Yes, it is off season and may not be the warmest climate for the first day of Spring but I wouldn’t swap it for anything!  Off to Squibnocket on this bright crisp day, sun shining and kites in hand.

Kites on the Beach

I know most people think of the summer months when they hear Martha’s Vineyard and I wanted to share some of our pre-season delights:

• Having the whole beach to your self.  Kite not necessary! Great for walking and treasure hunting (shells, sea glass maybe even an arrow head)
• No crowds in the restaurants…more limited in availability but will see more locals out and about.
• Shops are very welcoming and you will be sure to run across a number of sales.
• Hiking – so many hidden places to explore and so wonderful to be in the great outdoors without the winter parka.
• Search for that perfect vacation rental while your here and plan your in-season Martha’s Vineyard Vacation.

Squibnocket Beach, Martha's Vineyard

Squibnocket beach is located in Chilmark and requires town permit for access during the summer months.  It is one of our up island treasures that makes a Chilmark rental quite appealing.

Chilmark Rental Options: SEARCH

Enjoy your Martha’s Vineyard Vacation in this lovely Waterfront home in Vineyard Haven.  This property offers a wonderful, clean, contemporary flair with lovely views and great proximity to the town center.

Vineyard Haven Waterfront Vaction Rental

Property offers state of the art kitchen, two living rooms (both with views), four bedrooms with en suite bathrooms and a lap pool in the lower level.

Kitchen

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Many great Martha’s Vineyard vacation memories to be made in this great rental option.  Please feel free to contact me with any questions.

Anne Mayhew: annemayhew@gmail.com

This newly constructed home located in the heart of Edgartown is the perfect Martha’s Vineyard vacation rental. Offering 4 bedrooms with 3 bathrooms this home provides you with all the amenities necessary to enjoy your Vineyard vacation.

The state of the art kitchen opens to a beautiful dinning and living  area.  With one bedroom located on the ground level, two located  on the second and one bedroom located on the third floor with a  bath en suite, this home is sure to accommodate everyone in your  party.

Located within a great proximity to town, shops, and restaurants this home is sure to please.  Enjoy Fuller Street beach, a sunset sail on the Mad Max or dinner at Chesca’s and take advantage of everything else Edgartown has to offer! This home is great for first time visitors and returning visitors alike!

Please feel free to contact me for more information on this home or with any other questions you may have!

Help ring in the Christmas season while at the same time participating in a Vineyard tradition. Christmas in Edgartown is a weekend full of festivities, and of course shopping, which is guaranteed to get everyone in your family into the holiday spirit!

The weekend starts with the lighting of the Edgartown lighthouse. Come enjoy a cup of hot chocolate while listening to music provided by The Contemporary Music Center. After the lighting bundle up for a hayride through the decorated streets of Edgartown.

The fun continues into Saturday, which is filled with activities for all ages. Whether you get your picture taken with Santa, with proceeds benefiting Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Martha’s Vineyard or sinning along to the Minnesingers Holiday Family Concert the day will filled  making holiday memories.

There are many more activities that go into Sunday evening. If your looking for a weekend getaway, or just want to bundle up and hop the ferry for a day trip, come experience all that Christmas in Edgartown has to offer!

The beauty of Martha’s Vineyard is not only captured in the picturesque cliffs of Aquinnah or in a Menemsha sunset but also in the shell of a Quahog clam. Wampum, which was first created by the Wampanoag Tribe of Martha’s Vineyard, has held great historical significance to islanders and visitors alike. The deep purple beads and jewelry formed from shells are just another way the natural beauty of the island is being celebrated and preserved.

Cutting out disks of color from the shell created the beads and only a few beads could be formed from each shell. Originally, Wampum was used as a form of oral tradition among the tribe. Belts were created to help to pass on the history of the tribe and certain patterns had the potential to declare peace or initiate war.

Today, the beauty of wampum is captured in jewelry found in various stores around the island.  Whether you are buying your first piece of wampum jewelry, giving a gift or adding to your own personal collection, Wampum is a great way to take the beauty and history of Martha’s Vineyard home with you.

Image courtesy of asterix611

Before Martha’s Vineyard was an extraordinary summer vacation destination, it was a whaling industry mecca. And, in the 19th and early 20th centuries, Edgartown was the whaling hub.

Built around the whaling trade, hundreds of whaling captains constructed beautiful, stately homes in the center of town – along with the picturesque Whaling Church – and today they provide the refined and historical look of the town.

Mainstreet and the close-knit downtown area is full of boutiques, cafes, restaurants, movie theater – along old brick sidewalks. True to the Vineyard, you won’t find any box stores or chains – this is shopping at its one-of-a kind best.

Make sure you make your way down to the harbor…full of beautiful boats and one of the most gorgeous lighthouses I’ve ever seen, the Edgartown Lighthouse, of course.

