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Top Attractions in Martha's Vineyard

Vineyard Haven

Vineyard Haven is a community within the town of Tisbury on Martha's Vineyard in Dukes County, Massachusetts, United States. It is listed as a census-designated place by the U.S. Census Bureau, with a population of 2,114 as of the 2010 census. Known by the original Wampanoag inhabitants as "Nobnocket", this area was first referred to by the colonial settlers as "Homes Hole"; "Homes" from a Wampanoag term for "old man," and "Hole" meaning a sheltered inlet. By the 19th century it was more commonly spelled "Holmes Hole" after the descendants of John Holmes who had settled in the village during the second half of the 18th century. In 1871 the village officially changed its name to "Vineyard Haven". Though the name "Vineyard Haven" technically refers only to one section of the town of Tisbury, the names are used interchangeably, with Vineyard Haven now being a commonly used title for the whole town. Vineyard Haven is the main port of entry to Martha's Vineyard, and one of the three main population centers (with Edgartown and Oak Bluffs). The Steamship Authority wharf is located in Vineyard Haven, at which ferries arrive and depart year-round. (A second, seasonal wharf is located in neighboring Oak Bluffs.) Although the year-round population is only about 2,000 people, its population increases tremendously in the summer, as many houses on the Vineyard are owned by summer residents.

Polly Hill Arboretum

The Polly Hill Arboretum includes 8 ha under cultivation, with an additional 16 ha of native woodland, located on Marthas Vineyard at 809 State Road, West Tisbury, Massachusetts, USA. It has been developed since 1958 by the horticulturist Polly Hill, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2015. In 1687, Henry Luce, one of the first English settlers on Marthas Vineyard purchased 400 acres of land in the islands center from the natives. In 1926, 16 ha of this land, then a sheep farm, were acquired by Hills family. After her fathers death, Hill decided to create an arboretum in 1958, growing the trees from seed. Through purchase of adjacent land, the property was increased to a total of 24 ha . The Arboretum’s administrative offices are housed in a building dating from the 1670s. Other historic structures on the property include the Far Barn with its attached Slaughterhouse, the Cow Barn, and the adjacent "Gym". The Arboretum now contains North Tisbury azaleas, witch-hazels, winter hazels, camellias, magnolias, stuartias, conifers, and deciduous and evergreen hollies, and incorporates a dogwood avenue and a pleached hornbeam arbor. Polly Hill plant introductions include varieties of Cornus kousa, Ilex, Stewartia, and about forty Rhododendrons.

Mytoi

Mytoi is a small Japanese garden set within an open pine forest on Chappaquiddick Island, in Marthas Vineyard, Massachusetts. The Trustees of Reservations owns and maintains the property. The gardens signature feature is a small pond with an island that is reached by walking over an arched footbridge. Winding footpaths take visitors through birch groves, a dell of camellia and a rock garden. A rustic shelter offers broad views of the garden and a chance to become immersed in the meditative qualities of the landscape. Across Dike Road from the garden, a quarter-mile nature trail winds through pitch pine forest to Cape Poge Wildlife Refuge and the salt marshes of Poucha Pond. The Trustees of Reservations acquired the property in 1976 as a gift from the late Mrs. Mary Wakeman and extended it in 1981. 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.

Nomans Land Island National Wildlife Refuge

The Nomans Land Island Wildlife Refuge, is a United States National Wildlife Refuge located on Nomans Land, a 640-acre island off the coast of Marthas Vineyard in Massachusetts. It is part of the town of Chilmark, in Dukes County. The Island is 1.6 miles long east to west, and about 1 mile north to south. Nomans Land Island was used for aerial gunnery by the U.S. Navy from 1942 to 1996. The USFWS managed an "overlay" refuge on the Eastern third of the Island under a Joint Management Agreement between the Department of the Interior and Department of the Navy since 1975. Following an extensive surface clearance of ordnance in 1997 and 1998, the Island was transferred to the USFWS to become Nomans Land Island National Wildlife Refuge. It was established " . . . for use as an inviolate sanctuary, or for any other management purpose, for migratory birds" . Nomans Land Island is surrounded entirely by the Atlantic Ocean. About 30% of the island is wetlands which range from emergent marshes to permanently flooded-open water. There are four artificial ponds, two large freshwater ponds, and a number of smaller ponds dot the Island. Common wetland plants include: Virginia chain fern, cranberry, sphagnum moss, broad-leaved cattail, and common reed.

