wepaint

Located off the coast of Massachusetts is one of my favorite places to visit. Noted as a New England summer colony, it encompasses quaint harbor towns, five lighthouses, sandy beaches and farmland.

I first visited the island with my sister and her daughter who was 6 months old at the time. To give you a perspective of how long ago that was, she just turned 21. This time I went with my Mom as part of our mother / daughter east coast adventure. So how do you get there? Either by ferry or air…we opted for the ferry ride. Let’s take a look at our adventure together!

If you plan a trip you’ll want to make sure you get ferry reservations. The above photo is from our car. When you drive on you’re packed in like sardines. I have no idea how the guys do it. Once you park, you make your way up a flight of stairs and there is an area where you can sit. It was cold and windy when we went so we sat inside. Otherwise, you can get a chair and enjoy the sun sea! Link to make reservations: https://www.steamshipauthority.com/

Above is my sweet Mom passing the time on the ferry. If I had been a really good daughter I would have packed food and drink. The Steamship Authority leaves from Woods Hole and arrives in either Vineyard Haven or Oak Bluffs. It takes about 45 minutes, the ride is really fast. You can take your car and I highly recommend you do. There are so many places to go and you’re limited if you don’t have wheels. When the wheels of our car made contact with the island we headed to Edgartown, which was once a whaling port with historic houses, restaurants, shops and even an classic snack shack. Here’s a map from Wikipedia so you can see the main towns on the island.

Edgartown also has one of my favorite places to stay, which my sister and I found years ago, called the Harbor View Hotel.

When you arrive you’ll first see a large wrap around porch where you can sip wine and look out over a beautiful walkway which will take you to the Edgartown lighthouse. Before I show you some photos of the light house let me share some historic photos that will take you back over 100 years.

As you can see, the hotel has kept it’s charm. Below you can see the historic hotel just before sunset. If you walk around the back you’ll find a lovely pool area along with beautiful walking paths to additional rooms.

The rooms are lovely and with a recent remodel the bathrooms are the best! Some with views of the ocean, others with views of the pool area and gardens. Below is a view from our bathroom if you can believe that! I checked outside and had my Mom stand in the bathroom clothed of course and I couldn’t see in. Feel free to close the blinds, I just wanted you to know I did the “test”.

Room service is available if you want to relax in your room and enjoy the view!

Let’s take a look at the island. Again, I recommend to bring a car as it gives you a lot more flexibility to see the sights. A few spots you should visit include the following. Alley’s General Store in West Tisbury. That’s Mom sitting on the owner’s lap. The store is fabulous with incredible finds.

Morning Glory Farm on the outskirts of Edgartown is fabulous!

There are so many cool places to see on the island. The Grey Barn and Farm was wonderful!

The Behind the Bookstore was such a beautiful restaurant where you can sit under the trees, hidden away from the world!

The Atlantic had THE BEST MUSSELS!!!!

Mom with her absolute favorite…a root beer float! Even better when you can eat it by the water.

Let’s go back to the hotel and take a walk to the Edgartown lighthouse. There are multiple paths that take you down. They all converge onto one path that takes you by the water.

I’d like to thank Elizabeth Rothwell, Chris Bird and the amazing team at the Harbor View hotel for the lovely stay. The service is amazing and you’ll feel like you never want to leave. And all the wonderful people on the island. Everyone was so nice. On behalf of my Mom and me we want you to know how much we appreciated everything! Photogirl and Mom 🙂 XO

Want more on Martha’s Vineyard? Don’t stop now, click on the links below!

Getting to Martha’s Vineyard: https://photogirltravels.com/2014/05/19/7243/

Sunrise walk on the Vineyard: https://photogirltravels.com/2014/05/22/sunrise-walk-on-the-vineyard/

Menemsha Fish Market Lobster Lunch: https://photogirltravels.com/2014/05/20/menemsha-fish-market-lobster-lunch/

Breakfast among the flowers: https://photogirltravels.com/2014/05/20/breakfast-at-among-the-flowers/

Feeling the love expresso love coffee: https://photogirltravels.com/2014/05/21/feelingthelove-espresso-love-coffee/

Nashaquita Pond: https://photogirltravels.com/2014/05/19/nashaquita-pond-on-marthas-vineyard/

Continue reading →