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The complete guide to West Tisbury, Martha's Vineyard's agricultural heart. The famous farmers market, Alley's General Store, and Lambert's Cove Beach.
West Tisbury is the island's farm town: rolling pastures, stone walls, three-acre minimum lot sizes, and the island's oldest general store. About 40% of the Vineyard's land is conserved, and West Tisbury holds more than its share of it. The town has no commercial strip, no nightlife and no harbor. It has farms, woods, galleries and the fair.
Open pasture down to a small pond, with a sliver of ocean past the tree line. Three-acre zoning keeps much of West Tisbury this open.
The front porch at 7a Foods in West Tisbury, with the We're Open 7-3 board out and a painted carousel horse by the door.
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The West Tisbury Farmers Market is at the Agricultural Hall, 35 Panhandle Rd. In 2026 it runs Saturdays June 6–October 31 and Wednesdays June 10–August 26, 9 AM–noon, rain or shine, with free parking and admission. Dogs are not allowed, and SNAP/EBT is accepted. Every farm stand on the island, with hours and honor-system rules, is in our farm stand guide.
It was revived in 1974 "by a ragtag group of hippies, Yankees, and retired English teachers."
Stalls to look for: Khen's Eggrolls (started 1986 by Vietnamese immigrant Thi Khen Tran, now run by grandson Anh Phan Ho), Goldie's Rotisserie (French rotisserie chicken), Salt Rock Chocolate Co. (returning 2026, carrying on where Chilmark Chocolates left off), and Good Pierogi. Farms: Morning Glory, North Tabor, Beetlebung, Whippoorwill, Cottage City Oysters.
There are over 40 vendors, with a strict 2:1 ratio of farm to non-farm stalls. Regulars include Morning Glory Farm (produce, meat, flowers), North Tabor Farm, Cottage City Oysters, Island Bee Company (honey), Little Rock Farm (baked goods, since 1982), Khen's Little Kitchen (the egg rolls sell out fast) and Good Pierogi (new 2025). There's live music every market day. Founded in 1934 and revived in 1974, the market is in its 52nd year of continuous operation, and the best selection goes to whoever arrives at 9 AM.
The Vineyard Preservation Trust has owned the store since 1993, and Michael and April Levandowski (owners of the LeRoux chain) have leased it since April 2021. The motto still holds: groceries, penny candy, beach supplies, postcards, clam rakes and peacock feathers, with a branch post office inside.
The front porch is West Tisbury's unofficial living room, where regulars gather with coffee and game boards. Presidents Clinton and Obama have shopped here (Obama came with his daughters in 2009). Hours: Mon–Fri 7:30 AM–5:30 PM, Sat 8 AM–5:30 PM, Sun 8 AM–5 PM. Year-round. (508) 693-0088.
Behind Alley's at 1045 State Road, Dan Sauer and Wenonah Madison opened 7a in 2010. They make egg sandwiches from scratch on housemade biscuits, "The Liz Lemon" pastrami sandwich and a compost cookie with a following of its own. It's a counter window only, with no indoor seating. Open daily 7 AM–3 PM in season. (508) 693-4636.
The chalkboard inside 7a: egg sandwiches up front, soups on the right and the Order Here sign in the middle.
Alley's itself, at 1045 State Road, is the island's oldest retail business. Nathan Mayhew, a blind man back from a failed California gold rush, founded it, and the Vineyard Trust bought it in 1993 for $300,000 after a community "Save Alley's" campaign. President Obama took daughters Malia and Sasha shopping here on August 30, 2009. Coffee, groceries, penny candy, hardware, beach supplies, local honey.
The plaque on Alley's General Store: 1858, restored and maintained by the Martha's Vineyard Preservation Trust.
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The 7a Foods sign by the road in West Tisbury, with a white church steeple showing over the trees.
State Road Restaurant (688 State Rd) was a 2026 James Beard Outstanding Hospitality semifinalist. Mary and Jackson Kenworth have owned it since 2009, Jonathan Warnock is the chef, and the farm-to-table menu draws on the restaurant's own gardens. $$$$. Book on Resy (tables open 29 days ahead) or by phone at (508) 693-8582; parties of six to eight by phone only.
