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Martha’s Vineyard Hotel

People in a theater waiting to watch a screening that's part of the Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival.

Despite its smaller size, Martha’s Vineyard is home to an endless amount of fun, including countless events and festivals. From delicious food-focused gatherings to magical holiday events, there’s something going on no matter the time of year. These events are the perfect thing to time your stay at Vineyard Square Hotel & Suites around. For anyone planning a visit in August, consider having your stay coincide with the Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival. Keep reading to learn more about this popular event.

When and Where Is the Festival?

The Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival, also known as the MVAAFF, takes place at the beginning of August. Lasting nine days, screenings are held at the Martha’s Vineyard Performing Arts Center next to the high school in Oak Bluffs.

How Can You Attend?

There are several ticket options available for online purchase. This includes a nine-day all-access pass, single-day passes, and entrance to the Summer White parties. We recommend purchasing tickets are soon as possible to ensure they don’t sell out on you. 

The festival itinerary is still in the works. Check the MVAAF website for updates as the schedule becomes more finalized as the summer progresses.

Reserve Your Room at Our Edgartown Hotel

The exterior of an Edgartown hotel to stay at when visiting the Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival.

Given the popularity of the Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival, don’t wait to reserve your accommodations. Vineyard Square Hotel & Suites is only a short bus ride away, which means it won’t take you long to get to and from the festival. However, our Edgartown hotel is far enough away from the action to provide you with a tranquil place to unwind. 

When booking your stay, you have your choice of lodging options, including one-bedroom suites and well-appointed guest rooms. All of our rooms feature spa-like bathrooms and lavish bedding. Be sure to stop by our concierge desk to see how we can help make reservations for things to do between screenings. To learn more about our hotel in Martha’s Vineyard or special offers, call 508-627-4711.

Where to Find Delicious Breakfast on Martha’s Vineyard
Explore Haunted New England History on Martha’s Vineyard
Visit Local Farms on Martha’s Vineyard
The Best Things to Do in Martha’s Vineyard for Solo Travelers
What to Know about the Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival
Plan a Visit to the Martha’s Vineyard Food and Wine Festival
Where to Get the Best Pizza on Martha’s Vineyard Near Edgartown
Explore Memorable Things to Do & See in West Tisbury
A person working on a glass piece at a workshop in West Tisbury.

Planning a relaxing vacation doesn’t mean it has to be boring. Known for its laid-back atmosphere, Martha’s Vineyard is the best of both worlds. You can enjoy memorable adventures while also enjoying the slower pace of life. For anyone staying at Vineyard Square Hotel & Suites, there are things to do from sunrise to sunset. Spend a day disconnected from technology by exploring Manuel F. Correllus State Forest. Another great option is to visit nearby Martha’s Vineyard towns like West Tisbury. 

Martha’s Vineyard is home to several charming towns, including West Tisbury. Found roughly 15 minutes away from our Edgartown hotel, this nearby New England town is home to several popular attractions. The best way to get to West Tisbury is via Martha’s Vineyard Transit Authority, and our concierge staff can help ensure you catch the right buses. To help you plan your unforgettable day trip, we’ve compiled a list of seven must-visit spots.

A Checklist of 7 Places to Visit

1. Grange Hall was built in 1859 and acquired by the Vineyard Preservation Trust in 1997. Today, it hosts several events throughout the year, including the popular Artisan Festivals.

2. Spend time wandering the West Tisbury farmer’s market, which has been taking place since 1974. The market is open on Saturdays from June through October. It is also open on Wednesdays from June through August. 

3. Take in colorful flora at the Polly Hill Arboretum. The grounds are open daily from sunrise to sunset. Walk along the paths, taking in the beauty of rare trees and shrubs, and plants native to this region.

4. Pop into Martha’s Vineyard Glassworks to see incredible works of art come to life. Established in 1992, this state-of-the-art glass facility allows visitors to watch glass artists turn raw materials into a final stunning piece.

