Excursions

No matter how you Get Around, Martha's Vineyard is great for sightseeing. Make a memory and take the Lighthouse Challenge, our featured Two-Day Two-Island tour, or any of our special bike or walking tours. Check out the Quick Links to the right for an Excursion that is custom made for you.

TWO DAYS – TWO ISLANDS
FEATURED TOUR!

Day One: Martha’s Vineyard Sampler

Begin your day with a sightseeing tour of the Island, which will provide a good overview of all the sights and history of the Vineyard, including a stop at the clay cliffs in Aquinnah, ancestral home of the Wampanoag Tribe. The Gay Head Cliffs are designated a National Natural Landmark be the U.S. Department of Interior in recognition of the biological and geological significance to the nation.

After the tour, visit the gingerbread cottages in Oak Bluffs, originally the site of Methodists summer revival meetings.  Then explore the many unique shops and art galleries in and around Circuit Avenue and The Arts District.  Take a stroll over to Ocean Park for a view of period homes, the gazebo and stunning vistas before you hope the #13 bus towards Edgartown.

Once in Edgartown, stroll down Main Street and stop by the Dr. Daniel Fischer House and the Old Whaling Church, a stately landmark built by whaling captains in 1843 and considered to be one of the finest examples of Greek revival architecture in New England.  Continue one to North Water Street, passing homes built by whaling captains surrounded by lovely gardens and beautiful views of the harbor.

The Martha’s Vineyard Museum is the Island's largest repository of cultural artifacts, historic photographs, archival records, and genealogical records. We strive to broaden awareness and access to the Island's history and shared memory.  At the end of North Water Street, walk down to the Edgartown Lighthouse.  Renovated and opened to the public in 2008, the views of Edgartown Harbor and Chappaquiddick Island will take your breath away.  

Day Two: Chappaquiddick Island

Use the VTA, the Vineyard’s public bus service or rent a bike and catch the On Time Ferry to Chappaquiddick.   

Chappaquiddick Island's eastern edge is a barrier beach formed thousands of years ago by offshore currents that deposited tons of sand. Today this beach extends for seven miles from Wasque Point past the Cape Poge Lighthouse to the Gut. During the early 1800s, the waters around Martha's Vineyard were among the busiest in the world. Cape Poge Lighthouse was built in 1801 to guide ships around the point. The years since 1801 have seen two reconstructions. The present white wooden structure was built in 1893; it is sixty-five feet above sea level and has a six-second flashing white light, which is visible for nine miles.

Mytoi ("me'-toi") is a small Japanese-style garden set within an open pine forest. In 1991, Hurricane Bob left the garden a tangle of uprooted trees and shrubs. Mytoi was redesigned and restored with mixed plantings of native and exotic trees and shrubs, some rare. The garden's signature feature is a small pond with an island that is reached by walking over an arched bridge. Winding footpaths take visitors through a birch walk, camellia dell, stone garden, and hillside garden. A rustic shelter offers broad views of the garden and a chance to become immersed in the meditative qualities of the landscape.

The Trustees of Reservations, operates Mytoi and gives tours over-sand and in kayaks of Cape Poge.

Head back to the overlook by the Westchop Lighthouse, or out to the picturesque fishing village of Menemsha and watch the sunset before heading out to dinner and turning in for the evening.

REFERENCES & RESOURCES:

VTA public bus service – Phone: 508.693.9440
 vineyardtransit.com

Chappy Ferry, known as the On-Time Ferry to Chappaquiddick
Located on Dock Street in Edgartown. From Main Street, take a left onto North Water Street and follow it until you see The Daggett House on the right, where you will see a sign for the Chappy Ferry. Takes only a few minutes to make the crossing.

Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) - Phone: (508) 645-9265 
20 Black Brook Road, Aquinnah, MA 02535-1546 - Monday through Friday, 9 am to 5 pm
wampanoagtribe.net

The Gay Head Cliffs
National  Park Service, Dukes County
nps.gov/nr/travel/maritime/sitelist.htm

Dr. Daniel Fischer House and the Old Whaling Church
Martha's Vineyard Preservation Trust – Phone:  508.627.4440
Post Office Box 5277, Edgartown, MA 02539
mvpreservation.org

The Martha’s Vineyard Museum - Phone: 508.627.4441 x110
59 School Street, Edgartown, MA
mvmuseum.org

Tours of Mytoi, over-sand and in kayaks of Cape Poge
The Trustees of Reservations - Phone: 508.693.7662
thetrustees.org

Village of Menemsha - menemsha.com

MVY.COM Martha’s Vineyard Chamber of Commerce
24 Beach Road, Vineyard Haven, MA 02568
Phone: (508) 693-0085 or toll free (800) 505-4815

Lighthouses
Walking and Biking Tours
Beaches
Where to Eat
Where to Stay