What Makes Martha's Vineyard Famous?

What is Martha's Vineyard famous for?

Martha's Vineyard is an island off the coast of Massachusetts with a reputation that travels well ahead of it: beaches, gingerbread cottages, presidents on vacation, Jaws.

1. The beaches

The island's beaches vary more than first-time visitors expect, from the soft sand and open surf of South Beach to the clay cliffs at Aquinnah Cliffs. Popular spots include:

• Aquinnah Cliffs: The clay cliffs face the sunset, a lovely place to be on a clear evening.
• South Beach: Near Edgartown, with real surf. It draws both sunbathers and surfers.
• Inkwell Beach: A small, historic beach in Oak Bluffs that has long been a gathering place for Black families, with a steady calendar of community events.

Those are the famous three. The island has about 35 public beaches by the county’s count, from calm family beaches to the up-island ones that need a town pass; our beach guide ranks every one.

2. History and architecture

The island's history begins with the Wampanoag and runs through its colonial past. A few places where you can still see it:

• Gingerbread Cottages: Colorful Victorian-style cottages in Oak Bluffs, the most recognizable architecture on the island.
• Edgartown's Historic District: Streets of preserved 19th-century homes and landmarks.
• Martha's Vineyard Museum: Covers the island's history, including the whaling years.

3. Famous visitors

Celebrities and public figures have vacationed here for decades, and famous faces do turn up in summer. Barack and Michelle Obama, Bill and Hillary Clinton, Spike Lee and Meg Ryan are among the well-known visitors and residents. The Obamas vacationed here most summers from 2009.

Our guide to the island's famous summer people says who lived where and what is open to visit.

4. Local culture and events

A few events come around every year:

• Illumination Night: An annual Oak Bluffs tradition when the gingerbread cottages are hung with lanterns.
• Martha's Vineyard Film Festival: A festival of independent film.
• Agricultural Fair: Held in West Tisbury, with the island's farms on show.

Dates for all of these, and the smaller things in between, are on our events calendar.

5. The food

The island's food reputation rests on fresh seafood and farm-to-table cooking. Three well-known places:

• The Red Cat Kitchen: Farm-to-table dishes in a lively Oak Bluffs room.
• Larsen's Fish Market: Temporarily closed Closed for the season until May 2027, per its own site In Menemsha, known for its lobster rolls and clam chowder.
• Alchemy: A dressier Edgartown spot, known for its cocktails and a polished menu.

That is three of a long list. Our restaurant guide covers where to book and where to bring your own wine, and the food tour goes town by town for lobster rolls.

6. Jaws

Steven Spielberg shot Jaws almost entirely on the island, from May to early October 1974, and the Vineyard played Amity Island. Edgartown was the downtown, with Amity signs hung over real storefronts, and Menemsha and Oak Bluffs filled in the rest. Because Edgartown is strict about historic preservation, most of the buildings still look the part. Our Jaws filming locations guide goes scene by scene.

7. The Flying Horses

At the bottom of Circuit Avenue in Oak Bluffs, the Flying Horses Carousel, built in 1876, has been turning here since 1884. It’s the oldest operating platform carousel in America, and riders still reach for the brass ring as they go round.

8. The Wampanoag and Aquinnah

The Wampanoag history on the island goes back more than 10,000 years. The Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) was federally recognized in 1987, and Aquinnah, at the island’s western tip, is home to the tribe. Our guide to visiting Aquinnah respectfully covers the cliffs, the lighthouse and how to be a good guest.

9. The whaling years

The white captains’ houses on Edgartown’s streets come from whaling money. The Edgartown guide walks through what’s left of that town.

10. Its own sign language

For generations, hereditary deafness ran in up-island families, and Chilmark once had one of the highest percentages of deaf residents in the country. Deaf and hearing neighbors alike spoke Martha’s Vineyard Sign Language, the story Nora Ellen Groce told in Everyone Here Spoke Sign Language (1985).

11. The Black Dog and Vineyard Vines

Two island names travel far on T-shirts and ties. The Black Dog Tavern opened on the Vineyard Haven waterfront on New Year’s Day, 1971, founded by Captain Robert Douglas and named for his dog, Black Dog. Vineyard Vines began in 1998, when brothers Shep and Ian Murray quit their Manhattan jobs on the same day and sold 800 ties from a backpack over one Vineyard weekend; the flagship is at 27 North Water Street in Edgartown. The shopping guide has both stories.

12. Five lighthouses

Edgartown Harbor, East Chop, West Chop, Gay Head and Cape Poge. Edgartown Light is the easiest to reach, at the end of a short causeway from North Water Street, and Gay Head stands over the clay cliffs at Aquinnah. Our lighthouse page has which ones you can climb and when.

Seeing it for yourself

If the list above has you thinking about a trip, the first question is when. Summer is the island most people picture, and September has its own fans, with the water still warm and less traffic on the roads. Our best time to visit guide goes month by month, and weather by month has the numbers behind it.

Next comes getting here, which means a ferry: the ferry guide compares every route. Then where to sleep, which decides what kind of trip you have; Oak Bluffs or Edgartown is the usual choice, and where to stay covers the rest.

To put a number on it, the trip cost calculator prices a trip by season, and the day-by-day planner lays the days out for you. If you only have three days, our 3-day itinerary covers the famous parts without rushing.

A few facts about Martha's Vineyard

• The island was named by English explorer Bartholomew Gosnold in 1602.
• Martha's Vineyard has no traffic lights.
• The island was the filming location for the movie Jaws.