Cape Poge Light

Cape Poge Light, sometimes called Cape Pogue Light, is at the northeast tip of Chappaquiddick Island that is part of Martha's Vineyard, off the coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. At least four towers have been built on Cape Poge, with many moves. In 1801 the first 35-foot wooden Cape Poge Lighthouse was built for $2,000. During the War of 1812 the light was extinguished for a few months and its apparatus was hidden in the cellar of a Chappaquiddick house. This first lighthouse was moved in 1825 and again in 1838 due to an eroding bluff. In 1844 a new tower was built for $1,600 and in 1857 supplied with a fourth order Fresnel lens. However, in 1878 it was reported that the keeper's house would probably "fall into the sea within two years." A third lighthouse was therefore built in 1880. Finally, in 1893 the current, 35-foot , white conical wood tower was constructed, 40 feet inland from the previous one. The current tower has been moved four times, in 1907, 1922, 1960, and in 1987 when it became the first lighthouse to be moved by helicopter). The light was automated in 1943. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1987. The current light is a 12-inch solar powered beacon that flashes white every 6 seconds and is visible for 9 nautical miles . The light's focal plane is 65 feet above mean high water. The light is currently active and is under the auspices of the United States Coast Guard, however the tower has been transferred and is now owned and operated by The Trustees of Reservations, who provide tours during the summer season. The lighthouse can be reached via a 3.5-mile hike from the Dike Bridge or by four-wheel drive vehicle. The Cape Poge Lighthouse can be seen in the final two shots in the film "Jaws", off to the right as Roy Scheider and Richard Dreyfuss swim back to shore.

West Chop Light

West Chop Light is a lighthouse station located at the entrance of Vineyard Haven Harbor in Tisbury, Massachusetts on the northern tip of West Chop, a few miles from the village of Vineyard Haven. The first 25-foot rubblestone lighthouse and dwelling were built on the bluffs of West Chop in 1817. Following constant erosion, the lighthouse was moved back in 1830, and again in 1846. The first lightkeeper was pilot James Shaw West who tended the light for thirty years, from 1818 to 1848. His pay was $350 a year. Subsequent lightkeepers were Charles West, 1849-1868; his son Charles P. West, 1869-c1909; George F. Dolby ; James Yates ; and Octave Ponsart Sam Fuller has also been mentioned as a lightkeeper. The present 45-foot tall brick tower and dwelling were built in 1891. In 1976 West Chop Light became the last Martha's Vineyard lighthouse to be automated, but the original Fresnel lens is still in operation. The former lightkeeper's dwelling now serves as living quarters for the Menemsha Coast Guard Station. The West Chop Light Station has been on the National Park Service's National Register of Historic Places since 1987.

