Travelogue

Lolo on early morning ferry from Woods HoleVineyard Haven (the name most people substitute for Tisbury) is the first place that most visitors to the island see. It is the major terminal for the Steamship Authority, which delivers thousands of visitors to the island each day on its fleet of large ferries. Ferries also run to Oak Bluffs and Edgartown, but most people come through this port.

Vineyard Haven is located on the northern shore of Martha’s Vineyard, with its harbor safely nestled between the West and East Chops. This deep protected harbor helped it become one of the busiest ports in early New England. In centuries past, it served as a popular port for vessels selling whale oil, candles, salt cod, and wool to customers in Europe and up and down the American coast. That deep maritime tradition is still readily apparent today by the wooden schooners anchored in the harbor. Vineyard Haven is home to one of the last wooden boat shipyards in America, where boats are still built with the tools used centuries ago.

Small Craft on beach outside the Black Dog TavernThe opening of the Cape Cod Canal in 1914 and the increased usage of trains, trucks, and steamships to move cargo greatly reduced the number of ships using Vineyard Haven as a port. However, today the town is still hopping with activity as Vineyard Haven has shifted to importing a different kind of cargo – tourists.

My most vivid and personal memory of pulling into this wonderful harbor was 9:00 pm on the night of September 26, 1985, as we caught the last ferry from Woods Hole to the island before it shut down because of Hurricane Gloria. The reason we were so anxious to make the crossing was that Herb and I were getting married that Saturday in Edgartown. This was not the way I planned to arrive as a bride on the island. Instead of going up on Friday for our Saturday wedding as planned, we (meaning me and Herb, my parents, and his) raced up to get to Woods Hole on Thursday night before the ferries shut down. At this point we thought that the six of us might be the only attendees. The winds were already getting pretty fierce at 70 mph and the crossing was very rough, but we made it. Maybe we were foolish, but Herb and I had already been dating for 11 years, and I was not about to do anything that would jeopardize this long-awaited event. Well, we made it safely and so did many of our guests the following night, but that is a story to be told in the Edgartown stop.

Herb holding up Black Dog Tavern Sign - LEGEnough wedding talk. Back to some of our memories and experiences in Vineyard Haven.

One of the sights you can see as your ferry arrives, if you know enough to look for it, is the iconic Black Dog Tavern, a restaurant probably more famous for its ubiquitous t-shirts than for its food – which by the way is wonderful. This is a place that we have been coming back to year after year for almost three decades. In the early days, we would come for dinner. The wait was always long, but that was okay. It was a BYO restaurant, and they would give you wine glasses while you waited outside by the beach. That became half the fun. In more recent years, we have discovered their wonderful breakfasts and lunches, which are a much better bargain compared to dinner.

We tend to spend most of our island time in Edgartown and Chappy, so I don’t know Vineyard Haven as well. However, we do have a few Vineyard Haven highlights from our annual trips.

Murdick’s Run the Chop 5 Mile Race StartOne such highlight was our participation in our first island road race -- the Murdick’s Run the Chop 5 Mile Race in July of 2006. Murdick’s is the famous Fudge shop on the island. The boys were running track in high school at the time, and Herb and I have always been avid runners, so we thought it was about time we combined our love or running with our love of the Vineyard, plus my love of fudge. Unfortunately for Herb, his back was out, so he became the designated photographer. Also, Andrew had just gotten over a fever, but decided to run anyway, even though he was feeling a bit under the weather. It was great. I really felt like a local, gathering at the starting line with people that all seemed to know each other. And the run itself was a great way to see the Chop. There are some really beautiful houses overlooking the Sound. I run better when I am diverted and looking at nice scenery.

Herring Creek Beach HousesWe had a very respectable finish – Andrew and Tommy took 1st and 2nd in their age class and I took first in the old lady category. At the awards ceremony, we were each handed a piece of paper that said “Congratulation - #1 Murdick’s Fudge.” Woopie, I thought. Murdick’s thinks we’re number 1. Then a light bulb went off in my head and I realized that # also meant pound, and we had just won 3 pounds of fudge. Now, we’re talking. Any weight I might have lost during the race was quickly replaced with our winnings.

Since that race, we have ridden our bikes around West Chop several times. It’s a very nice part of the island, but definitely feels more year-round than Edgartown and Oak Bluffs. It reminds me a bit of parts of the Cape. There is a great view out over the sound from the West Chop Lighthouse, which sits atop a 60-foot bluff overlooking the Sound.

Lolo keeping Tommy's toes from Crabbies in Lake TashmooOn our route around the Chop, we often head west on Herring Creek Road to get to Lake Tashmoo. Herring Creek Road eventually turns to sand, but is still navigable by car or bike. At the very end of the road is a small channel, or I guess Herring Creek, where the ocean flows into the lake. One can choose to swim either on lifeguarded Herring Creek Beach on Vineyard Sound or in Lake Tashmoo.

In years past we used to cruise into Lake Tashmoo in our Grady White for an evening cocktail hour. It’s very shallow, so we used to anchor and walk to shore. When Tommy was little, he refused to even put his toe in this water because of the “crabbies.” I guess it is a good place for crabbing as are many of the other ponds on the island.

