Whether you’re into spooky stuff or just good old fashioned fun, the Vineyard offers some great Halloween festivities.

If you love the thrill of the scary, I highly recommend that you hit Bunch of Grapes bookstore where they have a vast collection of haunted stories about the island. And, for the younger set, they’ll have a Halloween-themed story time with mask making at 10:30. Also for kids, the West Tisbury public library will have an event with hayrides and treats from 3-5pm. And there’s annual trick or treating around the island, in the towns of Vineyard Haven and Edgartown (Colonial Inn) specifically – at stores and at private homes.

For the adults on the Vineyard, it’s a whole different bag of tricks! The fantastic restaurant, the Mediterranean, is hosting a fundraising/hellraising party to benefit WVVY (or local radio station that promotes local music and artists). There’ll be a $500 cash prize for best costume. Tickets are $15 advance purchase and $20 at the door.  The party starts at 9 pm.

And, finally, Nectar’s is hosting their 4th Annual Halloween Disco Party! Billed as an ‘insane freakin’ disco inferno Halloween costume party’, the festivities will feature The Boogies – the Vineyard’s favorite 10-piece live disco tribute band. Prizes, games, hilarity to be had. 21+; $20 admission.

Fall is a great time to come to the Vineyard – great vacation rental rates, beautiful foliage, quiet, warm days and cool nights. We hope to see you soon! Let me know if I can help you find a rental for you and yours! Happy Halloween and stay safe!

Fall means back to school, Halloween, cool nights and, around here, the Corn Maze as one of the best family and kid activities around!

If you’ve never been to a corn maze, it’s a very cool. Here’s how it works:

1. Let the corn grow super tall – as in at least 6 or 7 feet.
2. Drive the tractor through cutting a path in the corn.
3. Create a maze with these paths complete with dead-ends, spirals, forks in the road and just one or a few paths to freedom!

The maze is open 7 days a week from 10 am – 7 pm at the Farm Institute, Edgartown. The Admission Fee of $5/$10 and benefits the FARM Institute.

Of course, buying pumpkins, apples and fresh apple cider round out the experience of cool crisp air and the sound of waves crashing from nearby South Beach. And don’t forget to wander around the FARM – beautiful animals and a store complete with FARM grown vegetables and meats are available. My favorite is the sausage made from their own, naturally-raised pork, salt, pepper and fennel. The flavor is divine!

Image credit: hassan abdel-rahman

So here we are on Martha’s Vineyard, surrounded by water and aquatic life…but it’s kind of hard to see! I mean crabs and clams and starfish abound, but what about all of the other life that hangs out in the depths below? Thankfully, the new aquarium in Oak Bluffs (right downtown!) lets us see everything.

Waters of the World features sharks, stingrays, jellyfish, invertebrates, alligators, anaconda, eels, barracuda stingrays and many other exotic fish. They also have special exhibits that showcase the aquatic life and ecosystems from areas around the globe like: the  Caribbean, the Nile River, the Amazon, the Everglades and the Great Barrier Reef.

Visit the touching pools, watch the sharks being fed and make sure you check out the retail store where you can start your own home aquarium.  Visit www.watersoftheworld.org for details, hours and directions.

When most people think of the Vineyard, they think sand, surf and sun. But the agricultural community on the island is truly thriving – from all of the working farms to the farmer’s markets to the community mantra, ‘go local!’

The FARM Institute takes it one step further, combining farming, education, conservation and kids. Their mission is:

The FARM Institute (TFI) is a teaching farm that educates and engages children and adults in sustainable agriculture through the diverse operations of a working farm. TFI provides year-round educational programs offering learning experiences in:

• The culture and history of Martha’s Vineyard farming;
• Farming (Field crops, produce, fruit, hay);
• Land preservation;
• Nutritional awareness;
• Humane livestock management (cattle, poultry, swine, sheep, goats);
• Entrepreneurial thinking and application

And if you’re coming to visit for the summer or even for a week or two, make sure to check out the FARM’s summer kid programs (download the 2009 brochure here):

WEE FARMERS for ages 2-4 – Info

SPROUTS for ages 4-5 – Info

FARMER FOR A DAY for ages 6-12

FULL DAY FARM-CAMP for ages 5-14 (FAQ)

HALF DAY FARM-CAMP for ages 6-14 (FAQ)

Work Income Sharing Project (WISP) for ages 11-15 (FAQ)

FUTURE FARMHANDS for ages 11-15

VINEYARD HERITAGE WEEK for ages 12-16

The FARM Institute is located in Edgartown’s Katama area where we have some great rental houses…it’s a beautiful area that features South Beach and a great bike path. Let me know if I can help you find the perfect rental.

