The complete guide to Edgartown, Martha's Vineyard's oldest town. Whaling history, the lighthouse, fine dining, South Beach, and the Chappy Ferry.
Edgartown is Martha's Vineyard's dressed-up town: whaling money built it, the white clapboard captains' houses still line the streets, and the waterfront keeps its luxury quiet. Founded by English colonists in 1642 on land the Wampanoag had lived on for millennia, it's the island's oldest English town, its county seat, and the place where Vineyard Vines was born and Jaws was filmed. If you want good restaurants, quiet walks along the harbor, and streets that show what whaling money built, this is the town.
Brick, shingle, shutters and hydrangeas behind a white picket fence: the Edgartown look, one frame of it.
Filmed July 2021The island moves on: shops, signs and prices may differ from what you see here. The text of this guide was checked September 2026.
Here is the whole town for 2026: the history, what to see, where to eat and sleep, the beaches, the events, and the logistics.
What's Changed for 2026
A 502-foot breach opened at Norton Point on January 1, 2026, cutting the sand connection between Katama and Chappaquiddick. The Chappy Ferry is once again the only way across, likely for the whole year. Wasque Reservation closed briefly in early spring for pine-beetle tree removal and has reopened for the season, with a long-closed vehicle trail between Wasque and Leland Beach restored in August. On the brighter side: all VTA buses remain fare-free through June 30, 2027, the Chappy Ferry is $17 round-trip for a car and driver (bring cash; card acceptance is inconsistent), and the 'Round-the-Island Race is back in July after a one-year experiment with June.
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Edgartown occupies the eastern end of Martha's Vineyard. With a year-round population of roughly 5,200 residents, it's a small town that swells dramatically when the island's summer population surges. Where Oak Bluffs is gingerbread cottages and live music bars, Edgartown is the composed, preppy one. The distinction is visible on every block: polished white Federal-style homes with black shutters, boutiques carrying Lilly Pulitzer and J. McLaughlin, fine-dining restaurants tucked into sea captain's houses.
The nightlife here is intentionally minimal. Edgartown is not a dry town (it and Oak Bluffs both permit full alcohol sales), but its rhythm favors sunset cocktails on a harbor deck over late-night bar-hopping. It draws couples, families, people who like old houses, and sailors who want a quiet evening. If you're choosing between the two towns and want energy and nightlife, Oak Bluffs is your answer. If you want history, architecture, and the island's best restaurants, Edgartown wins.
The wharves paid for the mansions: a fifth of America’s whaling fleet sailed under Vineyard captains at the peak.
Edgartown's English story begins in 1642, when Reverend Thomas Mayhew Jr. led families to the Wampanoag harbor they renamed Great Harbor. It became one of Martha's Vineyard's two original incorporated towns in 1671, renamed "Edgar Towne" after Edgar, the young son of James, Duke of York, who had died just one month earlier, though news hadn't yet crossed the Atlantic.
The town's golden age arrived with whaling. Deep-sea whaling peaked between the 1820s and 1850s, transforming Edgartown into a center of maritime wealth. According to local histories, Vineyard-born captains at the peak commanded roughly 150 New Bedford vessels, nearly a fifth of America's whaling fleet, and by 1850 about half of the island's male population went to sea. The Vineyard Gazette noted that during this era, Martha's Vineyard supplied more whaling captains and whalemen in proportion to its population than any locality on earth.
That wealth built North Water Street, a procession of grand captain's homes that remains one of New England's finest residential streetscapes. Local accounts put more than 100 whaling captains' homes in Edgartown, many built in a single boom decade between 1835 and 1845. Captain Valentine Pease, whose Greek Revival house still stands, captained the Acushnet (the ship on which 21-year-old Herman Melville sailed in 1841) and is widely believed to have inspired Captain Ahab in Moby-Dick.
Whaling collapsed after petroleum was discovered in Pennsylvania in 1859, making kerosene far cheaper than whale oil. Tourism slowly replaced the industry, and by 1928, the Edgartown Yacht Club had purchased the old whaling wharf, a fitting symbol of the transition from blubber to blue blazers.
