Dukes: Nature, Trails and Culture on Martha’s Vineyard

Dukes combines impressive landscapes with distinctive cultural sites and a variety of ways to enjoy shared vacation days on Martha’s Vineyard. Easy walks, longer trails through protected areas, historical exhibitions and a unique island culture give your trip different points of focus. When searching for a vacation rental in Dukes, it is therefore worth considering first whether you primarily want to experience nature, culture, cycling or a combination of these.

Protected Areas and Trails for Different Day Plans

The Polly Hill Arboretum offers an easy walk through 20 acres featuring a wide variety of cultivated plants. This provides a different experience for a more peaceful nature outing than the larger protected areas. In Menemsha Hills, trails pass through elevated wetlands and lead to Prospect Hill. The 211-acre protected area also has three miles of hiking trails through stands of holly and blueberries, as well as past boulders and glacial erratics. If you enjoy incorporating different trail lengths into your trip, you can take these details into account when planning your days.

Cape Poge Wildlife Refuge also showcases several sides of the landscape. The seven-mile barrier beach includes salt marshes, red cedar habitats and nesting areas for shorebirds. At Wasque Beach Uplands, there is also an easily accessible, two-mile walking trail. Long Point Wildlife Refuge, in turn, is home to rare plants and wildlife adapted to its dry, acidic landscape, coastal ponds and sandy beach. A two-mile trail there leads through oak forest and savanna. In June, July and August, kayaks and stand-up paddleboards are rented daily at the protected area.

Culture, History and Distinctive Island Highlights

For days focused on culture, the Aquinnah Cultural Center presents the history of the Aquinnah Wampanoag. The museum collection, community voices and cultural events for tribal members and the general public provide different ways to engage with this subject. The African American Heritage Trail on Martha’s Vineyard includes more than 30 sites honoring the contributions of people of African descent. In addition, the trail offers a fully narrated tour of six sites in the Highlands area of Oak Bluffs.

In Oak Bluffs, the Camp Meeting Grounds is a 34-acre circle with more than 300 colorful, elaborately decorated Carpenter Gothic houses. The Flying Horses Carousel is the oldest platform carousel in the United States. The “One Island, Many Stories” exhibition introduces the history of Martha’s Vineyard and explores fishing, farming, change, seafaring, creative work, escape and belonging. An interactive map in the center of the exhibition makes it easier to navigate its themes. For a break, the First Light Café at the Martha’s Vineyard Museum serves coffee, baked goods, sandwiches and light meals in a waterfront setting.

Getting There and Choosing Your Base

Martha’s Vineyard is not connected to the mainland by bridges, so visitors arrive by ferry or plane. The Steamship Authority ferry from Woods Hole to Martha’s Vineyard takes 45 minutes. Ferries reach Vineyard Haven year-round and Oak Bluffs seasonally, depending on the ferry service and route. Consider these connections when planning your trip before choosing a vacation rental and your preferred starting point.

The planned mix of nature and cultural experiences can also be an important factor when choosing your accommodation. Many car-free bike paths run along the ocean and through forests. The bike network in the “Down-Island” area covers 44 miles and connects Vineyard Haven, Oak Bluffs and Edgartown. This allows you to shape your days according to your interests: with a walk, an exhibition, a bike ride or a seasonal outing by kayak or stand-up paddleboard. For further orientation, see the pages for Edgartown, Oak Bluffs, Aquinnah, Tisbury and West Tisbury, as well as the additional pages for Essex, Norfolk and Hampden.

For the broader travel overview: Massachusetts.