Martha's Vineyard Guidebook

Matthew
Martha's Vineyard Guidebook

Getting Around

The best way to explore the island is by car or bike. Taxis and Ubers are also available, as is public transportation. Public buses run along the Edgartown-West Tisbury Road, a short walk from the house. See the Martha's Vineyard Transit Authority website for maps and schedules. Options for car rentals, bike rentals, and taxis are listed below.
Martha’s Vineyard Bike Rentals
1 Main St
6 locals recommend
Wheel Happy Too
204 Upper Main St
6 locals recommend
Edgartown Bicycles
212 Upper Main St
6 locals recommend
Adam Cab LLC
256 Edgartown-Vineyard Haven Rd
All-Island Taxi of Martha's Vineyard
42 Circuit Ave
Bluefish Taxi
72 Airport Rd
Lighthouse Taxi Martha's Vineyard
24E Airport Rd
Martha's Vineyard Taxi Co.
14 Cedar Ave
A-A Island Auto Rental
4 Water St
A-A Island Auto Rental
4 Water St
7 locals recommend
Budget Car Rental
9 Oak Bluffs Ave
7 locals recommend
7 locals recommend
Budget Car Rental
9 Oak Bluffs Ave
7 locals recommend
Hertz Car Rental
29 Water St
Martha's Vineyard Auto Rental
196 Upper Main Street
Sun & Fun Inc
28 Lake Ave

Groceries

There are plenty of grocery stores on the Vineyard. Below are some of our favorites and those most convenient to our house.
74 locals recommend
Stop & Shop
225 Upper Main St
74 locals recommend
19 locals recommend
Edgartown Meat & Fish Market
240 Edgartown-Vineyard Haven Rd
19 locals recommend
12 locals recommend
Katama General Store
170 Katama Rd
12 locals recommend
47 locals recommend
Morning Glory Farm
120 Meshacket Road
47 locals recommend
41 locals recommend
Cronig's Markets
357 State Rd
41 locals recommend
45 locals recommend
The Net Result
79 Beach Rd
45 locals recommend

Dining

There are many excellent restaurants on the Vineyard. Below are some of our favorites. Particularly good for families with young kids are The Wharf (owned by Matt's cousins), Offshore Ale, Barn Bowl & Bistro (has bowling & food), Black Dog Tavern, and Giordano's. Great breakfast options are Right Fork Diner (where you can watch old-style bi-planes take off and land on a grass air strip), Artcliff Diner, Black Dog Tavern, Back Door Donuts, and Linda Jean’s. For a unique Vineyard experience, eat cooked lobsters on the beach at Menemsha and watch one of the best sunsets on the east coast. Call Larsen's Fish Market or Menemsha Fish Market in advance. They will cook & crack the lobsters for you and give you all you need (butter, napkins, wipes, etc.) to enjoy dinner on the beach. If you decide to try this, we'd advise taking a taxi or Uber, as parking can be difficult during the busy summer months.
58 locals recommend
ArtCliff Diner
39 Beach Rd
58 locals recommend
42 locals recommend
Atria
137 Main St
42 locals recommend
37 locals recommend
Back Door Donuts
1-11 Kennebec Ave
37 locals recommend
32 locals recommend
The Barn
13 Uncas Ave
32 locals recommend
52 locals recommend
The Black Dog Tavern
20 Beach Street Extension
52 locals recommend
29 locals recommend
Giordano's Restaurant
18 Lake Ave
29 locals recommend
48 locals recommend
Larsen's Fish Market
56 Basin Rd
48 locals recommend
48 locals recommend
Linda Jean's Restaurant
25 Circuit Avenue
48 locals recommend
12 locals recommend
Menemsha Fish Market
54 Basin Rd
12 locals recommend
45 locals recommend
The Net Result
79 Beach Rd
45 locals recommend
35 locals recommend
Offshore Ale Co
30 Kennebec Ave
35 locals recommend
51 locals recommend
The Port Hunter
55 Main St
51 locals recommend
16 locals recommend
The Right Fork Diner
Kelly Street
16 locals recommend
15 locals recommend
Rockfish
11 N Water St
15 locals recommend
24 locals recommend
The Sweet Life Café
63 Circuit Ave
24 locals recommend
18 locals recommend
The Wharf
3 Main St
18 locals recommend
Wolf's Den Pizzeria Tisbury
45 Beach Rd
Wolf's den Pizzeria | Edgartown
249 Edgartown-Vineyard Haven Rd