Two events mark Edgartown's modern fame: the 1969 Chappaquiddick incident, in which Senator Ted Kennedy drove off Dike Bridge on Chappaquiddick resulting in the drowning death of Mary Jo Kopechne; and the 1975 filming of Jaws, for which Edgartown doubled as the fictional town of Amity Island. Spielberg's crew shot the town hall scenes, harbor sequences, and Main Street exteriors here, though the famous "Jaws Bridge" sits on the Oak Bluffs/Edgartown town line along Beach Road.
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Bought from the federal government in 2014 for one dollar; the climb costs five.
At the end of North Water Street stands a 45-foot cast-iron lighthouse originally built in 1881 for Crane Beach in Ipswich, Massachusetts, and relocated to Edgartown by barge in 1939 after the 1938 hurricane destroyed the original 1828 structure. The town bought it from the federal government in 2014: for one dollar. Managed by the Martha's Vineyard Museum, it's open seasonally from late May through mid-October, roughly 10 AM–4 PM in peak summer (confirm current hours at mvmuseum.org). Admission is $5 for adults; children 12 and under free. Climb the spiral staircase and you get Edgartown Harbor, Chappaquiddick, and Cape Cod in one turn. The base features a Children's Memorial with around 2,000 inscribed cobblestones. The surrounding Lighthouse Beach is free and accessible year-round.
A slow walk up North Water Street is the single best thing you can do in Edgartown. The homes here, built during the whaling boom between roughly 1820 and 1860, span Federal and Greek Revival styles, with white clapboard exteriors, Corinthian columns, and widow's walks on the roofs. The Edgartown Village Historic District encompasses these houses alongside Main Street's commercial blocks and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. No museum ticket required: the street itself is the exhibit.
89 Main Street. An 1843 Greek Revival church built on a grand scale, designed by Frederick Baylies Jr. and built by shipwrights for Edgartown's Methodist whaling captains. Six massive columns support a 92-foot clock tower, and the interior features trompe-l'œil murals, originally painted by Carl Wendte, and faithfully recreated by island artist Margot Datz over a decade of restoration work. Now managed by the Vineyard Preservation Trust as a performing arts center seating roughly 500, it still holds a 9 AM Sunday Methodist service in summer. Free to enter for services; ticketed for performances.
The Carnegie Heritage Center (58 North Water Street), housed in Edgartown's 1904 Carnegie Library building, contains the Ray Ellis Maritime Collection of Vineyard paintings and scrimshaw displays. Its 75-minute Historic Walking Tour runs Tuesday through Saturday at 10:30 AM (and by appointment), May through October, and gets you inside places you otherwise only see from the sidewalk: the Old Whaling Church, the Daniel Fisher House, and the Vincent House (circa 1672), the oldest surviving residence on Martha's Vineyard, with original wattle-and-daub construction exposed in several walls. 2026 pricing is $30 for adults, $15 for youth, kids 5–12 free; private tours run $50 per person.
Renovated in 2022 and raised to address sea-level rise, Dock Street's Memorial Wharf has a free upper deck with the whole harbor laid out in front of you. It's the best vantage point for watching the Chappy Ferry shuttle back and forth and for watching the harbor fill up on summer mornings. Free and open year-round.
A
B
CA: sunset over the moorings; B: Memorial Wharf, rebuilt and raised in 2022; C: Dock Street, the short walk that connects Main Street to the water.
Edgartown was Amity in Jaws. Half a century later the town wears it lightly, but the 1975 locations are still there if you know where to look. Edgartown Town Hall (70 Main Street) played Amity's town hall inside and out. The Amity Police Department and the Amity Gazette newspaper office were shot on South Water Street. The hardware store where Chief Brody buys sign paint stood at the corner of South Water and Main; today it's The Port Hunter restaurant at 55 Main Street. The Chappy Ferry itself appears in the film, carrying Brody and Mayor Vaughn mid-argument, and Edgartown Harbor hosted Hooper's arrival, the tiger-shark dock scene, and Mrs. Kintner's famous slap. Our complete Jaws filming locations guide maps every spot island-wide.
