Martha’s Vineyard Recap

The Good, The Bad & The Food

A boozy ferry ride kicked off our long weekend getaway to Martha’s Vineyard, and if those 2 hours were indicative of how the entire trip would go, we’d have been in for a mighty fine treat. Alas, the ease of our travels would pretty much end at the same time as my last mimosa. Such is the life of traveling with a toddler, amiright?!? Luckily for you, I survived the highs and the lows to write all about it!

Despite the utter chaos of navigating through our first trip as a family of 4, we still came home with some great memories, and most importantly, some seriously satisfied bellies. Brace yourselves, my party people, ’cause I’m about to break it down for ya – the good, the bad, and the food!

The Good

Let’s start with the good, shall we? Martha’s Vineyard is absolutely beautiful, and our Airbnb was freaking amazing! We stayed in Vineyard Haven, which is definitely a quiet town, but we were within walking distance from the downtown area which happened to be home to our favorite meal experiences as well. #winwin

There were a few standout highlights to our trip, some kid-friendly and some that are perfect for those without. If you do have kids, the Flying Horses Carousel in Oak Bluffs is a must stop. (Fair warning: it was really hot inside and also pretty busy, so not necessarily somewhere you’d wanna spend a ton of time, but be prepared for your kiddos to wanna stay. There’s a small arcade area and snacks available, and what kid would ever wanna leave a little heaven such as that?!) BUT! It’s the oldest carousel in the country, and riders of all ages enjoy attempting to win a free ride by grabbing the coveted brass ring.

Next up? Bad Martha’s Brewery. Slightly off the beaten path in Edgartown, but so worth the stop. The beer was great and the scenery – absolutely adorable. Grab a pint and set yourself up under the pergola to enjoy some live music and a couple rounds of oversized, classic games like Jenga or Tic Tac Toe. This spot was seriously fun and definitely family friendly!

For the most beautiful ocean views, it’s worth the trek to Aquinnah to check out the cliffs. You could easily make a day out of it if you wanted to hike the trails, or even set up camp for a beach day, but we pretty much took in the views and hightailed it outta there because #overtiredkids.

Last highlight for me was Edgartown. This town is truly stunning. Picture this: amazing ocean views, charming real estate, abundant dining options and endless hydrangeas. See it? You’re probably looking at Edgartown. A friend encouraged us to check out Harborview Hotel, and it should be on everyone’s must-stop list, in my opinion! Grab a glass of wine, take it out to the front porch, sink into a rocking chair and enjoy the gorgeous scenery overlooking the harbor and lighthouse just a stone’s throw away.

The Food

Now, before I get to the lows, let’s chat food, mmkay? We had a lot of really delicious meals at several places, but for the sake of keeping things easy I’m breaking it down by fave breakfast, lunch and dinner. Here we go!

Breakfast: Art Cliff Diner in Vineyard Haven. This retro spot is tiny inside, but the menu was huge with so many incredible options it was hard to decide what to order! The potato pancakes were insanely delicious – served with apple butter (basically applesauce) and sour cream. BIG yum.

Lunch: Black Dog Tavern in Vineyard Haven. We loved the laid-back, casual vibe of this place, and when we tried the food we were officially sold. The quahog chowder and lobster quesadilla were bomb. Pair those with a Bad Martha brew and you’ve got yourself a winning combo.

Dinner: Beach Road in Vineyard Haven. This is the place to hit if you’re looking for a more upscale dining experience. Best part? They have $1 oysters (yes, you read that right) every freaking day from 5-6 PM! You better believe we cashed in on that… 36 to be exact!

The Bad

Now that you’ve stuck it out this long, you gotta hear where things fell short, and I’m not just talking about the epic meltdowns of my three year old. First and foremost, if you know me, you know I love my cocktails. I had NO freaking idea that Martha’s Vineyard has “dry towns” where you can’t buy alcohol. Like, say what?! What kind of prohibition era BS is that?! Again, not all the towns, but a lot of them! Super lame, in my opinion.

Also, we decided to rely on the public bus for transportation after reading it’s a great way to get around. We didn’t bring our car on the island, so that was the best option to explore with 2 kids in tow. The majority of bus drivers were (to put it mildly) downright rude to us as we struggled to quickly board our kids and get our stroller on and packed away. Kind of a shame when we’re already trying to navigate an unfamiliar place and a pretty confusing bus schedule.

I wouldn’t necessarily consider this a “low point” per se, but something to note, nonetheless – as previously mentioned, the scenery in MV is wonderful. There’s beauty almost everywhere you look! That being said, I feel its charm is comparable to other popular coastal New England hotspots such as Nantucket, Cape Cod, Newport and Ogunquit – just to name a few.

Though we’ll likely vacation elsewhere next summer, it’s a spot I could absolutely see myself returning to again sometime in the future! (But next time I’ll be more prepared with my own booze in tow!)