Beaches

The Vineyard has great beaches. See the Martha's Vineyard Chamber of Commerce website for a map and descriptions of each. Below are our favorites.
Beautiful clay cliffs. A great option up island.
17 locals recommend
Aquinnah Public Beach
53 Moshup Trail
17 locals recommend
Beautiful clay cliffs. A great option up island.
Good for families with kids. Very few waves. Parking lot close to the beach. Convenient location to Oak Bluffs and Vineyard Haven.
12 locals recommend
Eastville Point Beach
351 Beach Rd
12 locals recommend
Good for families with kids. Very few waves. Parking lot close to the beach. Convenient location to Oak Bluffs and Vineyard Haven.
The bridge at State Beach is fun for brave kids & adults to jump off. If you plan to go to State Beach and try this, best place to park is on the Edgartown side of the bridge (closer walk to the beach) as close as you can get to the bridge.
21 locals recommend
Jaws Bridge
267-125 Seaview Ave
21 locals recommend
The bridge at State Beach is fun for brave kids & adults to jump off. If you plan to go to State Beach and try this, best place to park is on the Edgartown side of the bridge (closer walk to the beach) as close as you can get to the bridge.
An excellent option for families with kids. Very calm water and parking on the road close to the beach. Make sure to have kids use the bathroom before going here, as there are no bathrooms at the beach (though the dunes can suffice in an emergency!).
43 locals recommend
Joseph Sylvia State Beach
267-125 Seaview Avenue
43 locals recommend
An excellent option for families with kids. Very calm water and parking on the road close to the beach. Make sure to have kids use the bathroom before going here, as there are no bathrooms at the beach (though the dunes can suffice in an emergency!).
Across the harbor inlet from Menemsha, this beach is just as beautiful and less crowded, but a farther drive because you have to go around Menemsha Pond to get there.
Lobsterville Beach
21 Lobsterville Rd
Across the harbor inlet from Menemsha, this beach is just as beautiful and less crowded, but a farther drive because you have to go around Menemsha Pond to get there.
18 locals recommend
Long Point Wildlife Refuge
Scrubby Neck Road
18 locals recommend
Nice fishing village with beach. Excellent sunset viewing. Get there early to get good parking.
35 locals recommend
Menemsha Beach
56-42 Basin Road
35 locals recommend
Nice fishing village with beach. Excellent sunset viewing. Get there early to get good parking.
Norton Point is one of our favorites. Our kids call it "Big Wave Beach." It is a great option for families with kids (though waves can be big on windy days) because you can drive on to the beach without having to carry all your gear. But it requires a 4WD vehicle and the purchase of a drive-on pass, which you can buy at Coop's Bait & Tackle on Edgartown-West Tisbury Road. The entrance to Norton Point is located at the end of left fork at Katama. Make sure that you deflate your tires before driving on. (There is an air station at the entrance to the drive-on section.)
Norton Point Beach
Norton Point is one of our favorites. Our kids call it "Big Wave Beach." It is a great option for families with kids (though waves can be big on windy days) because you can drive on to the beach without having to carry all your gear. But it requires a 4WD vehicle and the purchase of a drive-on pass, which you can buy at Coop's Bait & Tackle on Edgartown-West Tisbury Road. The entrance to Norton Point is located at the end of left fork at Katama. Make sure that you deflate your tires before driving on. (There is an air station at the entrance to the drive-on section.)
Small beach, very close to Ocean Park and Oak Bluffs town. Great for a quick swim if you're hanging out in Oak Bluffs.
7 locals recommend
Oak Bluffs Town Beach
7 locals recommend
Small beach, very close to Ocean Park and Oak Bluffs town. Great for a quick swim if you're hanging out in Oak Bluffs.
A nice little beach with no waves where you can watch boats and the ferries come & go in the Vineyard Haven harbor. The beach has a swing set for kids.
18 locals recommend
Owen Park Beach
18 locals recommend
A nice little beach with no waves where you can watch boats and the ferries come & go in the Vineyard Haven harbor. The beach has a swing set for kids.
Great beach, close to our house. Parking lots and bathrooms close to the beach.
15 locals recommend
Katama Beach/ South Beach
555 Katama Rd
15 locals recommend
Great beach, close to our house. Parking lots and bathrooms close to the beach.
A beautiful beach on Chappaquiddick, also great for fishing. Take the small car ferry over to Chappy from the Edgartown Wharf.
12 locals recommend
Wasque Point
11 Dike Rd
12 locals recommend
A beautiful beach on Chappaquiddick, also great for fishing. Take the small car ferry over to Chappy from the Edgartown Wharf.

