Every few minutes or soΒ during my visit onΒ Martha’s Vineyard, the word quaint came toΒ mind. It’sΒ so overused, but quaint feels like the right word to describe the place. This island seven milesΒ off the coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, is indeed charming.Β You’re never far from a lighthouse or a shingled cottage. The beaches are pristine. Boats of all sizes bob in the harbor.

What makes Martha’s Vineyard so delightfully prepossessing, despite hosting vacationing Kennedys and Obamas, is more aboutΒ what isn’t there thanΒ what is there. There are no billboards, traffic lights, or highways. There are no chain restaurants or big box stores (gasp).

Martha’s Vineyard is home to about 15,000 year-round residents. The population swells to more than 100,000 in the summer.

Martha's Vineyard

There are six townships on the island. Each has its own personality. The harbors on the west side of the Vineyard, or up-island as the area is called locally, had a more working-class vibe. There we found trawlers and lobster traps, and burly fishermen in wading boots. The harbors on the east side seemed to be ritzier with yachts bearing names like the “Aqua-holic” and the “Unsinkable 2” (which leads one to wonder what happened to the “Unsinkable 1”).

Martha's Vineyard

Oak Bluffs, Martha’s Vineyard (East)

Martha's Vineyard

Menemsha, Martha's Vineyard (West side)

Menemsha, Martha’s Vineyard (West)

 

Martha’s Vineyard has five remaining lighthouses. The Edgartown Lighthouse is the most popular, though I don’t think they allow visitors inside.

Martha's Vineyard

 

The Gay Head LighthouseΒ was the first one on the Vineyard. It is in danger of toppling over the nearbyΒ cliffs due to beach erosion.Β The beach is eroding at a rate of two feet per year. It’s estimated that within the next two years there won’t be enough beach left to allow the heavy machinery access to move the tower.

Martha's Vineyard

Gay Head Lighthouse

 

Martha's Vineyard

Gay Head Cliffs and Lighthouse

The cliffsΒ rise about 100 feet from the beach andΒ are made of clay. On a clear day, the sunset can’t be beat.

 

Martha's Vineyard

 

Martha's Vineyard

 

On an island with a storied seafaring history like Martha’s Vineyard, you’re probably expecting some gratuitous food shots of lobster rolls and clams. Instead let me tell you about the best thing we ate:

Martha's Vineyard

 

Hidden at the back entrance to the Martha’s Vineyard Gourmet Cafe and Bakery is the business-within-a-business known as Back Door Donuts. They open at 7:30 p.m., and there is usually a line gathered for piping hot doughnutsΒ as they come out of the fryer. This place has more five-star reviews than some Michelin restaurants. The menu is pretty simple.

Martha's Vineyard

 

We decided to order an “old-fashioned”β€”a plain doughnut with sugar glaze. I wish I could share a photo, but I ate it within seconds. It melted in my mouth on contact. In order to get a fair assessment of theΒ place, it was only right that we should sample more offerings. Enter their signature selection. The apple fritter. Worth. Every. Calorie.

 

Martha's Vineyard

 

 

Hope you enjoyed the tour around Martha’s Vineyard.

Have a great weekend, everyone!Β 

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