When we were interviewing for physical therapy contracts in New England for the fall, a clinic on Martha’s Vineyard was one of our finalists. We ended up opting for a gig on the mainland in order to facilitate easier weekend travel for our lofty exploration goals this fall, but we’ve been very curious about this island just off the coast of Massachusetts! My parents and grandma came out for the weekend which gave us the perfect excuse to go visit! They treated us to a very fun day on Martha’s Vineyard that we won’t soon forget!
Martha’s Vineyard Off-Season
Technically, we visited Martha’s Vineyard in the “shoulder season” on Friday, November 1st. Not everything is open at this time of year, but there are plenty of things still going on and you will not need to wait in a line for anything you decide to do! My one and only complaint about visiting Martha’s Vineyard in the off-season is that most of the ice cream shops are closed down.
Getting to the Island
Flying to Martha’s Vineyard is an option in the off-season, but a very slim one. Delta is the only airline that offers flights to the vineyard in November unless you happen to have your own private plane… So, we opted to take the ferry! There are several ferry options, but we chose to go with the Steamship Authority ferry out of Woods Hole and into Vineyard Haven because this is the least expensive option at $17/person round trip. We also liked this ferry option because it runs almost hourly, so there are plenty of options to keep your day flexible. There are many more time slots available in the summer peak season.
Arriving at the Vineyard Haven ferry terminal.
The Steamship Authority Ferry
Arriving at the Vineyard Haven ferry terminal.
The Steamship Authority Ferry
Getting Around the Island
Martha’s Vineyard is actually quite a large island at 87 square miles, so it’s good to have a transportation plan before you get there. Ubers are an option, though they are quite expensive, so if you’re planning to get to a variety of areas on the island, I’d recommend another form of transportation. The least expensive option is definitely taking the bus. The bus routes get to pretty much all the island, but they run less frequently in the off season. If you only have a destination or two you’re looking to get to in a day, or if you have several days on the island, the bus system can work great! We wanted to see as much of the island as possible in one day, so we opted to get a rental car from the Martha’s Vineyard Airport. This worked out very well for us getting around the island in a timely manner. In hindsight, it probably would have worked even better to take our car on the ferry (as the ferry prices for a car are about half the price starting in November).
The quaint Martha’s Vineyard airport.
Where we picked up our rental car.
The quaint Martha’s Vineyard airport.
Where we picked up our rental car.
The Black Dog Tavern
One of the most recommended places to us on Martha’s Vineyard was The Black Dog Tavern, so this is where we went straight off the ferry. You can actually see The Black Dog Tavern from the ferry port, so it’s a quick walk to get there. This tavern was the first year-round restaurant on the island. It’s very nautically themed with great food (Adam got the Monster of the Sea) and an awesome view of the bay! We highly recommend this place to anyone visiting Martha’s Vineyard.
The crew for the weekend!
Black Dog Tavern
The inside of Black Dog Tavern.
With tasty food options!
The crew for the weekend!
Black Dog Tavern
The inside of Black Dog Tavern.
With tasty food options!
Vineyard Haven Shops
Walking distance from The Black Dog Tavern, you will find a cute row of shops in downtown Vineyard Haven. Not everything is open, but the highest percentage of shops in the off-season are open in Vineyard Haven compared to the other towns on Martha’s Vineyard.
Downtown Vineyard Haven Shops
Island Alpaca
From Vineyard Haven, we drove eight minutes south to Island Alpaca. What is Island Alpaca you’re asking?? It’s an alpaca farm! And it’s $5/person to enter the grounds. There were about 40 alpacas on site the day we were there, and it was fascinating to learn about them. The most interesting part was when the alpacas noticed a cat far off in the field that they thought was a coyote, they alarmed each other with a high-pitched guttural tone and stood up tall in a pack in order to “scare” the cat away. They also have a gift shop with all sorts of things made from alpaca that are warm and fuzzy.
Island Alpaca Company
Where you can hang out with lots of alpacas!
And they let you compare alpaca fleece to other types of materials.
Their jaw movement while eating is quite interesting.
And the high pitched noise they make to alarm their kind of a predator is so fascinating!
Island Alpaca Company
Where you can hang out with lots of alpacas!
And they let you compare alpaca fleece to other types of materials.
Their jaw movement while eating is quite interesting.
And the high pitched noise they make to alarm their kind of a predator is so fascinating!