But, on those sunny days, I suggest you hightail it out of town and head to the beach. You have a few to choose from, but my top picks are:

• South Beach (surf side) for great waves out in Katama (pronounced Kuh-TAY-muh). Katama is part of Edgartown and it features its own bay and a super beachy feel.
• State Beach (sound side) is a great kids beach because you can wade right in without worrying about big waves. Also, the trip from car to towel is pretty short which I know is important when you’ve got little ones.

The bike path goes right through town, out to the beach or lets you explore miles of the island through towns and the state forest. Oh, and if you head up-island on the bike trail, make sure to stop at Morning Glory Farm – a wonderful local farm filled with just picked produce, salads, soups and luscious baked goods.

Edgartown is also home to some huge fundraising galas every summer – a great place to really get to know the community and give back to this special island. The most famous, perhaps, is the Possible Dreams Auction where incredible dreams are donated and auctioned off to the highest bidder – all to benefit Martha’s Vineyard Community Services.

Edgartown has the best of both worlds – the hustle and bustle of town and the soulful quiet of the waterfront…

Do you love the Vineyard?  Do you know someone who loves the Vineyard?  You can now shop Vineyard online!  There are many beautiful gift ideas available at www.thevineyardshopmv.com.  What a great reminder that the summer season is not so far away and Martha’s Vineyard can be enjoyed during the holiday season too!  I especially love the hand painted lighthouse ornaments from the MV Museum.  Not only is it beautifully painted, but it comes in a lovely red box!

It is also a great time to surprise your family with the summer vacation rental plans.  There are so many vineyard vacation rental options available whether for a crowd or just your family.  I like the following rental.  It offers the quiet tranquility of the island with it’s beautiful waterfront location yet, is just minutes to the town center and beaches.  Experience to full vacation experience at your own pace!

Whether large or small the Vineyard need not feel so very far away during the holidays!  Wishing everyone a very Vineyard Holiday.

Wampum, that beautiful, purpley, white bead, has very significant meaning and the shells it is made from are abundant on Martha’s Vineyard.

The term Wampum comes from a word “wampumpeag”, which in Narraganset, most literally means “white string of beads”.

Wampum beads are made in two colors: white, “Wòmpi”, beads from the whelk and purple-black ,“Súki”, beads from the growth rings of the Quahog shell.

It was originally used by Indigenious Americans, Native Americans and traders as a form of currency. In the year 1637 the Massachusetts General Court officially announced that 6 beads were equal to one penny.

Wampum was also commonly used to pay taxes. But Wampum was certainly used for more than just money. It was very symbolic and often used for engagements, marriages, ceremony and condolence ceremonies. The creamy white colored shell beads of the symbolized internal energies of peace, harmony, and contentment. In fact, the traditional wedding band of the Wampanoag is made of white Wampum.

Sadly, Wampum can no longer be used to pay taxes, but on Martha’s Vineyard, the jewelry created with Wampum by the Wampanoag Tribe is a treasured resource. While Wampum is available across the island, it’s worth the ride to Aquinnah, the home of the Wampanoag and the most beautiful Wampum designs I’ve seen.

When you walk through the shopping districts here on Martha’s Vineyard, you’ll notice the absence of a few of the standards you may be used to. You guessed it – no Gap, no Old Navy, no Anne Taylor, no Nine West. Believe it or not, you won’t even find a Starbucks or a Barnes & Noble on the whole island.

There are virtually no chain stores or restaurant franchises anywhere here. Instead, locally owned bookstores, coffee shops, restaurants and boutiques offer shoppers a wide variety of options and a whole lot of personal attention. And for those of you out there who are in need of a little retail-therapy or just a dress for an unexpected special occasion, you’ll be wonderfully surprised at the quality of the boutiques scattered all over the island.

Heading Up-Island to Menemsha for fried fish and sunsets? Don’t forget to stop by Pandora’s Box – one of our favorite places to shop for gorgeous dresses, designer jeans and even some good sales. This two-room boutique on Basin Road has a dedicated following of some of the island’s most stylish garb and once you step inside you know why shoppers return here year after year.

If you’re in Vineyard Haven, shop at the Green Room on Main Street – winner of the Best of the Vineyard for the past three years. This fantastic shop offers everything from lingerie to shoes to designer swimsuits to super-stylish jeans. Men can shop here too and the downstairs is filled with everything for the surfer in the family from boards to Roxy Girl bikini’s to shades.

In West Tisbury, you’ll love Citrine – a boutique/home accent store/bead-shop combined. Located on State Road in West Tisbury, you can shop the small, but tastefully chosen clothing racks or check out the gorgeous lamps, textiles and jewelry brought in from all over the world while the kids choose from an array of amazing beads to make their own bracelets and necklaces.

On Dock Street in Edgartown head straight for The Great Put On. This true Vineyard standard has been in business since 1969. However, no other boutique on the island could claim to be as up-to-date or as stylish as this very high-end shopper’s paradise. Carrying lines such as Diane Von Furstenberg, Moschino and Vivienne Tam (to name a few) there is no event too sophisticated for an outfit from The Great Put On.