Waterfront Refuge on Martha's Vineyard

How to get there: Martha's Vineyard is an island in Massachusetts south of Cape Cod approximately 25 miles long and 17 miles wide. Ferries run every 2 hours in the summer from Woods Hole on the mainland to Vineyard Haven or Oak Bluffs. The ferry run is 3/4 hour by the Elizabeth islands through Vineyard Sound. You can fly, drive or take the bus from Boston, MA or Providence, RI. The drive takes 1 1/2 to 2 hours from Boston and 1 hour from Providence, depending on traffic. Cape Air flies to Martha's Vineyard from Boston and Providence. You can rent a car at the airport or on Martha's Vineyard. There is also a fast ferry from New Bedford, MA to Vineyard Haven for walk-on passengers.

Island Towns: Each town on Martha's Vineyard is unique. Oak Bluffs' gingerbread houses surround a tabernacle where community sings and concerts are held and illumination night when residents light lanterns on their porches making magic of the architecture and surroundings. Edgartown has a long whaling history with magnificent white clapboard houses with widows' walks where whaling captains' wives stood to look for their husbands' ships. Aquinnah is home to the Wampanoag Indian tribe and has a cultural center with historical documents, photos and artifacts. Vineyard Haven is the year-round island port with marinas and boat building operations. Up Island, the western half of the island, is where West Tisbury, Chilmark, Menemsha, and Aqinnah are located. These towns are smaller. The landscape is rural with sheep farms, moors and heathlands, sandplain grasslands, woods, ponds and beaches. Drives around the island have breathtaking views of land and seascapes.