2026 marks the film's 51st anniversary, and the celebrations did not stop after last year's fiftieth. Amity Week ran June 20–27 with screenings, trivia, and events across town, and the Martha's Vineyard Museum's "Jaws at 50: An Island Story" exhibit continues. To go deeper, the Edgartown Tour Company runs a one-hour Amity Tour of JAWS (confirm current rates when booking) with film clips played on an iPad at each location. We took the tour ourselves and would pay for it again. Groups that want the full island-wide circuit can book a private four-hour van tour with Experience MV Tours, from around $500. Souvenir hunters should hit CB Stark for Jaws charms and Soft As a Grape for Amity Island gear. And if it rains, Pirate's Puzzle runs a Jaws-themed escape room.
Five hundred and twenty-seven feet of water and a ninety-second ferry: Chappaquiddick starts here.
Chappaquiddick Island ("Chappy" to everyone) is officially part of Edgartown, separated by just 527 feet of harbor water. The On-Time Ferry departs continuously from Dock Street, carrying three cars plus pedestrians and bikes on a crossing of about 90 seconds. It earned its name because with no fixed schedule, it can never be late. Current 2026 fares: $5 per passenger round-trip, $17 car and driver, $8 bike and rider, $10 moped or motorcycle. Credit and debit cards are accepted at the kiosk on the Edgartown side; cash works on board. Summer hours run 6:30 AM to midnight.
And in 2026, the ferry is the only way across. On January 1, 2026, a 502-foot breach opened at Norton Point, severing the sand connection between South Beach and Chappaquiddick that over-sand vehicles had used since the last breach healed in 2015. Town officials expect the cut to persist at least through the year (the previous breach took eight years to close), so don't plan on driving the barrier beach to Chappy this season.
On the island itself, start with Mytoi, a quiet 14-acre Japanese-inspired garden on Dike Road with a koi pond, arched bridges, and a torii gate, managed by The Trustees of Reservations. It's open daily sunrise to sunset; admission is $10 for non-member adults May through October (children 12 and under free, basic Trustees members $5, Contributing members free) and free for everyone November through April. The parking lot holds only about 15 cars and fills fast on summer mornings; no dogs allowed. Late May and June bring the best blooms. In December, the "Illuminate Mytoi" luminary walk is a lovely off-season excuse to visit.
Cape Poge Wildlife Refuge covers roughly 516 acres along a seven-mile barrier beach running from Wasque Point past the Cape Poge Lighthouse to the Gut: wild Atlantic shoreline ideal for birding and surf casting. The lighthouse, first built in 1801 (the current 1893 tower was moved 500 feet inland by helicopter in 1987), can be visited on Trustees-guided tours in most seasons; availability shifts year to year, so check with the Trustees (508-627-7689) before planning around one. Note that Norton Point Beach is now managed by the Town of Edgartown, not the Trustees; over-sand vehicle permits run $90 for residents and $140 for non-residents, with piping plover closures typically from late May to mid-August. Wasque Reservation closed briefly in late winter 2026 for pine-beetle tree removal and is open again for the season; the Trustees list current conditions online.
Beyond the beaches, Chappy is flat, quiet, and perfect for biking, but plan ahead: there are no gas stations and no restaurants. The seasonal Chappy General Store (219 Chappaquiddick Road) and the adjacent Blackbird Café food truck cover snacks and coffee in summer, and Slip Away Farm up the road runs an honor-system produce stand from June through September. The Chappy Community Center on Chappaquiddick Road has wifi if you need to check in with the mainland. Dike Bridge, of 1969 notoriety, is town-owned and publicly accessible. If you're walking the trails or the dunes, read our tick safety guide first; the warning signs at the trailheads are there for a reason. Allow a half-day, more if the fish are biting.