It’s the little things that make Martha’s Vineyard so spectacular…fried clams on a hot august afternoon, finding the perfect purple clam shell on the beach, the sound of the foghorn in the distance as you fall asleep after a sun-soaked day at the beach. It’s also the ‘little people’ that make our island special – because of the joy they bring, but also because of the events and activities available to them.

One of my favorite kid things on the Island is called The Fabulists. This fabulous kid-friendly extension of the world famous Vineyard Playhouse - whose stage has featured the likes of Ted Danson, Amy Brenneman, Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal – is one of our greatest summer treats.

Every Saturday morning in July and August, kids from all over the island gather in a magical theater made of grass and trees to see an original, hilarious play that always includes audience participation. Deep in the woods of Tisbury, just outside of Vineyard Haven, follow the trail to The Fabulists’ outdoor amphitheater where you’ll watch mermaids and pirates and geese and all other manner of make believe and real Vineyard characters come alive.

IT IS SO MUCH FUN!!!

(Great for ages 0-100)

Tickets are available at the door:
$7 general admission.
Children under 2 are free.
Group rates available.
Cash or check only.

Directions to the Amphitheater From Vineyard Haven:
The Tisbury Amphitheater is located at The Tashmoo Overlook in Vineyard Haven on State Road. Drive out towards West Tisbury just past the Tisbury business district on State Road. Just beyond West Spring Street on the right, there is a pull-out and parking for the overlook and theater. There will be Playhouse personnel on hand to guide you.

Spring, April and the Ospreys are just around the corner – and we’re ready for them. Every year at this time, Felix Neck Sanctuary holds the Osprey Festival. Besides a craft tent, guided walks, live raptor demonstrations and live music, the main stage is really held by the Osprey. Everything at the festival is pointed towards learning about this incredible bird.

The Osprey, also known as the sea hawk, is a bird of prey or raptor. It’s quite large reaching 24 inches in length with a 6 foot wingspan! It’s also quite recognizable with a brown and white feathers patterned on its body and yellow eyes; most distinctive are its black eye patch and wings.

The Osprey loves the Vineyard because its diet consists of fish, fish and more fish. They are expert hunters and have the beaks and talons to prove it – they’re sharp, dangerous and adept at capturing, killing and eating their prey.

The Festival will be on April 4th, Saturday and starts at 11 am at Felix Neck.

These incredible photos came to me courtesy of Vineyard Photographer and Avian Artist, Lanny McDowell.

Looking for something really fun to do this weekend? Friday night, March 13th, kicks off the 2009 Martha’s Vineyard Film Festival’s Winter event at the Chilmark Community Center. What could be better than renting a house in Chilmark and taking in as many cool flicks as possible while the March winds blow! Many of the movies are followed by lively discussions with the directors or topic aficionados.

In the words of MVFF’s founder, Thomas Bena:

That is why I founded and continue to produce and direct the MVFF. I want to make a real contribution to my community’s cultural development—to establish a storefront, if you will, for ideas, inspiration, and bold questions.

Check here for the weekend’s schedule and don’t forget there’s a kid’s festival, too!

Don’t forget the popcorn!

This really is like something out of the Goonies…or Pirates of the Caribbean. But, bottom line, I live in the coolest place ever!

Every spring, the 4th and 5th graders at the Chilmark School (and several others!), where my kids spend their days, get to head out for a week-long trip on the Black Dog Tall Ships. It’s possibly one of the most fantastic things about being a kid on Martha’s Vineyard all year round. My son Christopher is on tap for this year’s trip – he is beyond excited.

The teachers incorporate things like math, science, cooking, weather – and even being a good person and pulling your weight – into the trip which is a close-quartered adventure that is absolutely a lesson in community living!

The crew is, of course, passionate about sailing, the boat and the water of Martha’s Vineyard. Check out this video from PlumTV to get the full scoop and see the kids, and the boat, in action.

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…

A week on Martha’s Vineyard can pass in the blink of an eye.  There is so much beautiful scenery and so many activities you could fill many weeks with great experiences.  Here are a few that you should consider.  Even if you just want to lounge at the beach, take some time to travel to various beaches and enjoy the sites along the way!

1. Chilmark Chocolates
2. Aquinnah Shops
3. Menemsha Sunset w/ Lobsters on the Beach
4. State Beach bridge jumping
5. Kayak with the Trustees – Cape Pogue (chappaquiddick)
6. Tour a Lighthouse
7. Shop for fresh veggies at Morning Glory Farm or West Tisbury Farmers Market
8. Walk on the beach and then Ice Cream in town one or more evening(s)
9. Carousel in Oak Bluffs, even if you don’t have kids, take a ride!
10. Biking from town to town

Hope to see you out there next season!