One time we even brought kayaks on top of our Suburban and paddled around the Lake to look at possible rental houses for the next summer. The problem was that we had two small kayaks and four people, or rather two adults and two small children. I definitely do not recommend paddling into the wind with a small, wiggling child in your lap. We were practically going backwards. Now that we have better kayaks and grown-up children, I would like to explore this lake a little more leisurely.

Happy Campers at Martha's Vineyard Family CampgroundVineyard Haven is also home to the only campground on the island: the Martha’s Vineyard Family Campground located on the Edgartown-Vineyard Haven Road. It’s a pretty big campground and quite nice – very busy in the summer, so reservations are needed quite a bit in advance. Since we are kind of nomads on the island – moving the RV to a beach early in the morning and then returning late at night – we have spent very little time actually enjoying what really is a very lovely campground. At $58 a night for an RV site, it is not cheap, but it is still by far the biggest bargain on the island.

Description

Family before Murdick's 5 Mile RaceTisbury, better known as Vineyard Haven, is the main port of entrance to Martha's Vineyard and often the first place that visitors to the island see. It is located on the northern shore of Martha’s Vineyard, bordered by Vineyard Sound to the north, Oak Bluffs to the east, and West Tisbury to the southwest. Its harbor, protected by the two headlands of West Chop and East Chop, serves as the major terminal for the Steamship Authority, which ferries visitors to the island from Woods Hole and New Bedford. It is the most year-round community on the island, with a population of about 3,700 people and a busy schedule of community events all year. Most of its stores and restaurants remain open during the winter.

Vineyard Haven has a deep maritime tradition. It served as a popular port for vessels selling whale oil, candles, salt cod, and wool to customers in Europe and up and down the American coast. It became one of early New England’s busiest ports, and sailors from around the world knew Martha’s Vineyard through the Seaman’s Bethel.

Schooner sailing from deck of MV FerryAs a reminder of its maritime past, one of the first sights visitors to the island see as they approach Vineyard Haven are the schooners Shenandoah and Alabama anchored in the harbor. The village is also home to the Gannon and Benjamin Marine Railway, one of the few remaining wooden ship boatyards in America, where boats are still built with the tools used a century or two ago. Vineyard Haven Harbor is home to more wooden boats than any other harbor in America.

The town of Tisbury, which was first called Holmes Hole, was first incorporated within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in 1671. In 1700 it was home to three families, but by 1780 it had already grown to a thriving port with 21 inns to welcome visitors to the island. By the mid 19th century, it was second only to the English Channel in number of ships stopping on their way to and from Europe, Africa, and the West Indies. However, in the 1900s, the number of vessels using Vineyard Haven as a port decreased as the usage of trains, trucks, and steamships to move cargo increased. Also, the opening of the Cape Cod Canal in 1914 provided a shortcut for ship traffic, diverting it away from Vineyard Sound.

Lolo crossing road to Tisbury ShopsToday, tourism has replaced shipping as the island’s main industry, and Vineyard Haven has shifted to becoming a port for a different kind of cargo – tourists.

Today Main Street is lined with galleries, shops, restaurants, and coffee shops, and of course the famous Bunch of Grapes bookstore, where Bill and Hillary Clinton have done book signings and President Obama takes his family to purchase some summer reading. Two blocks away on Church Street, the Vineyard Playhouse provides a full calendar of live theater events throughout the year.

The Clintons and the Obamas are not the only famous visitors to Vineyard Haven, which has become a popular summer destination for the rich and famous, especially those with a literary or journalistic bent. Summer residents have included Carly Simon, Thornton Wilder, Dashiel Hammett, Lillian Hellman, William Styron, Mike Wallace, Art Buchwald, Diane Sawyer, and Mike Nichols.

Lolo post breakfast at the Black Dog TavernEach July during the Tisbury Street Fair, Main Street is closed off and becomes a party scene, complete with bands, food, and bargains from the shops that line it.

Vineyard Haven is also home to the iconic Black Dog Tavern, famous for its good food and popular t-shirts sporting a black dog, which can be worn by people throughout the U.S.

The Main Street of Vineyard Haven lies at the base of West Chop, the Vineyard’s northernmost headlands, which juts out into Vineyard Sound with sweeping views of Cape Cod and the Elizabeth Islands. Atop a 60-foot bluff at the very tip of the headlands stands the West Chop lighthouse. The original wooden lighthouse built in 1817 was replaced by a brick structure in 1838. Due to erosion, it had to be moved back twice, once in 1848 and again in 1891.

Lolo on pond off State RoadFor a different type of beach experience, head west on Herring Creek Road. After a bit, the road turns to sand but is still navigable by car or bike. Herring Creek Beach is the only spot on the island where ocean meets lake, and one can choose to swim in either the Vineyard Sound or Lake Tashmoo.

There are three public beaches in Vineyard Haven:

• Owen Park Beach – a harbor beach located just a short walk from downtown
• Vineyard Haven Harbor – narrow strip of land between the Black Dog Tavern and the Steamship Authority
• Herring Creek Beach – located on Lake Tashmoo and the Vineyard Sound at the end of Herring Creek Road

Kayaking opportunities:

• Lake Tashmoo

Tisbury is also home to the only campground on the island – the Martha’s Vineyard Family Campground, located just one and a half miles from the Vineyard Haven ferry terminal on the Edgartown-Vineyard Haven Road. The campground has spacious wooded sites as well as rustic cabins. Other amenities include modern restrooms with hot showers, laundromat, store, recreation hall and playground.