5. No trip to West Tisbury is complete without stopping by Alley’s General Store. The authentic general store is stocked with candy, groceries, hardware, and more.

6. One of the most iconic attractions on Martha’s Vineyard is the Field Gallery. While the gallery is home to three spaces with rotating exhibits, the focal point is the large field of whimsical sculptures.

7. Visit one of the largest publicly accessible conservation properties on the island by visiting the Long Point Wildlife Refuge. Go for a walk on the two-mile trail, or go for a swim to cool off. You will need to purchase an advance pass if you are visiting from mid-June to mid-September.

Reserve Your Stay at a Boutique Martha’s Vineyard Hotel

The seating area of an Edgartown hotel room to relax in after visiting West Tisbury.

Whether exploring things to do in West Tisbury or visiting a film festival, there are endless ways to spend your Martha’s Vineyard vacation. No matter what’s on your itinerary, it’s important to have a relaxing space to call home. Enjoy just that by booking a room at Vineyard Square Hotel & Suites.

Found in downtown Edgartown, our hotel has everything you need for the best stay possible. This includes several accommodation options and fantastic amenities. Call 508-627-4711 to learn more about our Edgartown hotel or ways to save.

Where to Find Delicious Breakfast on Martha’s Vineyard
Explore Haunted New England History on Martha’s Vineyard
Visit Local Farms on Martha’s Vineyard
The Best Things to Do in Martha’s Vineyard for Solo Travelers
What to Know about the Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival
Plan a Visit to the Martha’s Vineyard Food and Wine Festival
Where to Get the Best Pizza on Martha’s Vineyard Near Edgartown
Explore Memorable Things to Do & See in West Tisbury
A trail inside the Manuel F. Correllus State Forest.

For anyone looking to escape the hustle and bustle of life for a little while, there’s no better destination than Martha’s Vineyard. This charming New England island is known for its laid-back atmosphere. However, that doesn’t mean your trip will be boring by any means. For anyone staying at Vineyard Square Hotel & Suites, it won’t take long to discover adventure is all around you. One such outing is seeing what fun things you can find inside the Manuel F. Correllus State Forest.

What to Do on Your Visit

The Manuel F. Correllus State Forest is found at the center of Martha’s Vineyard. The 5,300-acre forest is one of the most breathtaking natural attractions near our Edgartown hotel. Several free parking options are nearby off Barnes Road, Old Country Road, and West Tisbury Road.

There’s no shortage of things to do when visiting the forest, which is open from sunrise to sunset. This is a dog-friendly spot, but your four-legged friend must stay on their leash.

Go for a bike ride along the 14 miles of wooded and paved trails. One option is the 10-mile Correllus Bike Path that takes you around the state forest’s perimeter.

Take in stunning views as you walk along one of the trails. If you’re looking for a challenging hike, the 2.1-mile Willow Tree Bottom Trail is an excellent option.

Play your way through the disc golf course.

Make your way to the park’s center to view the statue honoring the heath hen, a species of grouse that’s been extinct since 1932.

If you’re visiting during the winter, this is one of the best places on Martha’s Vineyard to go cross-country skiing.

Vineyard Square Hotel & Suites | A Charming Edgartown Hotel

The exterior of an Edgartown hotel that's close to the Manuel F. Correllus State Forest.

Found in the heart of Edgartown, Vineyard Square Hotel & Suites is centrally located near area activities and attractions. Whether you feel like hiking inside Manuel F. Correllus State Forest or exploring the island on a guided tour, the possibilities are endless. 

When you’re ready to call it a day, rest up in your beautiful room at our Martha’s Vineyard hotel. Our accommodations range from upscale guest rooms to luxury suites. We even have dog-friendly options! To learn more about which room style fits your group best or current special offers, call 508-627-4711.

