A Day Trip to Martha's Vineyard

It's finally summer and that means one thing in New England...THE BEACH. We really only have a couple months of warmth so live it up while you can. One of most popular destinations in Massachusetts is Martha's Vineyard. This stunning island is located off Cape Cod and known for it's picturesque beaches and charming cottages. We've been wanting to go for a while now and planned a day trip this past weekend. Here are some tips and spots we discovered on our island adventure!

Getting There 

In order to make your trip worth while you need to wake up early, like early morning flight to Disney early. You can't reserve tickets online unless you have a car so it's first come, first serve. There are many ferry companies that will take you to the vineyard but we recommend using Steamship Authority. The website lists the departures and arrivals of the ferry, and the location of the shuttle parking lot. When you arrive at the ferry terminal, you can choose a port destination on the island. We chose the Oak Bluffs because, Gingerbread Cottages. 

What to Eat 

After walking off the ferry, it was time for donuts - and mostly coffee. We strolled through town like we knew where we were going. Thankfully, there was an informational gazebo down the road with a helpful guide and maps. It's an absolute necessity to start your day trip in Oak Bluffs at Back Door Donuts, highly recommended by many a Martha's Vineyard traveler and it was delicious. For lunch, we headed to Martha's Vineyard Chowder Company and enjoyed some refreshing beverages and of course yummy chowda. To cap the day off we went to Vineyard's Best Ice Cream and Coffee. The ice cream was divine. 

Transportation on the Island

We spent most of the morning walking around the village and shops, after lunch we decided to travel to a new town. There are many methods of travel on the island - bikes, mopeds, taxi's and buses. The bus is a great way to get around the island because it's only $8 for all day pass. It's a complicated system but the ferry terminal has a map/schedule and the drivers are very helpful to connect you with the right route. 

Must-See Spots 

The highlight of our trip was most definitely the Gingerbread Cottages. We wandered around the town for a while before discovering the grove of charming colorful houses. It's hard to tell when you finally reach Wesleyan Grove because all the houses in town are so lovely. But when you get there, you'll know!

Our other main destination for the day was the Gay Head Lighthouse in Aqquinah. It took an hour and a half to get there on the bus with all the stops but it was definitely worth it for the breath taking view. The light house is perched on a cliff surrounded by light blue water, sand dunes and sea grass. The best part is you can actually walk down to the beach!  

If you only have one day, it would be hard to fit in more then two main spots on different parts of the island, but if you happen to have time for shopping there's no shame in doing that touristy thing like perusing in the ultimate prep store Vineyard Vines, or picking up a Black Dog long sleeve tee for the ferry right home. 

If you can time your ferry for sunset, you will enjoy the watching the sky fade into a lovely shade of pink over the water as think about your next trip to Martha's Vineyard. Happy travels!