The Island
(Click each photo for more info.)
Just a five minute walk from the house, you'll find Lagoon Pond. A long narrow inlet, it starts at the drawbridge in Vineyard Haven harbor and ends in Oak Bluffs. With its shallow sandy beach, it's the perfect place for sailing, swimming and even clamming!
The Gay Head Lighthouse is located on the westernmost point of the island in Aquinnah. This popular attraction boasts breathtaking views of the ocean and stunning clay cliffs below. It's also one of the best beaches on the island for adults and kids alike.
Long Point Wildlife Refuge is the insider's spot for a great day at the beach. In addition to miles and miles of open pristine ocean, Great Tisbury Pond sits just on the other side of the dunes. Great for kids, kayaking and birdwatching.
South Beach, also known as Katama Beach, is arguably one of the most popular beaches on the island. Its three miles of fine surf on one side and protected salt pond on the other make this a water paradise. Not to mention if you have a permit you can drive your car onto the sand! Fun.
Feel like a few rounds? Farm Neck Golf Course is exactly 1 mile away. The club rests on a peninsula (or "neck") of rolling farmland on the eastern side of the Island, overlooking Nantucket Sound. It's open to the public for golf, tennis and dining. You may even spot a President or two.
Talk about sittin' on the dock of the bay. Larsen's Fish Market in Menemsha is my favorite place to do just that. It's bring your own so start with a cooler full of wine or beer, add an order of their famed oysters, steamed lobster and stuffed quahogs and let the good times role.
Oak Bluffs is famous for its Gingerbread Cottages. These multicolored houses are clustered on the Campgrounds, the first summer religious camp in the US. Known for its open air revivals, the grounds were once filled with tents for lodging, later replaced by these small wooden cottages in the 1860s and 1870s.
Flying Horses is the oldest operating platform carousel in America. Dating back to the late 1800s, the carousel is located in the center of town in Oak Bluffs. It's a great place to take the kids before heading out to nearby Ocean Park, Town Beach, aka The Inkwell, or shopping along Circuit Avenue.
Overlooking Lagoon Pond you'll find Sailing Camp Park. It's a popular event destination due to its breathtaking views of the pond. What's not as well known, however, is that it also boats picturesque walking trails that meander gracefully from the woods to the water. And just a five minute stroll from the house.
The Vineyard has so many great places for food. Here are a few favorites... Breakfast at the Scottish Bakehouse, fresh provisions from the West Tisbury Farmers Market, lobster rolls from Grace Church, fried clam bellies at Nancy's, craft beer at Bad Martha Brewery and late night sweets from Backdoor Donuts.