Kelley Street (inside the Faraway Martha's Vineyard hotel). The building dates to 1742, making it one of the island's oldest structures. Original rough-hewn beams, ballast brick walls, and a dark tavern atmosphere. Menu: fish and chips, haddock chowder, lobster penne. Moderate pricing by Edgartown standards, and open year-round. Confirm current hours with the hotel.
71 Main Street. Anchoring Main Street since 1999 with French- and Italian-inflected American cuisine and what MV Magazine calls the island's best cocktails. Wine Spectator Award winner. Entrées in the $40–$75 range. Check current days and hours before making the trip.
137 Main Street. Set in a 19th-century sea captain's home, Atria is the top of Edgartown's fine dining, or close to it: contemporary New England cuisine at the high end of the island's price range, open nightly for dinner in season. The casual Brick Cellar Bar downstairs offers gourmet burgers and live music at a lower price point.
Dusk settling over L’Etoile’s corner of Edgartown, string lights coming on over the garden.
55 Main Street. Seafood, small plates, and live music in the old hardware store that Jaws fans will recognize as Amity Hardware. One of the few Edgartown spots still lively late in the evening.
15 Winter Street (Nevin Square). A small room and serious cooking: inventive seasonal plates, hand-rolled pasta, and an exceptional wine list. Open Tuesday–Saturday evenings, seasonally.
38 North Water Street. Reliable casual Italian with seafood paella, lobster ravioli, and friendlier prices than most Edgartown spots. One of the more approachable fine-casual options in town.
31 Dock Street (adjacent to Memorial Wharf). Casual waterfront seafood with wraparound deck views of the harbor. Touristy, but the second-floor view over Edgartown Harbor makes up for it on a clear day. Seasonal.
Crepes and omelets under the awning since 1979; the best breakfast line in town.
17 Mayhew Lane. A garden patio spot that made the New York Times, serving crepes, waffles, and omelets since 1979. The best breakfast in town. Seasonal.
A few more worth knowing:
A seat at the bar at Rockfish: the menu dated for the season, a pint, and the room filling up behind you.
The long bar at Rockfish on North Water Street.
Edgartown has the island's deepest bench of upscale lodging, and the flagship is the Harbor View Hotel (131 North Water Street), a 130-plus-year-old hotel across from the lighthouse, freshly renovated, with the Bettini restaurant, a heated saltwater pool, free bikes, and a golf-cart shuttle into town. Luxury prices in season; shoulder-season rates come down a long way. The Charlotte Inn offers English-manor formality of the Relais and Châteaux variety, while Faraway Martha's Vineyard, the reimagined old Kelley House on Kelley Street, brings a boutique, younger energy plus The Newes from America downstairs. Out at Katama, the Winnetu Oceanside Resort is the family pick: the closest resort to South Beach, about a 10–15 minute walk over the dunes, with its own Dune restaurant.
Beyond those anchors, downtown has plenty of historic inns: the Hob Knob, the Edgartown Inn, the Christopher, the Ashley Inn, the Jonathan Munroe House, Vineyard Square Hotel and Suites (the old Colonial Inn), The Richard, the Edgar Hotel and The Franklin. For July, August, or the Christmas in Edgartown weekend, book months ahead: rooms and ferry car slots disappear together. If you go the rental-house route instead, you'll have plenty of company: Edgartown has more short-term rentals than any other island town, roughly 1,400 by the town's own count. Just budget for the 11.7% occupancy tax (5.7% state plus the 6% local maximum, which Edgartown adopted) that gets added to both hotel and rental bills. Our island-wide where-to-stay guide compares towns and price tiers if you're still deciding.
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No chains, no T-shirt racks: the shopping here is white clapboard and window boxes.
Edgartown's shopping district along Main Street, North Water Street, and Dock Street has an unmistakably upscale, preppy-nautical character: no chain stores, no souvenir T-shirt shops. It is the opposite of Circuit Avenue in Oak Bluffs.