Restaurant Foster at Lambert's Cove Inn (90 Manaquayak Rd) is Chef Galen Sampson's farm-to-table kitchen on an 8-acre property with gardens and alpacas. Reservations are on OpenTable. Seasonal. $$$.
Cronig's Up-Island (469 State Rd) is a third the size of the Vineyard Haven flagship, with a deli, produce and organic and local specialties. Andrea Donnelly has owned it since Jan 2023. Mon–Sat 7 AM–6 PM, Sun 8 AM–5 PM.
Inside a West Tisbury grocery: the aisles cover a full pantry, from the meat case to the candy wall.
Conroy Apothecary (459 State Rd, next to Cronig's): the only pharmacy up-island, and the kind of country drugstore that also does film developing, faxes, lottery, cards, copies and cigars, with rocking chairs on the porch and the New York Times in a box outside. Front of store daily from 7 am; the pharmacy counter runs weekdays 9 to 6, Saturday 9 to 3, closed Sunday, per their website.
Conroy Apothecary in winter, wreaths on the doors and the community board by the ramp.
A 2026 James Beard Foundation semifinalist (Outstanding Hospitality), owned by Mary and Jackson Kenworth with Jonathan Warnock in the kitchen. The cooking is contemporary American, with produce picked daily from the restaurant's gardens. Beer and wine come with meals (no hard liquor, no BYOB). Prices sit at the top of the island range ($$$$), and the current menu is on stateroadrestaurant.com. Tables go weeks ahead, so a reservation is a must. (508) 693-8582.
Farm-to-takeout since 2010, with produce from Chef Daniel Sauer's own Aquinnah farm. The Liz Lemon sandwich ($16.95) (housemade pastrami, turkey, Swiss, coleslaw, Russian dressing on rye) is the bestseller. Daily 7 AM–3 PM.
Non-guests are welcome. Chef Galen Sampson cooks contemporary American food in an English garden setting. Seasonal.
A beach under heavy clouds, with a boulder just offshore and a bluff at the far end.
Lambert's Cove has some of the softest sand and clearest water on the North Shore. From mid-June through mid-September it's for residents and renters only: car sticker $75/season, walk-on $15. Visitors get in by renting in West Tisbury (most rentals include beach access), staying at Lambert's Cove Inn, or coming after 5 PM, when sticker hours end. Lifeguards in summer. Full beach guide.
The Trustees manage these 632 acres, with an Atlantic beach and the freshwater Long Cove Pond. From mid-June through mid-September you need an advance pass (tickets.thetrustees.org; not sold onsite), and parking is $25/vehicle for non-members, while walkers and cyclists enter free (new 2025). There's a two-mile trail through oak forest. No dogs year-round, no lifeguards.
Island libraries lend free Trustees beach parking passes; a library card at the West Tisbury Free Public Library (1042 State Rd) gets you one.
About 400 acres off Indian Hill Road, managed by the Sheriff's Meadow Foundation and free daily 8:30 AM–5:30 PM, year-round. Dogs on leash. The 1.4-mile loop runs through oak, beech and cedar woods to coastal bluffs with views of Cape Cod and the Elizabeth Islands. No swimming. It's one of the island's best free hikes.
Filmed March 2022The island moves on: shops, signs and prices may differ from what you see here. The text of this guide was checked October 2026.
Sculptor Tom Maley (1911–2000) founded the gallery in 1971, and his white "dancing figures" in the field are a West Tisbury landmark. The town bought the 1.4-acre property in 2011 for $625,000, so it stays public for good. In 2026 the MV Museum ran "Tom Maley: Dancing in the Field" from March 7 to September 6, with his sculptures, paintings, drawings and photographs. The gallery scheduled five shows with named artists for June–September. Free admission to the outdoor sculpture garden.
The Field Gallery sign with its Open board in summer, orange lilies underneath and white figures out on the lawn.
Maley (1911–2000) was a self-taught sculptor who moved from NYC in 1946, and his joyful Bacchanalian nudes "represent the human spirit." The Martha's Vineyard Museum opened its "Tom Maley: Dancing in the Field" retrospective in March 2026. The gallery opened August 8, 1971, and Chris and Sheila Morse run it now, with Summer Premiere receptions on the sculpture lawn every two weeks (June 27–Aug 29, 2026). Free admission. Daily 10 AM–5 PM summer. (508) 693-5595.
