Martha's Vineyard

Martha's Vineyard is a picturesque New England island with captains' houses and lighthouses, white picket fences and ice-cream shops, an authentic fishing village and a Native American community, miles of pristine beaches and rolling farmland. The island is very popular in summer, but the new, New Bedford high-speed ferry (55 minute ride for $20) or the older ferry (2-hour ride for $10) can help you to avoid the cape traffic and get straight to your destination. Alternatively, visit the island off-season, in May or October, when the weather is often mild and the crowds have cleared out. You really don't need to bring a car to get around this small island, but if you absolutely must be bring your car, you'll need an automobile reservation for the ferry.

Visit the Vineyard to bicycle the shaded paths hugging the coastline (bikes and mopeds for rent). Admire the regal sea captains' houses in Edgartown, and stop by the Edgartown Scrimshaw Gallery for a memento of the sea. Stroll down Circuit Avenue in Oak Bluffs with a Mad Martha's ice-cream cone and then ride the Flying Horses Carousel, said to be the oldest working carousel in the country. Don't miss the cheerful "gingerbread" cottages behind Circuit Avenue, where the echoes of 19th-century revival meetings still ring out from the imposing Tabernacle. Marvel at the red-clay cliffs of Gay Head, now known as Aquinnah, a National Historic Landmark and home to the Wampanoag Tribe. Travel the country roads of West Tisbury and Chilmark, stopping at Allen Farm for sweaters made from the wool of their flock of over 200 sheep. Buy bread at the Scottish Bakehouse in North Tisbury and a lobster roll in the fishing village of Menemsha. Or spend the afternoon on one of the islands gorgeous beaches. There is no dearth of terrific vacation activities on the island.

Try to savor the 45-minute ferry ride to and from this pastoral place. The Vineyard's pace is decidedly laid-back, and your biggest chore should be to try to blend in with the prevalent ultracool attitude. The six towns on Martha's Vineyard have distinct identities, but they can be divided into "down-island," referring to Vineyard Haven (officially called Tisbury), Edgartown, and Oak Bluffs; and "up-island," encompassing the towns of West Tisbury, Chilmark, and Gay Head.

Nantucket

For the first time since its golden age as a world-renowned whaling capital in the early 1800s, the tiny island of Nantucket is decidedly on a roll. Modest shingled cottages that might have gone begging for a buyer a few decades ago now fetch an easy million. The 800-plus pre-1840 structures that compose the core of town -- a National Landmark Historic District -- only rarely change hands, and then at exalted prices.

Essentially Nantucket is all beach -- a boomerang-shaped sand spit consisting of detritus left by a glacier that receded millennia ago. Off Cape Cod, 26 mi out to sea, the island measures 3½ by 14 mi at its widest points, while encompassing more than 100 mi of sandy shoreline, all of it open, as a matter of local pride, to absolutely everyone. Nantucketers are resolved that the beaches should remain accessible to the general public.

A half dozen or so town-supervised beaches have amenities such as snack bars and lifeguard stations. The rest are the purview of solitary strollers.

The small commercial area of Nantucket Town is the center of island activity, just as it has been since the early 1700s. It's only a few square blocks of mostly historical buildings, restored inns, and boutiques and galleries leading up from the pretty harbor and waterfront, where the ferries dock. Beyond it, quiet residential roads fan out to points around the island; Siasconset (Sconset) lies 8 mi to the east, Surfside 3 mi to the south, and Madaket 6 mi west of town. Thus far, the outlying areas appear relatively rural.

To get to Nantucket, from the South Coast Region, one must drive to Hyannis, MA. From there one can take one of two ferries, a high-speed ferry called the Flying Cloud (one hour trip for $27) and a slower ferry (two hour and fifteen minute trip for $14). One can also fly from the New Bedford airport in a relatively brief time, altogether avoiding cape bridge traffic and the ferry.

Boston	Providence	Newport	Cape Cod	The Islands	Block Island	Stay here!
Only an hour away, Boston is world renowned for its history, academic institutions, parks, culture, and shopping. Take a Daytrip to Boston.	Thirty minutes from the South Coast Region, Providence has a recently revitalized downtown and is undergoing a cultural renaissance.	Just thirty minutes away, Newport is great for yachting, beaches, shopping, dining, and has a vibrant summer nightlife.	Only thirty minutes from the South Coast Region, Cape Cod has 100 miles of beaches, National Seashores, Audubon preserves, lighthouses, and picturesque seaports.	Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket, and Cuttyhunk islands; the rich and famous "summer" here; hardy New Englanders have made it their year-round home for 350 years.	Accessible by Ferry from Newport, RI, this small island offers safe harbor, bike rentals, beautiful sea cliffs, beaches, seafood, and a plethora of summer wildflowers.	Last but not least, stay local and explore the South Coast's many back roads, museums, beaches, zoos, parks, antique shops, and more.