South Beach (Katama) is the headliner, a three-mile Atlantic-facing barrier beach roughly four miles south of downtown, with powerful surf, free parking, and lifeguards from late June through Labor Day. No dogs at any time. Reach it by VTA bus from downtown (free in 2026) or by bike along the Katama Road path, about 15 minutes. Arrive early in peak summer as parking fills fast.
Joseph Sylvia State Beach stretches two miles along Nantucket Sound between Oak Bluffs and Edgartown, with calm, warm water ideal for families; lifeguards cover the Edgartown end, and dogs are prohibited April 1 through August 31. A paved bike path runs its full length along Beach Road, also the route with the Jaws Bridge at the midpoint. Lighthouse Beach, at the base of Edgartown Lighthouse, is a small, quiet harbor beach perfect for calm-water swimming, sunrise walks, and watching sailboats, steps from downtown, and one of the few beaches where leashed dogs are welcome year-round. Nearby Fuller Street Beach is the local kids' favorite for crab-catching, while Bend in the Road Beach along Beach Road offers easy, calm swimming (no dogs at any time). Over on Chappy, East Beach and Leland Beach deliver the wild-Atlantic experience. See the Chappaquiddick section above for 2026 access notes, and pack tick repellent for the dune paths (our tick guide explains why). For the full island rundown, see our beach parking and access guide.
Edgartown is the island's saltwater sports capital. The harbor hosts charter captains chasing stripers, blues, bonito, and false albacore from Katama Bay out to the Cape Poge rips, some of the most famous surf-casting water on the East Coast. Kayak and paddleboard rentals put you on the flat water of Katama Bay and Sengekontacket Pond, and sailing charters run daily from the town wharves in season. Recreational shellfish permits for family clamming are sold through the town. And every September, the town becomes ground zero for the MV Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby. Details below.
Edgartown's public courts are the town courts on Robinson Road (47 Robinson Road), behind the Edgartown School with parking off the road, run by the Edgartown Parks Department, (508) 627-6145. The department also lists pickleball at 70 Main Street. The school campus has had construction under way in 2026, so call before you drive over with a racket; the other reliable public option is Niantic Park in Oak Bluffs, first come, first served.
The Edgartown Board of Trade's celebration of the 51st anniversary of Jaws, with island-wide screenings, trivia nights, and events. The Harbor View Hotel ran its own Amity Weekend June 18–21, and the MV Museum's Jaws exhibit continues beyond the week itself.
Bagpipers on Main Street before the harbor fireworks; the parade steps off at five.
The annual parade marches down Main Street beginning at 5 PM, followed by fireworks over the harbor at dusk. One of the best-known Fourth of July parades in New England. Book accommodation months in advance.
The Edgartown Yacht Club's signature event and the centerpiece of Edgartown Race Weekend: a circumnavigation of Martha's Vineyard of roughly 52 nautical miles, first sailed in 1938 and now in its 89th running. After a one-year experiment with a June date, the race returns to its traditional July slot in 2026. (Don't confuse it with the separate Vineyard Cup, July 10–12; that regatta is run by Sail MV out of Vineyard Haven.)
One of America's oldest and largest fishing tournaments, now in its 81st year, with daily weigh-ins at Dock Street (8–10 AM and 7–9 PM). Draws 3,500+ anglers from across the East Coast.
The off-season weekend the whole island turns out for, now in its 45th year. A lighthouse lighting to open the weekend (the Board of Trade posts the exact night), a Saturday parade with Santa arriving by antique firetruck, carriage rides, carolers, and over 100 events across four days. One of the best reasons to visit the Vineyard in December.
For a quick overview of the town including accommodation tips and FAQs, see our Edgartown town guide.
There is no year-round direct ferry to Edgartown. The Steamship Authority serves Vineyard Haven (year-round) and Oak Bluffs (May–October) from Woods Hole. However, the seasonal Falmouth–Edgartown Ferry "Pied Piper" offers direct passenger service from Falmouth Harbor to Memorial Wharf, a 45-minute ride, with 2026 fares of $35–$45 one-way ($70–$90 round-trip) depending on the day, children $15 to $25 one-way depending on the day, bikes $10. Valet parking ($45 a day) is available at 278 Scranton Avenue in Falmouth. Additional seasonal ferries from Hyannis, New Bedford, and Falmouth arrive at Oak Bluffs.