Where to Find Delicious Breakfast on Martha’s Vineyard
Explore Haunted New England History on Martha’s Vineyard
Visit Local Farms on Martha’s Vineyard
The Best Things to Do in Martha’s Vineyard for Solo Travelers
What to Know about the Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival
Plan a Visit to the Martha’s Vineyard Food and Wine Festival
Where to Get the Best Pizza on Martha’s Vineyard Near Edgartown
Explore Memorable Things to Do & See in West Tisbury
A ferry, one of the top results when searching for how to get to Martha's Vineyard.

If you’re looking for a vacation filled with charm and adventure, look no further than Martha’s Vineyard. The New England island is home to numerous charming towns, including Edgartown. Home to Vineyard Square Hotel & Suites, the seaport village has countless things to do and see. However, before you can enjoy all the fun, you need to figure out how to get to Martha’s Vineyard. There are a few different ways to reach your final destination; keep reading to learn more about them.

What to Know about Riding the Ferry

In the movie Jaws, Chief Brody remarks, “It’s only an island if you look at it from the water.” Notwithstanding that island-centric outlook, visitors still have to cross a body of water to get to the Vineyard!

Found only two and a half miles off Massachusetts’ Cape Cod coast, the most popular way to reach Martha’s Vineyard is by ferry, and there are quite a few options. There are more offerings between May and October, but several routes are available year-round. Most ferries are passenger-only, so be sure to find out what parking options are available if you are driving to the dock.

The Steamship Authority provides the most extensive ferry schedule throughout the year, accommodating passengers and cars. Steamship ferries leave from Woods Hole on Cape Cod and arrive in Vineyard Haven year-round and Oak Bluffs during the summer and fall. If you plan on bringing a car, be sure to book well in advance, particularly during the summer season, as boats fill quickly.

Seastreak is a passenger-only, fast ferry service that leaves from New Bedford, MA, to Vineyard Haven. Once a seasonal operation, the Seastreak now runs year-round with multiple ferries to and from the Vineyard daily.

For those traveling from the NY metro area and points further south, or from Connecticut or Rhode Island and would like to cut down on the drive time to the Cape, there’s a great option. The  Rhode Island Fast Ferry is a high-speed ferry that takes vacationers from Quonset Point, RI, to Oak Bluffs. This service only runs during the summer and early fall, so check the schedule before planning your vacation.

The Falmouth-Edgartown Ferry drops riders off at Memorial Wharf, only about a five-minute walk from our Edgartown hotel. This seasonal ferry operates between Falmouth Harbor on Cape Cod and Edgartown.

You can also reserve your seat on Hy-Line Cruises. You can choose to depart from either Hyannis or Nantucket, but either service arrives at the Oak Bluffs Harbor. The Hy-Line is a seasonal ferry that operates only in the summer and fall.

One final option is The Island Queen. The seasonal service provides numerous daily departures between Falmouth on Cape Cod to Oak Bluffs.

What about Flying? 

Ferries aren’t the only way to reach Martha’s Vineyard. A second mode of transportation is by plane. Fly from Boston, New Bedford, Providence, Hyannis, or Nantucket on Cape Air. Just like ferries, other options become available during tourist season, including American Airlines, Delta, and Jet Blue

Once you reach Martha’s Vineyard, there are several ways to get around the island, including numerous taxi services, rental cars, and more. Check out our blog for more information.

Plan Your Next Edgartown Vacation Today

A couple relaxing on the porch of an Edgartown hotel after successfully figuring out how to get to Martha's Vineyard.

As you’re figuring out how to get to Martha’s Vineyard, reserve your room at Vineyard Square Hotel & Suites at the same time. Our charming boutique hotel is located in the heart of Edgartown, which means adventure is right around the corner. Have fun exploring all this popular New England destination has to offer before resting up at the hotel.

We have worked to provide several accommodation styles, which allows us to host groups of all budgets. Our Edgartown hotel also features several on-site amenities that’ll enhance any stay. To learn more about our hotel or special offers, call 508-627-4711.

