$1500 Cape Cod Challenge Day 5: Martha's Vineyard

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They say no visit to Cape Cod is complete without a visit to one of the islands; Martha's Vineyard or Nantucket. We chose to do Martha's Vineyard on this trip for several reasons: the ferry ride was shorter, there was more to do with young children, and the ferry tickets were cheaper.

We left the condo around 7am this morning, drove into Falmouth and parked, then took a bus to the ferry terminal in Wood's Hole. We were a little early getting to the terminal, which is what I planned because I wanted to try out this great little bakery called Pie in the Sky (www.woodshole.com/pie) for breakfast. Pie in the Sky is just up the hill from the ferry terminal.

I had read wonderful things online about this little place and it didn't disappoint. They have delicious baked goods and sandwiches. We ordered croissants, fruit and yogurt for the kids and my husband and I had the mushroom and pepper quiche. Everything was very tasty. You can eat outside at a table or inside the bakery where they have a computer with free internet set up. We chose a table outside, but I had to drag my husband away from the computer first.

There were locals having their morning coffee and reading the paper as well as daytrippers headed to the Vineyard all eating outside. We had a nice comment from an elderly gentleman who was watching us eat breakfast. He said something like it was great to see our young family on vacation, it reminded him of when his own kids were little. I know that time flies. The kids are growing quickly, and I try to savor days like this myself.

After breakfast we had a very relaxing 45 minute ride to Martha's Vineyard. I chose to visit the town of Oak Bluffs. When we got there we walked around the village exploring the sights and the shops. We remembered to bring a stroller for the 4 year old. That was good thinking, because he ended up taking a nap in it this afternoon.

One of the highlights of the day was riding the Flying Horses Carousel (http://www.mvpreservation.org/carousel.html), the oldest carousel in the nation. There is a ring that the children try to catch as they go around on their horses. If they grab the brass ring, they get a free ride. My youngest son was able to grab it!

There is also a small arcade in the same building. My oldest children now seem to be out of the "arcade glory days" when I could let them loose in an arcade and they'd think they were playing all the games by just moving the joysticks. No, now the jig is up. They have discovered that you actually have to put money in those machines to make them work. So, I had to shuffle them out of there pretty quickly.

We walked up and down Circuit Ave, the main shopping street in Oak Bluffs. We visited the iconic Black Dog store (www.theblackdog.com) and shared an ice cream at Mad Martha's. As we were going into Mad Martha's, Rachel Ray's camera crew was coming out. Apparently they were filming a segment for one of her upcoming shows.

We ate pizza for lunch on the island, only because I thought carrying a cooler around the Vineyard would be inconvenient. I did bring drink boxes and water bottles though which saved us some money.

The town of Oak Bluffs on Martha's Vineyard is known for it's "gingerbread houses" and we walked around those too. They are all surrounded by beautiful gardens and landscaping. It was very pretty.

Everywhere we went, we met friendly people willing to engage in conversations. It was a very welcoming place. I was also pleasantly surprised by the racial diversity of the vacationers on Martha's Vineyard. A little online research reveals that the Vineyard has a long history of being a vacation destination for African Americans, a history which goes back to the turn of the century.

After a wonderful afternoon, we took the 3:45 ferry home and were back to the condo in time to grill chicken for dinner.

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Photos

Martha's Vineyard
Apparently, you can get anywhere in the world from Oak Bluffs.

Comments

[Trish]

Thank you!
I posted on the Dis asking for vacation ideas and you pointed me to your blog. Great job! Seriously, you don't know how much you've helped me get out of our vacation rut. I never would have imagined there would be enough to do in Cape Cod to keep little ones happy. I will continue to follow along on your family adventure, keep up the good work.

[Mom]

Great job with the blog
Feel as though I am taking the trip with you the descriptions and pictures are great...

[John]

Thanks
I saw a link to your blog on one of your enlightening Dis posts, and thanks for the well written and insightful posts on both. Your family is just adorable; I just got back from Cape Cod with my family myself (not as long as you, just a couple of days). My wife's aunt and uncle live over in Oak Bluffs; they had one of those gingerbread cottages years ago, but moved down the street to someplace bigger. They were putting together a book on the African American history of the island a couple of years ago. I don't know if they had it finished, but if you'd like a copy as a souvenir, I can find out and get you one if they have it finished. Post back if you'd like one, I don't know how to leave an email on a blog. I'll check back every so often. Thanks

[P05]

re: Martha's Vineyard History book
I'd love to know the title. If you find out, I can look for it at the library or on amazon. Thanks!