The Island was originally settled by Native Americans of the Wampanoag tribe, who at one point numbe

Martha s Vineyard is an Island off of the Cape Cod, Massachusetts coast. travel accessory It is the third largest island off of the coast of the eastern United States, and the largest true island not connected to the mainland by a bridge or a tunnel. The island is bordered to the West by Vineyard Sound, to the east by Nantucket Sound, and to the South by the Atlantic Ocean.
Martha s Vineyard actually consists of three islands, the main island that has the island s six towns, Chappaquiddick island which is part of Edgartown, and the island of Noman s Land, an uninhabited island that is part of the Town of Chilmark.
The Island was originally settled by Native Americans of the Wampanoag tribe, who at one point numbered nearly 3,000 on the island. Martha s Vineyard was purchased along with the Elizabeth Islands and Nantucket by Thomas Mayhew of Watertown, Massachusetts. His son, also Thomas, started the first settlement in what is now known as Edgartown in 1642.
dates back to the 1800s, has now become the life-blood of the Island s economy. travel accessory Every summer the Island s population swells from around 15,000 to nearly 100,000. Martha s Vineyard has become one of the Northeast s most prominent summer vacation destinations.
The Island offers a plethora of activities for the summertime vacationer including beautiful beaches , fabulous food, arts and culture, endless outdoor activities, picturesque scenery, and numerous interesting travel accessory and unique attractions and events. But be forewarned, visitors to the Island have a habit of falling in love with it and making it a life-long vacation destination.
Aquinnah The westernmost town on Martha s Vineyard, Aquinnah was first settled the English in 1669 and was incorporated in 1870 as Gay Head, a name it had until it changed its name to Aquinnah in 1998. The name Aquinnah is Wampanoag for land under the hill . Aquinnah is well known for the Gay Head Cliff s and the Gay Head Lighthouse .
Edgartown travel accessory Edgartown is the island s oldest town. It was first settled in 1642 by the Rev. Thomas Mayhew, Jr.. Originally known as Great Harbor , the town was incorporated in 1671 as Edgartown. The Island of Chappaquiddick is part of Edgartown.
Oak Bluffs The town of Oak Bluffs is a relative newcomer on the Island of Martha s Vineyard. Oak Bluffs was originally part of Edgartown. The seeds of the town grew up around the Methodist revival meeting campground travel accessory that started in the summer of 1835. When the town split off from Edgartown and was incorporated as its own township in 1880, its original name was Cottage City , a reference to the Methodist campground cottages . The town reincorporated in 1907 as Oak Bluffs and is still famous for the gingerbread cottages travel accessory and Tabernacle of the Martha s Vineyard Campground travel accessory Meeting Association travel accessory (MVCMA). The Tabernacle is the scene for Grand Illumination Night every August, a tradition that dates back to 1869. Oak Bluffs is a seasonal port for the ferries of the Steamship Authority .
Vineyard Haven / Tisbury Vineyard Haven was settled in 1660, and originally known as Holmes travel accessory Hole . Even at that time, the name Holmes Hole referred only to the port area. The town was incorporated as Tisbury travel accessory in 1671. In the 1870s the people of the town voted to change the name Holmes Hole to Vineyard Haven. The name Vineyard Haven, though, still only applied to the settlement around the harbor. So even though most maps and tourists refer to the Town as Vineyard Haven, the town s official name was and is Tisbury. Vineyard travel accessory Haven is the only year-round port for the ferries of the Steamship Authority from Woods Hole.
By Ferry The Steamship Authority runs ferries to Vineyard Haven year round, and to Oak Bluffs in season. These ferries can accommodate both passengers and vehicles. travel accessory Vehicle reservations are strongly recommended, especially during the summer months. Additional ferries run in season to the Island including:
By Plane Cape Air runs year round service to the Island from Boston, Hyannis, Nantucket, New Bedford, and White Planes, NY, as well as seasonal service from Providence, RI. Continental Express and US Airways Express also fly to the Island.
Travelers to Martha s Vineyard will find it an easy Island to get around. Many will bring over their own cars on one of the Steamship Authority ferries. For those who visit without a car, cars may be rented on Island.
Public transportation abounds on the Martha s Vineyard. The Island has bus service that is offered year-round by the Martha s Vineyard Transit Authority (VTA). Cab service is also available and there are always cabs that meet the arrival of the various ferries.
The moderating influence of the ocean makes the Island cooler than the mainland in summertime, and warmer than the mainland in the winter. While the Island may see frequent snow in the winter, it is just as likely to get cold rain, and whatever snow does fall typically melts quickly. Hurricanes are an infrequent possibility (once every 10+ years) during hurricane season.
The warmest month is July but it does stay warm well into September making the late summer travel accessory / early fall a wonderful time for families without school-age children to visit the Island. While it can reach the 90s in the summertime, travel accessory typical summer temperatures are in the high 70s and low 80s. The coldest travel accessory month of the year is January.
Photo credits: The map or Martha s Vineyard is from the Wikimedia Commons . It is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. The picture of the Steamship Authority ferries is by BenFrantzDale. It is from the Wikimedia Commons . It is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.