Nantucket & Martha’s Vineyard - Part 2

Yesterday I shared with you the wonders of Nantucket. Today we cruise to Martha’s Vineyard!

Arriving to the town Oak Bluffs.

Like the boat ride between Hyannis and Nantucket, our ferry crossing to Martha’s Vineyard took approximately an hour. The ride was a god send. The temperature that day was about 90F with 85% humidity. I am a Seattle girl and am not used to that kind of muggy heat. The boat ride gave us a chance to rest and recuperate before exploring our next destination.

Another view of the Oak Bluffs welcome.

The town of Oak Bluffs has a completely different vibe than Nantucket. Things are a bit more touristy compared to the upscale vibe on Nantucket. Getting off the boat here we were immediately greeted by bars, candy shops and other tourist fare.

Also spotted right off the ferry... a CHRISTMAS STORE! I am a big collector of Christmas ornaments. Aside from getting the standard stuff I also have a lot of ornaments from different places I have traveled. I was able to find one special ornament that was very representative of what we would later see on our visit.

The gingerbread homes of Oak Bluffs.

Like Nantucket, Martha’s Vineyard was home to the Wampanoag people. Europeans (English) arrived in the 1650’s and whaling was a huge industry. After the demise of whaling, tourism became the area’s biggest business.

Strolling along the waterfront.

The architecture of Martha’s Vineyard is drastically different from Nantucket and varies considerably from town to town. Edgartown, one the island’s oldest settlements, is filled with old whaling mansions. They are BIG white traditional homes, all with black shutters. However, in Oak Bluffs (which was settled in the 1800’s), Victorian architecture dominates the landscape.

So many Victorian homes!

In 1835, an area of land near a sheep pasture was selected to be a Methodist Camp.

Camp = a type of outdoor revival meeting that was held on the American frontier during the 19th century by various Protestant denominations.... As the name implies, those who attended such meetings came prepared to camp out, gathering at the prearranged time and place from distances as great as 30 to 40 miles away. Families pitched their tents around a forest clearing where log benches and a rude preaching platform constituted an outdoor church that remained in almost constant session for three or four days... Activities included preaching, prayer meetings, hymn singing, weddings, and baptisms. Source

Though the camp was never intended to be permanent, the parishioner’s tents were eventually replaced with small homes. Over time 500 “gingerbread” homes were constructed side by side at the camp. Over 300 of these still stand today.

Here is a small sampling of the Methodist Camp homes.

The exact style is known as Carpenter Gothic.

Many of these homes have steeply pitched roofs much like the tents they replaced.

Families own the homes at the camp, but the property (ground) is owned by the church.

The prayer hall at the camp.

Open air.

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After spending a considerable amount of time at the Methodist Camp, we moved on to the Oak Bluffs business district. The Main Street was far more built up that what was on Nantucket. There were several shops and eateries to explore.

Downtown Oak Bluffs.

One of the many shops offering Cape Cod friendly clothing - a lot of pink, navy and white EVERYTHING.

Even the cornhole game was on point.

The movie Jaws was filmed in Martha’s Vineyard. Hence, there was a lot of shark memorabilia available for purchase. Coincidentally there had been several shark attacks in the Cape Cod area just days before our arrival!😳

After a late lunch my husband rented a scooter ($90/hour) to see a bit more of the island. I am not scooter confident, so I explored more of Oak Bluffs by foot. I wandered to a seaside park complete with a gazebo and ocean views. I also saw several nearby mansions. By this point the heat was killing me so I found a shaded spot near the water to enjoy the views.

So pretty.

Gazebo

Taking in the ocean views.

Our ferry was scheduled to leave Martha’s Vineyard at 6:40pm, but we decided to take the 6pm boat instead. While the island was lovely, I had liked Nantucket more. If I could do the day over I would have reversed the Nantucket and Martha Vineyard stops. Plus, the hot weather was making our hotel pool sound more appealing each minute.

Goodbye Martha’s Vineyard!

The ferry crossing back to the mainland took just under an hour. During the trip the sky transitioned from blue, to pink, to the richest orange. The sunset was absolutely stunning.

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Hope you enjoyed this little taste of Martha’s Vineyard.

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