12 hours on Martha’s Vineyard

What to do with 12 hours in Martha’s Vineyard? We took the first Hy-line Fast Ferry from Hyannis out at 8:15 am and the last ferry back at 9:10 pm from Oak Bluffs. It was a full day and we packed it all in. We rented bikes right off the ferry on Circuit Street and biked along the picturesque ocean shoreline to Edgartown. It was only 5 miles, but it seemed longer through the open sandy trails.

We stopped at Edgartown Lighthouse and had lunch after on the roof deck at The Seafood Shanty. Spicy Bloody Mary’s, fresh local oysters and sushi rolls were the perfect pick-me-up while dining overlooking the harbor. We shopped around town and biked back through the same trail, stopping for a couple hours on State Beach, the beach made famous in the movie, Jaws. It was a perfect sunny day and the calm waters were cool and refreshing.

After the beach, we biked back to Oak Bluffs and toured the neighborhood with the famous gingerbread cottages. There are over 300 colorfully ornate houses built in the 1800’s in this historic district. They looked like something out of a fairy tale book and Hansel and Gretal were awaiting around the corner.

We turned our bikes in to the rental shop and had 5:00 cocktails overlooking Oak Bluffs Harbor at Nancy’s. Word on the street was that the Obama’s just lunched here the other day and we heard the view was perfect for a sunset snack. Multiple drinks were paired with shared nibbles including bacon wrapped scallops, steamers, oysters and a Boursin cheeseburger. It was an all-evening graze as we watched the sun set over the harbor. A truly perfect day on the Vineyard.

Tags: Egartown Light, Hy-line Cruises Fast Ferry, Martha's Vineyard, Nancy's Martha's Vineyard, Oak Bluffs Gingerbread Cottages, renting bikes Martha's Vineyard, Seafood Shanty