Information about Martha's Vineyard towns, beaches and history

Edgartown
Edgartown was the Island's first colonial settlement and has been the county seat since 1642. The town is renowned for its stately, white Greek Revival and Federal houses built by whaling captains. The distinctive, museum-piece architecture preserves the ambience of the 19th century seaport to the present day.

Edgartown Public Beaches:
Bend in the Road Beach - the Edgartown end of the Joseph Sylvia State Beach on Beach Road between Oak Bluffs and Edgartown. Good for children.
East Beach (Cape Pogue Wildlife Refuge and Wasque Reservation) - on Chappaquiddick. Access from Dyke Bridge and Wasque. Open to all, but subject to the regulations of the Trustees of Reservations. Fee charged for non-members (children 15 and under free).
Fuller Street Beach - at the end of Fuller Street near Lighthouse Beach.
Norton Point Beach - three miles of barrier beach on the south shore at the end of Katama Road. There is surf with a strong undertow on one side and Katama Bay on the other.
Lighthouse Beach - a harbor beach at Starbuck's Neck, off North Water Street.
South Beach State Park - one mile between Herring Creek Road and Katama Road. owned by the commonwealth, managed by Edgartown; Rough surf

Chilmark
Chilmark is known for its rolling hills and unmatched coastline. Before the days when the Coastguard looked out for shipwrecked vessels, Vineyarders took it upon themselves to form volunteer groups that provided assistance to sailors in times of need. The open dories, one of which was provided by the Massachusetts Humane Society, were launched into stormy seas from Squibnocket Landing, the only beach on the south shore shallow enough for boats to be landed or launched in heavy weather.

Chilmark Public Beaches:
Menemsha Public Beach - next to Menemsha Harbor. Gentle beach typical of the north shore. Good for children.

Aquinnah

Known for many years as Gay Head, Aquinnah underwent a formal name change in 1998. Aquinnah, which is an Indian term for "land beneath the hill” is a peninsula on the western tip of Martha's Vineyard,  situated five miles south of the southwest tip of Cape Cod and is bordered by Chilmark on the east and the Atlantic Ocean on the north, west, and south. Aquinnah is home to the Wampanoag Tribe, the only federally recognized Native American tribe in Massachusetts .

One of the first revolving lighthouses in the country was erected atop the Cliffs in 1799. It had wooden works that became swollen in damp or cold weather, when the lighthouse keeper and his wife would be obliged to stand all night and turn the light by hand. The current red-brick electrified Gay Head Light now stands in its place.

 Today, the brilliant colors of the mile-long expanse of the Aquinnah Cliffs continue to be a source of intense interest to residents, scientists and visitors alike. Aquinnah has always been known for its spectacular beaches and multicolored cliffs. The Moshup Trail beach is known for its exceptional beauty and magnificent surf.  Its rolling hills offer unusual vistas of the Island, Vineyard Sound and beyond.  The town of Aquinnah carries centuries of folklure in dramatic island history, Moshup, Tartega, and the Harpooner.

 Aquinnah Public Beaches:
Aquinnah Public Beach (Moshup Beach) . The public beach in Aquinnah is accessed from the Town parking lot at the end of Moshop Trail. The beach is located at the base of the cliffs a short walk from parking lot on cleared trail. Parking fee in the summer.

Oak Bluffs
Oak Bluffs, formerly known as Cottage City from the many gingerbread cottages which are still found there, is also home to the Flying Horses Carousel, the oldest operating merry-go-round in the United States. The horses were hand-carved in New York City in 1876. This Historic Landmark is maintained by the Martha's Vineyard Preservation Trust that manages this and several other historic sites on the Island.

Oak Bluffs Public Beaches:
Eastville Beach - at the drawbridge between Oak Bluffs and Vineyard Haven on the Oak Bluffs side. Joseph Sylvia State Beach - two miles of mild barrier beach along Beach Road between Oak Bluffs and Edgartown. Good for children.
Oak Bluffs Town Beach - adjacent to the town wharf and SSA dock. Good for children.

Vineyard Haven/Tisbury
The town of Tisbury, also known as Vineyard Haven, was one of New England's busiest ports in the 1800s. At that time, the area around the harbor was known as Holmes Hole and was a convenient anchorage for ships traveling between the East Coast of the United States and Europe. In those days, most of the coastwise shipping traveled through Vineyard Sound. In 1845 13,814 vessels were counted.

Vineyard Haven Public Beaches:
Lake Tashmoo Town Beach - end of Herring Creek Road on Lake Tashmoo.
Owen Park Beach - harbor beach off Main Street, near business district.
Tisbury Town Beach - end of Owen Little Way next to Vineyard Haven Yacht Club.

West Tisbury
West Tisbury, incorporated in 1892, was the 'industrial' heart of the Island, as it was home to the Island's grist mill, a clay works, a salt works, extensive trap fishing operations and a manufacturing center for satinet, a heavy, Island-made, woolen fabric used to make whalemen's jackets.