 |
 |
|
|
|
Lake Tashmoo Beach Sunbathers, swimmers, surf casters, and shellfish seekers flock to this beach on the island's north shore, where the lake meets the ocean. This teeny stretch of sand is also known as Herring Creek beach. You'll find lifeguards here, but no bathhouses or concessions. Owen Park Beach Here you'll discover a small, sandy, quiet harbor beach that offers great sunbathing, swimming, boat-watching, and lifeguards. It even has a separate kiddie play area. Bathhouses and concessions are nearby. South Beach The 633-acre Long Point Wildlife Refuge Center preserve boasts this half-mile-long deserted beach where swimming and surf fishing are allowed in freshwater and saltwater ponds. Better get there early; there are only 55 parking spaces available. South Beach has lifeguards and bathhouses but no concessions. Tisbury Town Beach Sitting on the sand at Town Beach is the closest thing to being on a yacht since this beach is right next to the Vineyard Yacht Club. Lifeguards are on duty here and concessions and bathhouses are close at hand.
|
|
|
Fuller Street Beach This section of beach, not far from Lighthouse Beach, is a popular hangout for the younger crowd. It looks out across the water at Cape Pogue and Cape Pogue Lighthouse. There are no lifeguards, concessions or bathhouses at the Fuller Street Beach. Joseph Sylvia State Beach This lovely beach is framed with grassy dunes and wild roses and marked by calm, shallow waters. It is also known as the Edgartown-Oak Bluffs State Beach because it stretches along 2 miles of those towns. (The Edgartown section of the beach is known as Bend-in-the-Road Beach because of its unusual shape.) The beach, which has lifeguards and nearby concessions but no restrooms, is quite popular. It was along this stretch that some of the beach scenes from Jaws were filmed. Katama Beach Also known as South Beach, this 3-mile-long barrier strand is the island's largest public beach. It's a favorite among surfers, who challenge heavy wave action of the mighty Atlantic pounding at its doorstep. (Watch for riptides, and check for swimming conditions!) In contrast to the Atlantic waves is a calm salt pond to the north of the beach. A shuttle bus runs between the beach and the center of Edgartown. Lifeguards are on patrol and bathhouses are available, but there are no concessions. Lighthouse Beach Lighthouse Beach is a perfect place to watch boats entering and leaving the harbor. From here you get a nice view of Chappy and Cape Pogue. At night, it's an ideal spot for sunsets and stargazing. There are lifeguards at this beach, but no bathhouses or concessions. By the way, it's called Lighthouse Beach because it's right there beside the Edgartown Lighthouse.
|
|
|
Eastville Beach If you're looking for a quiet stretch of shoreline along the harbor, you've found it. You can find Eastville Beach at the bridge between Oak Bluffs and Vineyard Haven. When you're not being lulled by the gently lapping surf, you can watch the sails billowing in the breeze as the boats go tacking by. There are no lifeguards, restrooms, or concession stands. Just sit back, relax, and enjoy the view. Oak Bluffs Town Beach Oak Bluffs Town Beach straddles both sides of the ferry wharf, and its calm surf makes it ideal for families with small kids. It's also a great spot to sit and wait for the ferry to come in. This beach has lifeguards on duty. Public restrooms are available nearby on the ferry dock, while various concessions are close-by as well.
|
|
|
Aquinnah Beach A wooden boardwalk winds alongside the famous cliffs, through cranberry bogs and beach plum bushes, down to the surf. Below is Aquinnah Beach, a 5-mile-long stretch that is actually four beaches in one. From north to south they are: Aquinnah, Moshup, Philbin, and Zack's Cliffs. The last two beaches are private. The farther south you walk, the more isolated you find yourself. This truly feels like the ends of the earth. Fortunately, these ends of the earth have restrooms and concessions located at the head of the cliffs, though you won't find any lifeguards out here. Be careful in the tricky surf. Note: the parking out here is a bit expensive--up to $20 a day! Menemsha Public Beach Resting right beside the stone jetty at the entrance to Dutcher's Dock, Menemsha Public Beach is a quiet place with a gentle surf and surprisingly few people. Sit and watch the fishing boats go in and out, or just kick back and catch some rays. Lifeguards, restrooms, and nearby concessions provide all the comforts.
|
|
|
East Beach Wasque Reservation and Cape Pogue Wildlife Refuge are adjoining beaches, known as East Beach, that run along the eastern coast of the Island of Chappaquiddick. Even on the hottest day, you may find yourself the only one basking in the unspoiled glory. Since the beach sits at the end of a bumpy dirt road, it's accessible only by boat or four-wheel-drive vehicle. There are no bathhouses, concessions, or lifeguards. To get to Chappaquiddick Island, you'll need to take your car across on the On Time ferry. You will also have to pay a nominal fee to the Trustees of Reservations, which maintains and preserves the area. The beautiful beach is well worth it though.
|
|
|
In a sense, Martha's
Vineyard is one big natural area brimming with beauty at every town and
down every road. Each part of the island offers wonders so varied and so
vast that you'll doubt if heaven could ever be an improvement.
