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A walking tour of Oak Bluffs pier and harbor on Martha's Vineyard. See where summer ferries dock, watch local fishermen, and enjoy the waterfront.
Walk out along the Oak Bluffs Pier on a sunny day. You’ll see where the ferries dock in the summer, as well as where the local fishermen and women fish from the pier. It is the easiest walk in Oak Bluffs, and the one to do first.
Location: Oak Bluffs, Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, USA
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The Oak Bluffs pier is the arrival point for summer ferries from Woods Hole, Falmouth, Hyannis and Nantucket, and it is one of the liveliest spots on the island. From the pier, you'll see fishing boats heading out through the harbor mouth toward Nantucket Sound, and in the afternoon, local fishermen often line the railings hoping for striped bass and bluefish.
A rod leaning on the pier rail, its rig hanging over the boards. Striped bass and bluefish are what people are hoping for.
Looking inland from the pier, you'll spot the Flying Horses Carousel, the oldest operating platform carousel in America, built in 1876. Just beyond is Circuit Avenue, the center of Oak Bluffs' nightlife and shopping.
Lake Avenue at golden hour, on the way from the pier to the Campground: cottage porches with orange trim on one side and the harbor masts at the end of the street.
The harborside boardwalk at Oak Bluffs: benches along the rail, the breakwater rocks below, the pier beyond.
The steel figures at the foot of the Oak Bluffs fishing pier, a center-console heading out behind them.
The Island Queen from Falmouth passing the end of the fishing pier, its upper deck full.
From the pier you can walk south along the seawall to Inkwell Beach, a historic beach with calm water for swimming, or head inland two blocks to the Camp Meeting Association's Gingerbread Cottages: over 300 brightly painted Victorian homes surrounding the Tabernacle, an iron-frame open-air auditorium built in 1879. The full walking loop from pier to cottages and back takes about 45 minutes at a leisurely pace.
The long side of Trinity Methodist Church, tall Gothic windows down the yellow clapboard, with the Tabernacle’s cupola showing behind it. The path between them is the walk’s halfway point.
The walk back along Seaview Avenue passes Ocean Park, the seven-acre green with the Victorian bandstand in the middle that is the first thing most people see stepping off the ferry. Free Sundays in the Park concerts run there from late May through Columbus Day weekend, 5:30 to 7:30 in the evening through August and 5 to 7 in the fall. Keep going along the water and the East Chop lighthouse is a walk up the bluff; our Ocean Park guide and the Inkwell Beach walk cover both ends of it.
Filmed May 2021The island moves on: shops, signs and prices may differ from what you see here. The text of this guide was checked October 2026.
Ocean Park on a gray summer day, the lawn running down to Seaview Avenue and the Sound beyond it; the pier is a two-minute walk to the left.
Seaview Avenue along Ocean Park in August: the lawn on the left, cars nosed in along the water, a ferry at the pier in the distance.
Step 1 · WhenMonth PickerTwelve months compared on NOAA numbers, crowds, prices and what is open. 
Step 2 · DaysDay-by-Day Trip PlannerMorning, afternoon and evening sketched for every day, events dropped in, emailed to you. 
Step 3 · CostTrip Cost CalculatorFerry, beds with the rooms tax, meals, getting around and activities in one price range. Out along the Oak Bluffs pier, where the summer ferries dock and local anglers line the railings for striped bass and bluefish. It is the easiest walk in town.
Fishing boats heading out through the harbor mouth toward Nantucket Sound, and inland the Flying Horses Carousel, built in 1876, and Circuit Avenue beyond it.
About 45 minutes at a leisurely pace from the pier to the gingerbread cottages and back along Seaview Avenue past Ocean Park.
Inkwell Beach, south along the seawall, a historic beach with calm water.
More than 300 brightly painted Victorian homes of the Camp Meeting Association around the Tabernacle, the iron-frame open-air auditorium of 1879, two blocks inland from the pier.
Exploring the town? Start with our complete Oak Bluffs guide: food, beaches and parking.
The Martha's Vineyard Songwriters Festival, September 17 to 20, 2026: a free kickoff at Nomans and three nights of Nashville writers at the Strand Theatre in Oak Bluffs, with our photographs from inside the Strand, the night-by-night lineups and practical notes for next year.
The Feast of the Holy Ghost in Oak Bluffs, held every third full weekend of July since 1928: the Queen Isabel legend behind the free soup, the Sunday parade from the ferry up Circuit Avenue, the crown blessed at Our Lady Star of the Sea, the sopas at the Portuguese-American Club, the club the rest of the year, and how a visitor should behave at the island's Portuguese feast.
East Chop Lighthouse in Oak Bluffs: the 1878 cast-iron tower on Telegraph Hill, the Sunday sunset openings run by the Martha's Vineyard Museum, the semaphore and Chocolate Lighthouse history, and the bus stop and parking below the hill.
Shearer Cottage, Dorothy West, the Inkwell and 30 marked sites across the island: how to walk or tour the African American Heritage Trail of Martha's Vineyard.
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.
Island tip of the day Timing No. 61 of 79 New tip at midnight, island time
Visit Edgartown on a Tuesday or Wednesday. Same beautiful town, maybe 30% of the weekend crowds. Most restaurants have availability without reservations.
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