Oak Bluffs, Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts

The town of Oak Bluff grew from deep religious grass-roots. In 1835, the Methodist Church and its congregation would travel to groves and pastures and set up tents for religious service. The Oak Bluff Campgrounds, also known as Wesleyan Grove, progressed for the next forty years, swelling to over 30,000 people. By then, mass tents had dispersed into family tents and then family tents had become cottages. There was friendly competition to see who could make their cottages most like gingerbread houses.
What would soon be Oak Bluff was, at that point, called Cottage City. While the Methodists tried to inhibit secular ways, American ingenuity could not be contained. In 1879, the service tent was replaced by an all-steel Tabernacle, which still stands as a marvel of ironworks. Steam vessels, horse cars, steam trains (one of the passengers was President Grant), electric trolleys, and automobiles, in that order, brought forth change, but this rootsy, religious-centered town never lost its touch and identity.
A point of interest for anyone who visits Oak Bluff is the oldest, continuously-used carousel in the country, the Flying Horses Carousel; its horses were handcrafted from wood in 1876. As of 2000, 3,713 people reside in Oak Bluff.
Like all of Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, Oak Bluff is nothing short of beauty for the senses. Whether you smell New England salt in the winds, view the sun over the Atlantic and seafaring vessels, feel the pastures and grass beneath your feet, or take note of the intricacies of architecture in the gingerbread-styled cottages, there is a simple dream in Oak Bluff. Every year the community comes together at Wesleyan Grove and the Tabernacle to celebrate what is called Illumination Night, a summer's end tradition for over a century. All day they rejoice in song and, come nightfall, they blaze the sky with Chinese lanterns and fireworks, just as they did as an early congregation.
While tradition is at the heart of the town, modern day life is prevalent in every corner of Oak Bluff, Massachusetts. Year-round events have many venues, sponsors, and associations; some include: the Featherstone Center for the Arts, the Cottage Museum, Martha's Vineyard Film Society, MV Camping Meeting Associations, Martha's Vineyard Hospital, Skating School of Martha's Vineyard, Boston Big Game Fishing Club, Portugese American Club, Polly Hill Arboretum, Trumpet Sound Music, NAACP, Run and Shoot's Filmworks, Island Plan, MV Fish Farm for Haiti, and more. While you must check out the calendar to see what's happening, dining and shopping are just as plentiful as the events.
Fine dine on buttered lobster and sweet crab legs with a Chardonnay, hit a pub or two, sip on coffee and tea at a coffee shop, or make a picnic basket to take to the beach. Oak Bluff has taste and the taste you are looking for. Browse and buy the latest fashions you want or the fishing and sailing supplies you need. Oak Bluff has shops to fit the most avid shopper.
Though the beauty of Oak Bluff may seize your attention, to get the blood going, there are many activities and sports to crown your vacation: Farmneck Golf Course is considered by many to be one of New Englands finest; one family game room and the Flying Horse Carousel amuse both adult and child; kayaking and canoeing both solo and tours are great for the body and mind; Fishing and boating are practically synonymous with Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts; dance clubs and music venues fill the nightlife with excitement; and the laying out and swimming under the sun at the beach nearly completes the vacation at Oak Bluff.
Oak Bluff has its solid roots in the ground, yet with modern Martha's Vineyard luxuries. You'll feel it to be true when you vacation here.