The Pied Piper at Memorial Wharf: the only boat that lands you in Edgartown itself, straight from Falmouth harbor.
From Oak Bluffs, the VTA Route 13 bus reaches Edgartown in roughly 15 minutes. In 2026, all VTA rides are free under a state-funded fare-free program funded through June 30, 2027. Alternatively, the paved bike path along Beach Road covers about five to six miles between Oak Bluffs and Edgartown, one of the island's most popular rides, hugging Nantucket Sound with the Jaws Bridge roughly halfway. In town, R.W. Cutler (1 Main Street) and Wheel Happy rent bikes by the day. If you'd rather not wait for a bus, taxis cover the whole island. All Island Taxi (508-693-2929) and Adam Cab (508-627-4462) are reliable, and Uber and Lyft operate here too, though cars get scarce at peak times.
Parking in downtown Edgartown is extremely limited in summer, with two-hour street limits and no overnight parking. The best strategy is the free Park and Ride at "The Triangle" on Upper Main Street with a shuttle into downtown (confirm current shuttle hours with the VTA). Better still, leave the car at home: Edgartown's compact walkable center, the free VTA, and the bike path make it one of the most manageable towns on the island to explore without a vehicle.
Know Before You Go
Public restrooms at the Visitor Center on Church Street and at Memorial Wharf.
The full-size Stop and Shop is at the Triangle on Upper Main; Morning Glory Farm a short hop further for produce and prepared food. Banks and ATMs cluster on Main Street.
The Edgartown Free Public Library (26 West Tisbury Road): quiet, air-conditioned, wifi.
The nearest ER is Martha’s Vineyard Hospital in Oak Bluffs, about 15 minutes away.
Public charging near the school and municipal lots; chargers are scarce island-wide, so top up when you can.
Leashed dogs are fine on Lighthouse Beach year-round; South Beach and Bend in the Road are no-dog at all times; State Beach bans them April through August.
Trails, dunes or tall grass anywhere on the island? Five minutes with our tick safety guide first. The least glamorous and most useful page on this site.
Lighthouse hours, ferry schedules, tour prices, and restaurant opening dates change seasonally. Every figure in this guide was verified in July 2026, but confirm before you build plans around it. Start with mvmuseum.org (lighthouse), chappyferry.com (Chappy Ferry), and steamshipauthority.com (island ferries).
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Island tip of the dayTimingNo. 82 of 86New tip at midnight, island time
Edgartown Lighthouse is climbable daily in summer, roughly 10 AM–4 PM, with the shortest waits right at opening. Small admission ($5 at last check). Staff may close the door a few minutes early.
The Hallmark Martha's Vineyard Mysteries are not filmed on Martha's Vineyard: Victoria, British Columbia plays the island on screen. But the books behind the movies are pure Vineyard, and the real places are better than the set.
New Woods Hole terminal, fare-free buses, new restaurants in Oak Bluffs and Vineyard Haven, a reopened lighthouse and more: everything that changed on the island in 2026.
On August 19, 1991, Hurricane Bob hit Martha's Vineyard at the height of the season: 98 mph winds, 84 boats wrecked in Edgartown Harbor alone, a sloop in the Harborside Inn pool, and a false autumn by Labor Day. The story of the storm, told through an original Vineyard Gazette storm edition we found in an island thrift shop.
Inside Edgartown's 4th of July: the Main Street parade with fifes, floats, classic cars and Camp Jabberwocky, then fireworks over the harbor, with photos, video and tips for doing the day right.
Take a guided Jaws tour of Martha's Vineyard with local guide Mike Currid. Walk the real Amity Island in Edgartown and book the "Amity" Walking Tour.
A first-hand look at the Edgartown Historic Walking Tour and "Amity" Jaws Tour with Mike Currid of the Edgartown Tour Company: what to expect, what you'll learn, and how to book.
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