The island offers a delicious mixture of settings, and as you travel
through say, Chilmark, you will see a number of her settings all in the
same eyeful. Turn a corner and you get a vista of rolling fields dampened
by small ponds and ending in vast sweep of ocean blue. Look the other way
and you see painstakingly erected stone walls vanishing off into the
distance, beyond a swaying marshland carrying the island to the sea. Such
natural beauty is hard to sufficiently appreciate in such generous doses.
Nature and humanity share the island, although in the Up Island area it
seems that nature has the upper hand. Wildlife is ever apparent. Upon an
autumn lane in Chilmark we had to stop our vehicle to allow a quorum of
turkeys to cross. They gobbled as turkeys do and continued on their way,
not the least bit deterred by our car or the fact that Thanksgiving was
just a short month away!
More than a fifth of the island is protected from development and there
are several sanctuaries and parks you can explore. You may have to pay a
nominal parking fee. Cape Pogue Wildlife Refuge and
Wasque Reservation These two adjoining parcels of land (509 acres and 200 acres, respectively) bordering Katama Bay on the southeastern corner of Chappaquiddick Island form the perfect escape from crowds. Even on the hottest summer day, you'll find few people here. Salt marshes, tidal flats, ponds, cedars, barrier beaches, and sand dunes are everywhere. A myriad of shorebirds such as ospreys, snowy egrets, kestrels, great blue herons, and the endangered least terns and piping plovers populate this haven. In the summer months, you can take a bird-spotting "safari" on Saturdays. Swimming, fishing, and picnicking are permitted. The areas are open year-round. Cedar Tree Neck Wildlife Sanctuary This 300-acre natural habitat and living museum is tucked among the unspoiled woods of West Tisbury. It's a varied environment where freshwater ponds, brooks, scrub oaks, and beech trees, bayberry bushes, rocky bluffs, and bogs all compete for your attention. The wooded color-coded trails offer many a delight: One leads to secluded North Shore Beach, another to a bird refuge, still another (the one starting at the parking lot) to the sanctuary's summit and breathtaking views of the Aquinnah Cliffs. It is open year-round. Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary Situated 3 miles outside of Edgartown and run by the Massachusetts Audubon Society, Felix Neck is a nature lover's dream come true--350 acres of open fields, woods, beaches, and marshlands inhabited by reptiles and other wildlife. In the summer, visitors can hike 6 miles of meandering, marked trails; be sure to look for the osprey nesting platforms. Throughout the year, professional naturalists offer various demonstrations and expeditions, including snake and bird walks, and stargazing and snorkeling sessions. An exhibition center features displays of fish, snakes, and turtles and also has a library and gift shop. Felix Neck also offers summer camps for kids during the season. Long Point Wildlife Refuge Long Point is the best spot for bird and duck watchers, provided, that is, you can deal with the very bumpy roads that get you here. This 633-acre area of open grassland and heath is bounded on the sides by salt and fresh water. The trails here wind their way through pine and oak forests and will take you to either idyllic Long Cove Pond (look for the river otters) or the lovely, but crowded, South Beach, where you can swim. Manuel E. Correllus State Forest This forest sits smack-dab in the middle of the island. It's a 5,146-acre spread of scrub oak and pine laced with paved bike, nature, horse, and hiking trails. You can pack a picnic basket and bask in the cool shade of the majestic trees. A hostel is located at the southwest corner of the forest (see the previous Accommodations section of this chapter). There is no parking fee. Mytoi This 14-acre Japanese garden is an astounding profusion of azalea, dogwood, iris, daffodils, rhododendron, wild rose, Japanese maple, holly and sweet gum. We could sit all day and stare at the koi and goldfish, innocently swimming in their picturesque creek-fed pool beneath an ornamental bridge. Mytoi is open year-round. Waskosim's Rock Reservation The Martha's Vineyard Land Bank Commission acquired this unique 185-acre property in 1990 from a developer who planned on building scores of houses on it. Now, it remains an unspoiled preserve of rolling hills, wetlands, oak, and beetlebung woods; it even has the ruins of an 18th-century homestead. As for Waskosim's Rock, it was deposited by a retreating glacier and, some say, looks like a breaching whale (which it does, sort of). The rock sits on a ridge from which you can soak in panoramic views of the Vineyard Sound foothills and the Mill Brook Valley.
|
|
|
Continue to Recreation |