Martha's Vineyard Guide for 2010!

So we just got back from a week in Martha's Vineyard. Below is a list of the places we enjoyed and would recommend for your next visit.


Food:





The Bite in Menemsha is a terrific little fish shack, with amazingly fresh seafood. It has wonderful Quahog chowder, fried shrimp, fish sandwiches and all other great stuff. Blink and you'll miss it on Basin Road, but it's worth the trip out to Menemsha. It's open 11-3pm (or thereabouts) daily (in season). 29 Basin Road, Chilmark, MA 02535

If you're in Katama/South Beach or in Edgartown and looking for great sandwiches and a terrific gourmet deli, look no further than the Katama General Store... (you can follow them here on Twitter). We drove past the General Store every day during our trip and didn't go in until the second to last day and boy we didn't know what we were missing! We stopped in here on the Husband's suggestion to pick up sandwiches to take on the Mad Max sailing adventure (see below) and they were fantastic! They had ham and cheese, Italian subs, chicken salad, roast beef and then great side salads-- dill potato salad, curried chicken salad, olives and all sort of great sides. Let's not even discuss the amazing peanut butter pie. 170 Katama Road, Edgartown, MA 02539-8719

If you're in Edgartown and looking for a terrific brunch? Check out Among the Flowers Cafe. Thisbe recommended it and she was more than right! We went back three times for waffles and omelets. It's a tiny little place right near the harbor area and is well worth the trip! (Let's also note that this was where we had our one "Hollywood of the East" sighting)... 17 Mayhew Lane, Edgartown, Ma 02539



Martha's Vineyard Gourmet Cafe and Bakery (aka Back Door Donuts): Looking for a late night snack? Look no further than Back Door Donuts at the Martha's Vineyard Gourmet Cafe and Bakery in Oak Bluffs. Open nightly from 9pm-1am they serve amazing donuts, apple fritters, filled croissants and other baked loveliness. I must also recommend hitting up the bakery during regular business hours for amazing egg, ham and cheese croissants and mini key lime pies. 5 Post Office Square, Oak Bluffs, MA

Il Tesoro at the Terrace: Il Tesoro at the Terrace (located inside the Charlotte Inn in Edgartown) is amazing. It was a wonderful world class dining experience if you are looking for a more formal dinner atmosphere. The Husband had osso bucco, I had an amazing risotto pescatore. The service was wonderful, the atmosphere terrific. I can't say enough good things-- it was a very European dining experience! (Here's a review). 27 South Summer Street, Edgartown, MA 02539

Murdick's Fudge: What trip to the beach is complete without fudge? Murdick's has fudgemaking daily right in the middle of the store. I scored some chocolate fudge and some butter pecan fudge for the mom. They have locations in Edgartown and Oak Bluffs. 21 North Water Street, Edgartown, MA 02539

Beetlebung Coffee House: Beetlebung is a dry goods store (with locations in Edgartown, Menemsha and Vineyard Haven) and it's also a coffee shop (located in Vineyard Haven). They have great sandwiches, coffee, Arnold Palmers and other baked goodies. If you're in Vineyard Haven and looking for a light lunch you should definitely check out the coffee house. I had an amazing Beetlebung-style Cabot Cheddar Egg McMuffin and the Mom and Dad got great sandwiches.

32 Beach St, Vineyard Haven, MA 02568

Chilmark General Store: Pizza. One word. It was good. Good cookies, too. 7 State Road, Chilmark, MA 02535


Shopping:

Vintage Jewelry: Vintage Jewelry has a location in Edgartown and Vineyard Haven. They have a wonderful selection of both old and new jewelry including Troll Beads. I picked up a really neat vintage flower brooch from the 1950's and then the Husband got me a lovely Troll Bead bracelet. 53 Main Street, Edgartown, MA 02539-8233

Citrine: Citrine has recently moved to Vineyard Haven. Citrine stocks clothing and beads for jewelry making. I found a beautiful dress-- really unique looking (and perfect for dinner at Il Tesoro), a great pair of pants, a scarf and a neat little cape. I really hit the jackpot at Citrine. They have unusual, beautiful pieces. 9 Main Street, Vineyard Haven, MA 02568

Henley's Needlepoint: Henley's is located in Edgartown. This is one of the nicest needlepoint shops that I have ever visited. Ms. Henley has stocked the shop with wonderful hand painted canvases and she has a great selection of Martha's Vineyard specific projects which are perfect mementos to work on once you get home! 44 Main Street, Edgartown, MA 02539

Love MV (aka I Heart MV) T-Shirts: Located in the Nashua House Hotel in Oak Bluffs, this tiny shop stocks really cute T-Shirts with a great MV logo. The owner and his sister were manning the store during my visit and they were super friendly. Kid's shirts are American Apparel and they also use Hanes Beefy-Ts. 9 Healey Way, Oak Bluffs, MA 02557

Midnight Farm: Midnight Farm is Carly Simon's home and clothing store in Vineyard Haven. It reminded me a lot of an Anthropologie type concept, but with a large selection of higher-end items. It was a great shop to just browse in-- wonderful home decorating ideas and beautiful clothing. 18 Water Cromwell Ln, Vineyard Haven, MA 02568

Boys and Girls Club Second Hand Store: At 10 N Summer Street in Edgartown you'll find the Boys and Girls Club of Martha's Vineyard's thrift shop. I love a good thrift shop and this one doesn't disappoint. I scored a few pieces of milk glass for the Mom and a vintage French advertising poster for me (it's from the early 1900's!). The best part? They're willing to bargain! 10 North Summer Street, Edgartown, MA 02539


I also recommend: Portobello Road, in Edgartown (kids stuff, home decor, books-- terrific store), Menemsha Blues (clothing), Island Outfitters and of course, Vineyard Vines and The Black Dog.

One other tip? If you like all of the nifty sea-themed door knockers that adorn the doors of Edgartown? Visit the local hardware store on Main Street in Edgartown-- they've got quite a good selection, reasonably priced!


Adventures:



Mad Max Sailing Adventures: Located near the Seafood Shanty in the Edgartown Harbor the Mad Max is a 60-foot catamaran sail boat which departs twice daily on two hour harbor cruises. We took a 6pm evening sunset cruise and had a wonderful time. It is BYOB/BYOF so you can bring a picnic to enjoy. (I recommend picking up goodies at the Katama General Store!) At $60 pp/$55pp (cash discount) it was reasonable and a really nice way to enjoy an evening sunset. 25 Dock Street, Edgartown, MA 02539




Cutler Bike Rental: Cutler Bikes is located in Edgartown and they deliver! We rented two bikes for the week (together with a little tow-behind rickshaw thingie for Miss B.) and it was $85 per bike for the week. The bikes were well maintained and a great way to get around. It was 3.1 miles from our house to Edgartown and one morning we biked in for breakfast. Biking is a nice way to see the island and there are plenty of bike trails. 1 Main Street, Edgartown, MA 02539



Trustees of the Reservation: The Trustees of the Reservation maintain the various wildlife refuges and other state lands throughout MV. During our trip we made arrangements to be taken on a guided kayak trip within the Cape Poge wildlife reserve on Chappaquiddick Island. Mike, our guide, was very knowledgeable about the area and the birds, fish and other wildlife which we got to observe during our trip. The kayak trip was 2 1/2 hours and was a lot of fun.







Randi Baird Photography: Also during our visit we decided to have a family photo session at the Edgartown lighthouse. Randi Baird was recommended and she and her assistant were very personable and we had a really lovely time. We're looking forward to seeing our proofs! If you're in town and want to have some professional portraits, I would recommend contacting Randi.