Gay Head Lighthouse
We then drove about half hour to the most western tip of Martha’s Vineyard where Gay Head Lighthouse is located. We weren’t able to go up into the lighthouse due to it being closed for the season, but we could still see it up close, take plenty of pictures, and enjoy the wonderful views of the bluffs from the site of the lighthouse. A very short drive down from the Gay Head Lighthouse, you will find the Aquinnah Cliffs Overlook where there are some cute shops and an even better view of the bluffs and lighthouse.
Gay Head Lighthouse
We couldn’t go in, but we could still enjoy the lighthouse up close and the views surrounding it!
Aquinnah Cliffs Overlook
Gay Head Lighthouse
We couldn’t go in, but we could still enjoy the lighthouse up close and the views surrounding it!
Aquinnah Cliffs Overlook
Lucy Vincent Beach
Next up was a 20-minute drive to Lucy Vincent Beach. Because of it being the off-season, we practically had this beautiful beach to ourselves! It looked like in the busy summer season you would need a permit to park, but we just rolled right into the parking lot. We had a perfectly sunny day to enjoy the soft sand and unique rock formations. Definitely a must see!
Lucy Vincent Beach
With unique rock formations!
Lucy Vincent Beach
With unique rock formations!
Edgartown
We then drove about 30 minutes to Edgartown on the eastern portion of the island. Edgartown has a quaint downtown to stroll around where you will find an elevated dock to enjoy fantastic views overlooking the Chappaquiddick Island ferry route. There’s a $4 tiny ferry (holds maybe two cars) that is constantly going back and forth between Edgartown and Chappaquiddick, but we decided not to head over for the sake of time.
Downtown Edgartown
The quick ferry to Chappaquiddick Island!
Nice views from the Edgartown overlook!
Downtown Edgartown
The quick ferry to Chappaquiddick Island!
Nice views from the Edgartown overlook!
Oak Bluffs
From Edgartown, we drove 20 minutes north (via the “Jaws Bridge” where some of the movie was filmed) to Oak Bluffs. First on the itinerary in Oak Bluffs was checking out the gingerbread houses. These are very well-preserved colorful houses from the 1800s on the grounds of a Methodist church camp. We highly recommend parking somewhere and taking a quick walk through this neighborhood of the hundreds of charming houses.
The gingerbread houses in Oak Bluffs!
On the grounds of a Methodist church camp.
There’s a nice path through this large neighborhood of charming homes!
The gingerbread houses in Oak Bluffs!
On the grounds of a Methodist church camp.
There’s a nice path through this large neighborhood of charming homes!
Offshore Ale Co.
Per usual, we wanted to check out a brewery, so we picked Offshore Ale Co. in Oak Bluffs for dinner and drinks. The food was great, the beer was pretty standard, and the vibe was laid back. There were peanut shells covering the floor like most pubs. Everything was made from wood it seemed and everyone was nice. We then had to end our day on the island with dessert, and the ONLY ice cream shop we could find that was open was Ben and Bill’s Chocolate Emporium. This was a quick two-minute walk from the Offshore Ale Co. which worked out well. We give them credit for being open in the off-season, but the flavor selection was quite limited.
Offshore Ale Company
They have some cool old wooden boats inside.
Great food and decent beer.
Ben and Bill’s: the only ice cream shop we could find that was open during the off-season!
Offshore Ale Company
They have some cool old wooden boats inside.
Great food and decent beer.
Ben and Bill’s: the only ice cream shop we could find that was open during the off-season!
So, there it is- one packed day on Martha’s Vineyard during the off-season including food, shopping, animals, lighthouses, beaches, quaint towns, unique architecture, beer, and ice cream. We thoroughly enjoyed our time on the island and were quite pleased to avoid crowds and traffic!
Fun to see your folks and grandma Carol enjoying your travels!
Yes, it was so fun to have them out here! We always love including other people in our adventures 🙂
Nice to see your faces, Megan and Adam. I’m glad to see that you are both still exploring and enjoying life.
I’m finally finished with all of my PT visits and here are my final numbers: Active 143 Passive 147. Yea! Thanks for setting the stage for my success, Megan. My current PT said that my flexion is pretty amazing! I agree.
That’s awesome, Karen! I’m so glad to hear things are going well! And yes, we have been continuing to enjoy exploring the country!