Martha’s Vineyard
Presidents come here for retreat. So do the commoners. Martha’s Vineyard
develops an affinity in the hearts of the visitors that is very hard to shed
and they come again and again to spend their vacations.
The vineyard became popular in recent times as Bill Clinton made it his vacation
home, while in the 1800s Ulysses Grant the then President of USA made its town
Oak Bluff his summer home. This island has been the preferred vacation destination
of Bill Gates to Warren Buffet. The summer regulars here include celebrities
like Art Buchwald, Walter Cronkite, Beverly Sills and many more.
Martha’s Vineyard is a friendly and unpretentious place. Situated to
the south of Cape Cod and away from the southern most tip of Cape Cod by only
7 miles, Martha’s Vineyard is an area of 120 square miles and triangular
in shape. It is surrounded by the Vineyard sound on the North West, Nantucket
sound on the north east and the Atlantic Ocean in the south.
Martha’s Vineyard is just 80 miles away from Boston and 150 miles from
New York. If there is no fog, the Vineyard can be accessed by air or ferry services
on sea. Cape Air provides daily flights from Martha’s Vineyard to Providence
and US Express Air operates daily flights from the Vineyard to New York’s
LaGuardia Airport and Washington D.C.’s Reagan Airport. From all the harbors
on the southern part of Cape Cod, ferry services run boats and ferries at regular
intervals to the Vineyard.
The island was originally inhabited by Wampanoag Indians who have been living
here since ages and continue to do so. The settlers from Great Britain came
here in the 1642 and the island became famous for its whaling and fishing activities.
Chilmark, Edgartown, Gay Head, Oak Bluff, Tisbury and West Tisbury are the six
major towns in the Vineyard.
Wedding and tourism has become big business in the island. So much so that
the chamber commerce of the Vineyard has a portion of their web site devoted
wedding related information about – blood sample testing to horse carriages.
There are at least 40 weddings taking place in a week. June and September are
the busiest months in the Vineyard for weddings. The lighthouses even host two
weddings on the same day.
A trip to a lighthouse can brighten up the day. The beacon of West Chop Lighthouse
in Vineyard Haven is the first to greet you as you travel on a ferry towards
the Vineyard. The largest and most stately lighthouse is the Gay Head Lighthouse
in Acquinnah. This lighthouse sends out alternating lights of red and white.
Overlooking Nantucket sound the East Chop Lighthouse stands on a high cliff
in Oak Bluff. Edgartown Light house stands at the entrance of the Edgartown
harbor. The Cape Pouge Light is situated on a bluff in Chappaquiddick.
A trip to many of the elegant and sturdy houses of the sea faring captains
would transport you back to the days of whaling and fishing lives of the residents
of the Vineyard.
Chicama Vineyards, West Tisbury; Cottage Museum, Oak Bluffs; Flying Horses
Carousel, Oak Bluff; Polly Hill Arboretum, West Tisbury; Martha’s Vineyard
Historical Museum, Edgartown; New Agricultural Hall, West Tisbury; The field
Gallery, West Tisbury; and the Tabernacle, Oak Bluffs are some of the places
worth seeing in the Vineyard.
There are festivals happening all round the year in Martha’s Vineyard.
Tivoli Day Festival, Possible Dreams Auction and the Island Theatre Workshop
are some of the popular festivals that would transport you to an altogether
different world of fun and entertainment.
For shopping in Martha’s Vineyard, you should look out for antiques and
hand crafted gift items. Artworks of painters and handcrafted works by local
artisans are also worth buying.
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