and headed around the island through all six towns.   We boarded the bus in Oak Bluffs, which is well-known for its gingerbread cottages, and one of the two towns with ferries to the mainland.  We headed towards Edgartown going over the Jaws Bridge, which the tour guide said people jump off, but it was cold and rainy during our tour, so no one was jumping.   After Edgartown we headed through West Tisbury and Chilmark on our way to Aquinnah and the Gay Head Lighthouse.  Gay Head is the only stop on the tour.  
 

The highlight of the tour of  stopping at Aquinnah, formerly Gay Head, wasn't the view, as you can see in the pictures, Gay Head was cold and rainy on the day we stopped, the highlight was  Lobster Roll at The Aquinnah Shop the heaps of lobster on a fancy grilled hot dog roll, were simple to die for.

We re-boarded the bus and headed back to Oak Bluffs via Chilmark, West Tisbury, and Tisbury.  We had a great tour guide who was both funny and educating, including name dropping from current day celebrities like Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga and Reece Witherspoon to presidential connections with the Obamas, Clintons, and Kennedys. I recommend the tour, however be aware you are only hitting the highlights with only one stop.  You miss Menemsha, Chappaquiddick, Vineyard Haven, and much more. 

After the tour, we caught a taxi to our Harbor View hotel in Edgartown.  The Harbor View (in the back ground behind Christine) is a true 5 star hotel, very expensive but absolutely amazing.  After getting settled in, we walked to The Food Shanty, right on the ocean for a fantastic seafood dinner.

 
The next morning was our only full day on the island and my most favorite by far.  We rented bikes and spent a full day biking.  After a nice breakfast on the little downstairs patio at Among the Flowers, we took the On-Time Chappy Ferry (aka no schedule) only 527 feet to Chappaquiddick.  

Chappaquiddick is infamous for Ted Kennedy’s 1969 car accident, however the island is a great place to bike.  On the bike from the ferry to East Beach, you will find with the unexpected Mytoi Japanese Garden.  The garden is both free and amazing.  

After enjoying the garden, we continue biking on the dirt road over Dyke’s Bridge to the Atlantic Ocean.  After stepping into the ocean, we biked straight back to the Chappy’s Ferry.

 
After short ferry ride, we biked six miles to Oak’s Bluff.  Martha’s Vineyard is very bike-friendly but you have to be on the lookout as there is heavy car traffic and several areas where you have to cross active roads.  The ride is flat and beautiful, biking between Sengekontacket Pond and Joseph Sylvia Beach.  The weather was beautiful, and this day, when we got to Jaws Bridge kids were jumping off, and Carson said he wanted to jump too:

After Carson did his best to dry off and de-sand, we got back on the bikes for the last two mile to Oaks Bluff.  We parked the bikes at the Oak Bluffs Ferry and walked around the small town, including Town Beach, Ocean Park, Marina, Shopping Area, and the world famous Ginger Bread houses.  Unfortunately, we were just before their busy time of the year, and Flying Horses Carousel was closed on a Tuesday afternoon.  Christine and I were bragging about getting the brass ring to kids, regrettable Maddi and Carson didn't get experience this old school / not on-line fun.  During our shopping, we found a great T-Shirt for Carson, a life long Patriots Fan.  
 
After a bite to eat, we biked  back to Edgartown and our Harborview Hotel.  After dropping off the bikes, we walked downtown for another delectable Edgartown dinner, this time at Wharf Pup.    

The next morning our Martha’s Vineyard adventure was over, as we caught the Ferry back to New

Bedford.  We ran into traffic and just made our flight home by mere minutes.  

Thank you for letting us share our pictures from our Martha's Vineyard excursion with you.  If you have any questions, please email Shaun Priest at shaun@closerq.com.