The Black Dog

The Black Dog is a restaurant and tavern in Vineyard Haven on the island of Martha's Vineyard. The restaurant was founded in 1971, and became well known for its souvenir T-shirts, featuring its logo of the eponymous black dog. They subsequently expanded to sell other products with the same logo. The Black Dog T-shirts became well known during the 1990s as photographs of celebrities wearing the shirts began appearing in national publications. For example, a photograph of then-President Bill Clinton jogging while wearing one was distributed by national wire services. Black Dog merchandise became part of the Lewinsky scandal, as items from the store were purchased by Bill Clinton and given to Monica Lewinsky. Marketing at The Black Dog was effective. During the early 1990s, the merchandise was only sold at the Martha's Vineyard location. Only a limited number of people were allowed in the store at one time, so lines formed down the wooden fenced ramp that ran from the front door. While waiting in line, visitors were given catalogs to browse. Nowadays, the merchandise is also available at "mainland" Cape Cod, Mystic, CT and Newport "Black Dog" stores as well as online. In 2000, The Black Dog released a cook book called The Black Dog Summer on the Vineyard Cookbook . In 2006, The Black Dog recalled approximately 9700 children's sweatshirts because they had a drawstring that poses a strangulation hazard. When Black Dog continued selling the clothing, the CPSC hit the company with a $50,000 fine. The New England Multihull Association and The Black Dog host a 22-mile yachting race from Vineyard Haven to Edgartown and back called the Black Dog Dash. It inspired author, J.B. Spooner, to create a children’s book series, consisting of three stories, about the story of The Black Dog. The first book, The Story of the Little Black Dog, is about how Captain Douglas got the black puppy. The second book, The Little Black Dog Buccaneer, is of the adventures the Captain and his dog have together. The third book, The Little Black Dog Has Puppies, is about The Black Dog and her love for her new puppies. The Black Dog currently has many locations on Martha's Vineyard and one on the island of Nantucket, as well as in the mainland Massachusetts towns of Falmouth, Mashpee, Provincetown, Newburyport, and Chatham. Outside of Massachusetts they have stores in Newport, RI, Portland, ME, Mystic, CT, and Annapolis, MD.

Chappaquiddick Island

Chappaquiddick Island , a part of the town of Edgartown, Massachusetts, is a small peninsula and occasional island on the eastern end of Martha's Vineyard. Norton Point, a narrow barrier beach, connects Martha's Vineyard and Chappaquiddick between Katama and Wasque . Occasional breaches occur due to hurricanes and strong storms separating the islands for periods of time. Most recently, the two were separated for 8 years from 2007 to 2015. Though both land forms have, over the course of history, mostly been connected to one another, Chappaquiddick is nevertheless referred to as an island. Visitors come to the isolated island for beaches, cycling, hiking, nature tours and birding, and the MyToi Gardens, a small Japanese garden created amidst the native brush. Chappaquiddick has one business, the Chappy Store, occasionally open during the summer months to serve basic needs. Two fire trucks are stationed on the island from Edgartown. Chappaquiddick Road and Pocha Road, both paved, provide access to sandy, woodland roads, trails, and shorelines. Chappaquiddick became internationally recognized following the July 18, 1969 incident, when the car of longtime U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy was accidentally driven off the island's Dike Bridge, which fatally trapped his young colleague, Mary Jo Kopechne, inside.

Edgartown Village Historic District

The Edgartown Village Historic District is a historic district encompassing the traditional center of Edgartown, Massachusetts, on the island of Martha's Vineyard. The district is roughly bounded by Water St. and Pease's Point Way , and encompasses some 500 acres . The buildings within the district primarily represent the period of Edgartown's growth in the 19th century, featuring the elaborate houses of wealthy ship captains, as well as significant public buildings such as the Dukes County Courthouse and Jail, the Federated Church, and the Whaling Church. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. Edgartown was settled after the area was granted in 1641 to Thomas Mayhew, having previously been occupied by the Wampanoag people, and was incorporated in 1671, when Martha's Vineyard was part of New York. Only portions of First Period construction have survived in Edgartown; one example is the Captain D. Fisher House on North Water Street . Most of the 18th century houses that survive are vernacular in their construction methods; the Thomas Cooke House is a typical Georgian five-bay house with a central chimney. Edgartown's heyday during the 19th century was roughly during the second quarter of the 19th century, when the whaling industry dominated its economy. As a result, a large portion of its architecture is in the most popular style from that time, the Greek Revival. However, side-hall plans that were typical of this time in other parts of Massachusetts were uncommon here, Most of the buildings from this period were cottages of one and a half stories, with modest styling such as corner pilasters. The Fisher House on Morse Street is probably the most elaborate Greek Revival house in the village. Because of the decline in the whaling industry and the village economy, there are comparatively few Victorian period buildings. Between 1895 and about 1930 a number of summer houses were built, predominantly in Colonial Revival styling.

