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When you arrive for your vacation on Martha's Vineyard island, you might be lost when people refer to "up island" and "down island" as directions.  The terms aren't just an island quirk!

Martha's Vineyard has a history steeped in maritime traditions and trades.  Dating back to the whaling days when longitude and latitude were crucial for navigation, mariners used the term "up" and "down" to refer to higher and lower degrees of longitude. 

The farther west you travel on Martha's Vineyard island, the higher "up" in longitude you'll travel. Thus towns including Aquinnah, Menemsha, Chilmark and West Tisbury are considered "up island." Book a Martha's Vineyard sailing charter with us and learn more nautical terms and history!

  Visiting Martha's Vineyard with kids? No trip to Martha's Vineyard island is complete without a visit to the Flying Horses Carousel. 

Built in 1876, it’s the oldest continuously operating carousel in the United States. The hand carved horses feature real horsehair tails and glass eyes embedded with tiny lead animals! Whether you’re a kid or a kid at heart, riding the carousel and reaching for the "brass ring" to win an elusive free ride is a don’t-miss on your list of things to do in Martha’s Vineyard. 

The carousel was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979 and designated a National Historic Landmark in 1987. To find these galloping beauties, head to the beginning of Circuit Avenue in Oak Bluffs.

 Jaws got its start when a freelance writer, Peter Benchley, entertained some guests, Steven Spielberg among them, at his home in Nantucket. His stories of shark attacks were so intriguing that Spielberg bought the rights to the novel and began plans for the first JAWS film. 

After its was released in 1975, tourism on Martha’s Vineyard skyrocketed, and it’s been known as the "Jaws Island” ever since then. 

When you book a JAWS Martha’s Vineyard boat charter with us, we’ll entertain you our own tips and trivia, but don’t miss sites like “Big Bridge”, aka JAWS Bridge Martha’s Vineyard, a favorite spot for visitors and locals alike. 

JAWS history and hot spots will take you on a tour both "up island" and "down," but a great place to start is with visit to the Martha’s Vineyard Museum where you can see the famous Orca boat model. 

Want to know more? Click here for an article from the Martha’s Vineyard Chamber of Commerce with more details about JAWS filming locations and history.

Martha’s Vineyard island, in addition to being known for JAWS, is also synonymous with lighthouses. Five to be exact! 

We may be a little biased when it comes to lighthouses because we are mariners after all, but this is one of our favorite things to do in Martha’s Vineyard. During a Martha’s Vineyard boat charter with us, you’ll see two of the island’s five lighthouses, but another of our favorites is the Gay Head Lighthouse located “up island" in Aquinnah.

Perched high atop the clay cliffs on the island’s westernmost point, the 360 degree views from the lighthouse stretch for miles. Fun fact: the shoreline changes so much with the tides and weather that the lighthouse has been moved inland more than once! 

Constructed in 1796 due to the island’s heavy maritime traffic and deep involvement in the whaling industry, this lighthouse on Martha’s Vineyard island was the first. Be sure to look up at clay cliffs from the beach view below, accessed by a trail from the parking lot.

Read more here.

  The iconic gingerbread cottages, 318 intricate and colorful homes in Oak Bluffs, are a key part of the town’s history and charm. This little corner of Oak Bluffs is a great starting place to tour Martha's Vineyard.

The construction of the cottages began in 1864 but the story began long before that. In 1835, as part of a local group of Methodists holding religious camp meetings, 9 families set up accommodations in canvas tents in a half-acre area so they could listen to services held under the trees. By 1855, there were 200 tents and a desire to build something more sustainable. 

The brightly colored cottages are known for their whimsical gingerbread-like architectural style and surround the famous iron Tabernacle as the center of the community. The Martha’s Vineyard Camp Meeting Association (MVCMA) was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978 and later became a National Historic Landmark in 2005. A stroll thru the now 34-acre campus feels like stepping into a fairytale storybook and is a great way to spend a few hours. After a stroll, stop at Mad Martha’s for an ice cream and head over to Ocean Park.

The MVCMA hosts the annual Grand Illumination celebration on the third Wednesday in August, which is best seen from aboard a Martha’s Vineyard boat charter. They also host a museum and walking tours if you fancy a more formal visit. 

Vacations always include exploring the culinary tourism and Martha's Vineyard island isn't short on taste!

Everyone knows lobster and clams are a New England staple, but what makes Martha's Vineyard special is the lack of chain restaurants, favoring instead unique character and a preference for locally-owned businesses.

There's something extra special about noshing on a hot buttered lobster roll or a steaming cup of chowder while you watch the ferry boats come and go. Some of our favorites include Lobsterville, The Lookout Tavern and The Black Dog Restaurant, with has it's own compelling history.

New Englanders love their ice cream and you're hard pressed to shake a stick without hitting at least a few parlors, but we have a particular affinity for two things: Fudge and Fritters!  

Murdick's Fudge has been swirling up chocolatey goodness since 1887 when Henry Murdick was making sails behind the building while his son stirred up his mother's fudge recipe up front. The history is another fascinating example of Martha's Vineyard's nautical beginnings.  For other sweet treats, perhaps the #FritterFam at Back Door Donuts is the ticket. They've been frying up their famous apple fritters since 1948. They're their known for the l10:00 pm line up for fresh-out-of-the fryer fritters, which you'll pick up at, you guessed it...the Back Door!