Activities

The Vineyard has tons of activities, rain or shine. These have been some of our favorites over the years.
Allen Farm Sheep & Wool Co
421 S Rd
Ben and Bill's Chocolate Emporium
20a Circuit Ave
13 locals recommend
Book-A-Boat
Boathouse Road
13 locals recommend
Bunch of Grapes Bookstore
23 Main St
13 locals recommend
18 locals recommend
Chilmark Chocolates
19 State Rd
18 locals recommend
17 locals recommend
Farm Neck Golf Club
1 Farm Neck Way
17 locals recommend
Farm Neck Tennis
Farm Neck Road
8 locals recommend
Field Gallery
1050 State Rd
8 locals recommend
82 locals recommend
Flying Horses Carousel
15 Oak Bluffs Ave
82 locals recommend
9 locals recommend
Granary Gallery
636 Old County Rd
9 locals recommend
26 locals recommend
Island Alpaca Company
1 Head of the Pond Rd
26 locals recommend
9 locals recommend
Island Cove Mini Golf
386 State Rd
9 locals recommend
14 locals recommend
Island Spirit Kayak
Edgartown Oak Bluffs Road
14 locals recommend
7 locals recommend
Mad Martha's Edgartown
7 N Water St
7 locals recommend
9 locals recommend
Mad Max Sailing Adventures
25 Dock St
9 locals recommend
46 locals recommend
Martha's Vineyard Museum
151 Lagoon Pond Rd
46 locals recommend
Martha's Vineyard Sightseeing
23 Lake Ave
9 locals recommend
7 locals recommend
Martha's Vineyard Playhouse
24 Church St
7 locals recommend
Menemsha Blues Charters
54 Basin Rd
A great place to fly kites and run around, close to Oak Bluffs town.
12 locals recommend
Ocean Park, Oak Bluffs station
12 locals recommend
A great place to fly kites and run around, close to Oak Bluffs town.
Pirate Adventures: Martha's Vineyard
12 Circuit Avenue Extension
9 locals recommend
Ryan Family Amusements
19 Circuit Ave
9 locals recommend
8 locals recommend
Scoop Shack
22 Dock St
8 locals recommend
32 locals recommend
The Barn
13 Uncas Ave
32 locals recommend
Skipper
11 Park St
Tisbury Toy Box
79 Beach Rd

Parks & Nature

7 locals recommend
Cape Poge Lighthouse
59 Lighthouse Rd
7 locals recommend
Cape Poge Wildlife Refuge
40 Road To The Gut
6 locals recommend
Cedar Tree Neck
6 locals recommend
14 locals recommend
Cedar Tree Neck Sanctuary
14 locals recommend
Mass Audubon's Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary
100 Felix Neck Dr
13 locals recommend
13 locals recommend
Polly Hill Arboretum station
13 locals recommend

Fishing with Kids

Our kids love to fish. Here are some good spots, along with a couple of bait shops.
6 locals recommend
Coop's Bait & Tackle
147 W Tisbury Rd
6 locals recommend
Dick's Bait & Tackle
108 New York Ave
12 locals recommend
Eastville Point Beach
351 Beach Rd
12 locals recommend
Edgartown Memorial Wharf
50 Dock St
Oak Bluffs Fishing Pier
6-8 Seaview Ave
18 locals recommend
Owen Park Beach
18 locals recommend
Sharks Landing Bait & Tackle
2 E Chop Dr