Makonikey

Makonikey is a rural neighborhood on Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, that lies on the border of Tisbury (also known as Vineyard Haven) and West Tisbury. The Tisbury section is called Lower Makonikey, and the West Tisbury section is called Upper Makonikey. The neighborhood lies between Lambert's Cove Road and the Vineyard Sound, near Makonikey Point. It is a 5- to 10-minute drive from the center of Vineyard Haven. The neighborhood is named after Makonikey point. It is referred to in 18th-century records variously as "Conaconaket" and "Nowconaca" and "Necorneca", corruptions of the Wampanoag term for "old land" or "ancient place." In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Makonikey was known for its grand hotel, long since torn down. Today the area is semi-rural, with houses generally located on lots of greater than 3 acres (12,000 m2). The general feeling is that of "Up Island" even though the location is right on the edge of "Down Island". The winding dirt roads through the woods can be quite confusing, and are not properly marked either on maps or GPS - many of the roads listed are in fact "paper" roads, and still forested. As a result, most residents have affixed signs to direct visitors and delivery people to their houses (car GPS and online mapping services have not historically accurately mapped the area, but Google Maps has recently been updated with an accurate map of the area). These signs are usually in the form of some local animal or object, and are still the easiest way of finding most of the houses. Like the majority of Martha's Vineyard housing stock, most of the houses in Makonikey are used as summer residences. Lower Makonikey has more year-round residents, and is considered one of the more desirable neighborhoods in Vineyard Haven, as the houses and lots tend to be larger than usual for that town, combined with waterviews and beach access (this is generally true of the neighborhoods in Vineyard Haven between Lamberts Cove Road and the Vineyard Sound, Northern Pines, Pilot Hill, and Lower Makonikey) Lower Makonikey and Upper Makonikey are the subject of 2 separate associations, the Lower Makonikey Corporation and the Upper Makonikey Trust. The associations' main duties are road and beach maintenance. Beach access is private, like many other beaches in Massachusetts.

Farm Neck Golf Club

Farm Neck Golf Club is a semi-private golf club located in Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts on the island of Marthas Vineyard. The course was designed in 1979 by Geoffrey Cornish, Bill Robinson, and Patrick Mulligan. Farm Neck has been one of the top-ranked courses in the northeast United States and has consistently been ranked 4.5 out of 5 stars in Golf Digests "Best Places to Play". Originally starting out as only 9 holes, the course eventually expanded into the 18-hole course that it is today. Noted for the beauty of its topography, it has been cited as the best public golf course in New England. The course received media attention when President Bill Clinton played there while on vacation in 1993, and again when President Barack Obama played a round of golf there while vacationing in August 2009. In addition, the clubhouse now has a cafe serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner as well as tennis courts.

Tashmoo Springs Pumping Station

The Tashmoo Springs Pumping Station is a historic waterworks facility in Tisbury, Massachusetts, on the island of Martha's Vineyard. The pump station and associated works were first constructed by private interests in the 1880s to provide a reliable water supply for the burgeoning resort areas of Tisbury as well as the port of Vineyard Haven. The facilities were taken over by the town in the early 20th century, after which some alterations were made to accommodate technological improvements. Followinga series of hurricanes in the mid-20th century, which highlighted the risks of the station's location and ability to provide reliable drinking water, the town abandoned the facility. Since then it has been largely abandoned, although it was used in the 1990s by a bottled water interest, and some work has been done to preserve the Late Victorian main pumping station building.

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