Dukes: Experience trails, nature, and culture

A gentle stroll among cultivated plants, trails through wetlands, and places where history is presented from different perspectives: in Dukes, nature and culture stand side by side as possible focuses for your trip. The offerings vary significantly in landscape, trail length, and theme—from a garden visit to trails through protected areas.

Nature Trails and Landscapes

The Polly Hill Arboretum offers a gentle stroll across 20 acres, featuring a wide variety of cultivated plants. Those interested in plants and designed garden landscapes will find a different setting here than on the longer trails in the protected areas. At Menemsha Hills, trails lead through elevated wetlands to Prospect Hill. The 211-acre protected area also includes three miles of hiking trails through stands of holly and blueberry bushes, past boulders and glacial erratics.

A seven-mile beach ridge shapes the landscape at Cape Poge Wildlife Refuge. Its habitats include salt marshes and stands of red cedar, as well as nesting areas for shorebirds. At Wasque Beach Uplands, the protected area offers an easily accessible, two-mile walking trail. Access conditions may vary seasonally.

Long Point Wildlife Refuge is a habitat for globally rare plants and wildlife adapted to its dry, acidic landscape, coastal ponds, and sandy beach. A two-mile trail leads through oak forest and savanna. If you plan to swim there, check beach and water conditions in advance. Kayaks and stand-up paddleboards are rented daily in June, July, and August; check availability before your trip.

Culture, History, and a Café by the Water

The Aquinnah Cultural Center presents the history of the Aquinnah Wampanoag through its museum collection, community voices, and cultural events. Its offerings are intended both for tribal members and the general public. Oak Bluffs is home to the Flying Horses Carousel, the oldest platform carousel in the United States. Also in Oak Bluffs are the Camp Meeting Grounds: a 34-acre circle with more than 300 colorful, intricately decorated Carpenter Gothic houses.

The African American Heritage Trail on Martha’s Vineyard includes more than 30 sites honoring the contributions of people of African descent. The published number may change as more sites are added. At the Martha’s Vineyard Museum, the “One Island, Many Stories” exhibition introduces the island’s history. It covers fishing, agriculture, change, seafaring, creative work, escape, and belonging; an interactive map is at its center. Exhibition details may change.

A visit to the museum also includes the First Light Café. It serves coffee, baked goods, sandwiches, and light meals in a waterfront setting. Opening hours may change.

Getting There and Getting Around

Martha’s Vineyard is not connected to the mainland by bridges; visitors arrive by ferry or plane. Ferries reach Vineyard Haven year-round and Oak Bluffs seasonally, depending on the ferry service and route. The Steamship Authority trip from Woods Hole to Vineyard Haven or Oak Bluffs is listed as taking 45 minutes. Check the schedule before departure.

Martha’s Vineyard has many car-free bike paths along the ocean and through forests. The bike path network in the “Down-Island” area covers 44 miles and includes routes and combinations that connect Vineyard Haven, Oak Bluffs, and Edgartown. Check trail conditions before cycling. This lets you weigh different landscapes and ways of getting around as you plan, without limiting nature and cultural offerings to a single kind of trip.

Discover more places: Edgartown, Oak Bluffs, Aquinnah, Tisbury, West Tisbury.

Discover more destinations: Hampshire, Barnstable, Berkshire.

Return to the main travel overview: Massachusetts.