Virtual walk through the Gingerbread Cottages of Oak Bluffs. Part 1 covers the colorful homes, Illumination Night lanterns, and island tradition.
Walk around the Gingerbread Cottages in Oak Bluffs on this virtual tour. Starting in the early 1800’s a group of Methodists started holding regular meetings on this site. It grew into a seasonal community of fancifully ornate summer cottages centered around a tabernacle that still operates as a meeting place and holds church services. The Cottages are home to an annual “Illumination Night” every August, an event dating back to the late 1800’s in which all of the homes are covered with Japanese lanterns, and every home lights them simultaneously. The lighting is preceded by a performance from a big band in the tabernacle and the whole thing is small-town America at its most old-fashioned.
Location: Gingerbread Houses Oak Bluffs Walking Tour Martha's Vineyard , Massachusetts, USA
Filmed May 2021The island moves on: shops, signs and prices may differ from what you see here. The text of this guide was checked September 2026.
Paper star lanterns on the gable of an 1867 cottage, the one night of the year the Campground lights every porch.
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