Where to Find Delicious Breakfast on Martha’s Vineyard
Explore Haunted New England History on Martha’s Vineyard
Visit Local Farms on Martha’s Vineyard
The Best Things to Do in Martha’s Vineyard for Solo Travelers
What to Know about the Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival
Plan a Visit to the Martha’s Vineyard Food and Wine Festival
Where to Get the Best Pizza on Martha’s Vineyard Near Edgartown
Explore Memorable Things to Do & See in West Tisbury
A sketch of Vineyard Square Hotel & Suites, a premier Edgartown hotel.

Situated in the heart of downtown Edgartown rests Vineyard Square Hotel & Suites. Located close to charming shops and world-class restaurants, the charming Edgartown hotel is a top option for anyone looking to enjoy a relaxing Martha’s Vineyard getaway for a reason. In honor of our many years serving vacationers, we wanted to take a second to pause and reflect on how we got to where we are today.

The Start of Martha’s Vineyard

All of the rich history of how our hotel got to where it is today would mean nothing if it weren’t for the history of Martha’s Vineyard itself. The first documented name of the island off the shores of Massachusetts is Noepe, which means “land amid the waters.”

Bartholomew Gosnold is said to have called it Martha’s Vineyard after a family member and the abundance of grapes after he discovered the island in 1602. Eventually, Thomas Mayhew bought the island in 1642, when Great Harbour became the first European settlement. This area was renamed in 1672 to Edgartown. The whaling industry of the 1820s transformed the village, and many captains built stately mansions in Edgartown, many of which exist to this day. 

Fast forward a few years, and the Edgartown Methodists held their first camp meeting at the northern end of town in 1835. This meeting would become a yearly event and is regarded as one of the catalysts for transforming the island from a farming community into a seaside resort and vacation destination.

Learn more about the history of Edgartown and Martha’s Vineyard by visiting local landmarks and museums, including the Martha’s Vineyard Museum.

A Brief Overview of a Storied History

Before it was Vineyard Square Hotel & Suites, our hotel operated under the name The Colonial Inn. Opening its doors in 1911, the space was a smaller house with 16 rooms and was described as having been finished in an Old English Style. 

After that first season, the hotel was revamped and became double its original size. More work and expansion occurred in 1921 when the adjacent building was added, where the current Edgartown Residence Club Wing is found. By 1927, there were 60 rooms. 

The Inn hosted many rich and famous people throughout the years, including Dr. Charles E. Banks, Jacqueline Bouvier, John F. Kennedy, and I.M. Pei. After Thomas Chirgwin, the original owner of the hotel, passed away in 1940, the Colonial Inn changed hands and transformed a number of times over the years. In 2008, the current ownership group purchased the property and renamed the hotel its current namesake. Today, everyone who works at Vineyard Square Hotel & Suites works to continue the hospitality and service that started back in 1911.

Experience Our Edgartown Hotel for Yourself

The exterior of Vineyard Square Hotel & Suites, an Edgartown hotel, as it stands today.

See why Vineyard Square Hotel & Suites has remained a top option for visitors to Martha’s Vineyard for yourself. Now is the perfect time to book your stay at our Edgartown hotel. Thanks to numerous accommodation options and excellent amenities, we have everything you need for the best stay possible. Call 508-627-4711 to learn more about booking your stay or ways to save.

Where to Find Delicious Breakfast on Martha’s Vineyard
Explore Haunted New England History on Martha’s Vineyard
Visit Local Farms on Martha’s Vineyard
The Best Things to Do in Martha’s Vineyard for Solo Travelers
What to Know about the Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival
Plan a Visit to the Martha’s Vineyard Food and Wine Festival
Where to Get the Best Pizza on Martha’s Vineyard Near Edgartown
Explore Memorable Things to Do & See in West Tisbury