The arboretum has 72 acres and 1,500+ kinds of plants inside 18th-century stone walls, and it is on the National Register of Historic Places. Polly Hill (1907–2007) began the arboretum in 1958, at about 50; her motto was "Fifty is a great age to try something new." Look for the North Tisbury azaleas, the kousa dogwood allée, the stewartia collection and the monkey puzzle tree. The grounds are open daily sunrise–sunset, year-round. Admission: $10 (May–Oct), $5 (Nov–Apr), under 12 free. Docent tours Tue/Thu at 9:30 AM, June through September.
A mile up State Road from the arboretum, where North Road forks off toward Menemsha, stands the island’s most famous single tree: a great white oak whose lowest limbs sweep out and rest on the ground, which is why islanders call it the sitting tree. It was already a landmark when Alfred Eisenstaedt photographed it in 1969, and the Polly Hill Arboretum’s director calls it the king of the Vineyard’s white oaks; the last measurements on record put the crown at about 71 feet across. The tree is on private land beside the road and it is old and fragile, so it's best seen from the verge, without climbing it or parking in the lane.
A tub of heirloom tomatoes, peppers and squash, with a crown of zinnias in the middle.
The Grange Hall in West Tisbury on a clear evening with the trees bare, a caterer's tent set up out front.
The 164th fair, held August 13–16, 2026, brought livestock shows, 4-H exhibits, horse pulls, the famous Skillet Toss, oyster shucking, rubber chicken toss (new 2025), and 1,400+ judged entries. Fiesta Shows ran the carnival rides (on a new 5-year contract), and there was a new wampum jewelry category for Indigenous artists. 2026 prices: adults $15, children/seniors/veterans $10, parking $10; unlimited-ride megapass $70, Friday-night wristband $50. Thu–Sat 10 AM–11 PM, Sun 10 AM–6 PM. The first man to sail alone around the world, Joshua Slocum, farmed on the Edgartown-West Tisbury Road from 1901 until he vanished at sea in 1909; his Vineyard years are their own post.
The 164th fair came with a permanent schedule change to the second weekend of August (it was traditionally the third). Beyond the livestock shows, rides, shucking contests and horse pull there are dog shows, food vendors and live entertainment, and 30,000+ people come over the four days. Adults $15, children 5–12 $10, parking $10.
The forest fills the island's geographic center, 5,300 acres with the highest density of rare species in Massachusetts. It began as the 1908 Heath Hen Reserve: the state set aside 600 acres for the last heath hens on earth, the reserve grew to nearly 5,000 acres, and the flock climbed from about 50 birds to about 2,000 by early 1916 before a May 1916 fire, then disease and inbreeding, took it back down to three by 1928. The last bird, a male the wardens called Booming Ben, lived alone here from 1929 until he was seen for the final time on March 11, 1932; the subspecies was declared extinct the next year. A bronze plaque and a sculpture of him stand near the spot, off the bike path. There are 14 miles of trails for hiking, biking and horseback riding, plus a 10-mile paved bike path and a disc golf course, with free parking, sunrise to sunset. The globally rare sandplain grasslands support northern harriers, grasshopper sparrows and 20+ rare moth species. From 2024–2026 DCR has been removing 52 acres of non-native white pines to restore native habitat.
Off Indian Hill Road is Christiantown, a Wampanoag praying town established in 1659. The Mayhew Chapel (1829) still stands with its original pews, and old burial grounds with fieldstone markers lie across the road. The surrounding Christiantown Woods Preserve (27.6 acres, MV Land Bank) is free and open for hiking.
West Tisbury has not been a dry town since 2012; restaurants serve beer and wine with meals, but there's no hard liquor, no liquor store and no BYOB. The VTA bus is currently fare-free, and Routes 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 serve West Tisbury, with Chilmark and Aquinnah nearby. Late June and September bring good weather and fewer people; July–August has the full market and the fair.
A community bulletin board reads like a town paper, from babysitters and an estate sale to summer concerts and local events.
VTA buses are currently fare-free. The paved bike paths end in West Tisbury, and the up-island roads beyond are winding, hilly and without shoulders, which is where an e-bike helps.
