Oak Bluffs
Oak Bluffs, adjacent to Tisbury on Vineyard Sound, is renowned for its gingerbread, “carpenter Gothic” cottages. Appropriately, the town was incorporated in 1880 as Cottage City, then renamed Oak Bluffs in 1907 in recognition of its increasingly year-round character.
The genesis of the town was a Methodist camp that today is a collection of colorful cottages centered on a park with a soaring Tabernacle, a forum for religious and artistic events. Like Vineyard Haven, Oak Bluffs is a shopper’s mecca. It is a favorite destination for families because of the range of attractions, including beaches, parks, a hip harbor front scene, and a bustling downtown.
Oak Bluffs Photo Gallery
Oak Bluffs — or ‘OB’ — likes to celebrate the summer season. It’s a classic beach town, filled with fun, music, and arcades. In summer, throngs of tourists come to enjoy the water, events and casual atmosphere of Oak Bluffs. You have instant access to the beaches directly from the bars and shops along Circuit Avenue and you’ll enjoy the views from the spacious park up on the bluff overlooking the water.
Although ferry service mostly ceases in the off-season, summer brings the mostly lively ferry service on the island, with boats connecting Oak Bluffs with Falmouth, Hyannis, Nantucket, New Bedford, and Rhode Island
Oak Bluffs is also home to three of the Island’s most significant public institutions the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School, Martha’s Vineyard Community Services, and the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital, which is the only regional facility on the island.
Michael Blanchard