Martha's Vineyard

Post date: Oct 3, 2015 4:01:38 AM

A visit to Martha's Vineyard was a bucket list item. The Island where celebrities have homes, movies are made and stories take place in novels.  We took a ferry from Quonset, RI on a beautiful clear morning. The passage was a smooth hour & a half trip which brought us into Oak Bluff Harbor. Walking into the small town was a little too touristy. T-shirt & souvenir stores, candy & ice cream, lobster & crab, car & bike rentals. 

Some form of transportation is needed to see all of the island, so we took a bus tour. We traveled along 2-lane roads, through the different villages and along the coast.  Stopped at Menemsha Harbor (where a number of scenes from Jaws were filmed) for a great lunch of clam chowder, lobster role & crab cake. Then on to Gay Head for a view of the Lighthouse.   

The views were magnificent along the coast, but there was a lot of views of mail boxes (James Taylor), closed gates (road leading to Caroline Kennedy's home) and dirt roads (home where the Obama's like to stay) Needless to say it is a very private Island.

What we enjoyed most was "Cottage City" located within walking distance of Oak Bluff Harbor. Gingerbread houses built along shaded winding paths that circle a large grassy park. The "city" started as a summer camp ground for a group of Methodists. Families would come each year to live and worship as a group. The center of the area was used for communal cooking, prayer & family gatherings. Tents were constructed each year over wood floors. Over time, canvas became too expensive, so people started to build simple two story 4-room houses. this was also during the time of the band saw invention, so the homes became very decorative. Up until 1980's, owners had to be of Methodist faith.

We spent a full day on the Island and on our way back were treated to a beautiful sunset. So glad we took the trip to yet another island off the East Coast.