The Route 2 bus rolling through West Tisbury on a sunny day.
Cell service is patchy away from the town center, with dropped calls and dead zones, so offline maps are worth downloading before you head up-island. The West Tisbury Library has reliable public WiFi.
There are no chain stores, no traffic lights and no commercial sprawl, just a library, a general store, a gas station and a few galleries where State Road meets the church. The 3-acre minimum lot size keeps building sparse, stone walls line the winding roads, and the town still governs by open town meeting. Notable residents include Carly Simon (Squash Meadow Farm) and filmmaker Wes Craven (buried at Lambert's Cove Cemetery).
The First Congregational Church of West Tisbury, at the corner of State Road and Music Street, in early October. The building was moved here in 1866, and the town clock in its steeple has kept time since 1895.
For the rest of the island, see our One Day Itinerary, Restaurant Guide, and Every Beach Ranked.
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At the Agricultural Hall, 35 Panhandle Road: Saturdays June 6 to October 31 and Wednesdays June 10 to August 26 in 2026, 9 AM to noon, rain or shine, with free parking and admission. The best selection goes early, at 9; dogs are not allowed.
“Dealers in Almost Everything” since 1858: groceries, penny candy, beach supplies, clam rakes and peacock feathers, with a branch post office inside. Owned by the Vineyard Preservation Trust since 1993, and its front porch is the town’s unofficial living room.
Lambert’s Cove, resident and renter only by day in summer, and Long Point Wildlife Refuge on the Atlantic. There is no harbor, no commercial strip and no nightlife; there are farms, woods, galleries and the fair.
Three-acre minimum lot sizes and conservation: about 40 percent of the island is protected from development and West Tisbury carries a disproportionate share of it.
Khen’s Eggrolls (since 1986, they sell out fast), Goldie’s rotisserie chicken, Salt Rock Chocolate, Good Pierogi and the farms: Morning Glory, North Tabor, Beetlebung and Cottage City Oysters. Over 40 vendors with a strict two-to-one farm-to-non-farm ratio and live music every market day.
Island tip of the day Food No. 24 of 86 New tip at midnight, island time
For groceries: Stop and Shop has two island locations and Cronig's (an island institution since 1917) has stores in Vineyard Haven and West Tisbury. Stock up for picnics and save significantly.
Cell service on Martha's Vineyard town by town: towers down-island, no tower in Chilmark or Aquinnah and the named dead spots, what each carrier reports to the FCC, free Wi-Fi at all six libraries and on the ferry, the $10 xfinitywifi pass, prepaid plans and 911 when you have no bars.
The twelve things that catch first-timers on Martha's Vineyard, from car reservations and the two ferry terminals to resident-only beaches, the last bus from Aquinnah and cash for the Chappy Ferry, each with an easy fix, plus the fall and winter dates.
EV charging on Martha's Vineyard: about 34 public stations, nearly all Level 2, listed town by town with ports and prices (the Edgartown Park and Ride, town halls, libraries, the airport, the Aquinnah cliffs), two fast-charging ports at the VTA, the Chilmark plans, no Supercharger, the ferry's EV rules, and how to run an electric week on a 20-mile island.
How to get a Steamship Authority car reservation to Martha's Vineyard: the February opening and its virtual waiting room, the residents' head start, the five-reservation limit, the wait list that works, the 2026 fares ($127 midweek, $168 summer weekends), the free first change and the 14-day refund rule, no standby, and why most visitors should leave the car in Falmouth.
Every public restroom we know of on Martha's Vineyard, town by town: the two ferry terminals (open year-round), Kennebec Avenue in Oak Bluffs, Church Street in Edgartown, the Stop and Shop lot in Vineyard Haven, West Tisbury Town Hall, the Menemsha beach lot and the Aquinnah cliffs, which beaches have them (not State Beach), what is seasonal, and the fallbacks that work in winter.
The Hamptons or Martha's Vineyard? A New York scene two to three hours away by Jitney or train, with ocean beaches behind a $750 season permit, against a six-town island reached by an hour's flight or a day's train and boat, where thirteen beaches are free to all, the bus is free and the nights are quiet. Getting there, beaches, beds, towns, nightlife, children and cost, honestly.
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