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Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts
Massachusetts Martha's Vineyard

Martha's Vineyard Travel Guide: Oak Bluffs and the Island

The ferry horn sounds and the mainland shrinks behind you. Forty-five minutes later, you step onto the Oak Bluffs dock and the pace of your week has already changed. Martha's Vineyard sits seven miles off the Cape Cod coast, close enough to see from shore but far enough to feel like an escape. The air smells of beach roses and salt. Screen doors swing shut on summer porches. By the time you find your room, the rhythm of the mainland has already started to fade.

Lark has one property here: the 95-room Summercamp, directly across from the ferry landing. From Oak Bluffs, the rest of the island unfolds by bike, bus, or occasional day trip.

The iconic gazebo in Oak Bluffs, MA on a clear sunny day with green grass
People on a sandy beach in Oak Bluffs, MA with houses and trees in the background
Surfboard sign for a bar and grille with a historic gingerbread house in Oak Bluffs, MA
A sunny day in Oak Bluffs, MA showing the Dockside building and boats in the harbor
Gone Clamming sign on the weathered side of a shack in Martha's Vineyard

Quick Facts

Getting ThereSteamship Authority ferry from Woods Hole (45 min) to Oak Bluffs; Cape Air from Boston (25 min); seasonal ferries from Hyannis and New Bedford
Best TimeJuly–August for peak summer; May–June and September–October for mild weather and fewer crowds
Getting AroundOak Bluffs is walkable; bikes and VTA buses connect to other towns
Lark PropertySummercamp (95 rooms) in Oak Bluffs, with Camp Canteen on-site

Things to Do on Martha's Vineyard

Martha's Vineyard rewards visitors who slow down. The island has no bridges and no fast food chains. Cars cost a premium to ferry over, so many visitors leave them on the mainland and get around by bike, bus, or on foot. From Oak Bluffs, the flat terrain makes cycling easy to nearby beaches and neighboring towns.

Oak Bluffs has the island's most walkable downtown, with the nation's oldest carousel, Victorian cottages unlike anywhere else, and shops and restaurants all within a few blocks of the ferry. The beaches are just as close—you can be swimming ten minutes after you leave your room.

For day trips, Edgartown is 15 minutes by bike or bus, with white clapboard mansions and a quieter harbor. Menemsha, on the western shore, draws sunset crowds to its seafood shacks. But Oak Bluffs has enough to fill several days without venturing far.

Martha's Vineyard City Map

Our Favorites

  • 1
    EDGARTOWN LIGHT

    The quintessential coastal MA photo op, the Edgartown Harbor Light is a short walk from any of our hotels and one of five remaining lighthouses on Martha's Vineyard.

  • 2
    SOUTH BEACH

    A (free!) public barrier beach, South Beach (or Katama beach) offers huge waves, great sand, and an overall beautiful place to catch some rays—it was also famously one of the filming locations for Jaws.

  • 3
    WHEEL HAPPY

    A full-service bike rental, sales, and service shop with two locations on the island, they've been voted best bike shop on MV for 10 years in a row... maybe because they'll even deliver bikes to the hotel for you.

  • 4
    MAD MARTHA'S

    Sharing the love of ice cream since 1971, a trip to the Vineyard wouldn't be complete without a stop for some Mad Martha's homemade ice cream. Three locations on the island including on just around the block from our hotels.

Frequently Asked Questions

The grand historical hotel stands by the marina in Oak Bluffs, MA at sunset
Beach chairs and an umbrella on a sandy beach in Oak Bluffs, MA

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