Martha’s Vineyard by bus: Oak Bluffs

Fourth of four parts. Read Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.

It’s mid-afternoon by the time I’m off to Oak Bluffs at the opposite end of Martha’s Vineyard. This route, roads decidedly more clogged than during the morning hours, takes Martha’s Vineyard Transit Authority passengers past the Martha’s Vineyard Family Campground (569 Edgartown Road Vineyard Haven, 508-693-3772, campmv.com) and the Island Alpaca Company (1 Head of the Pond Road, Oak Bluffs, 508-693-5554, www.islandalpaca.com) Our bus stops not too far from the historic Flying Horses Carousel, and just a few steps from Oak Bluffs Harbor, where dozens of boaters are enjoying the afternoon summer sun with cocktails on deck, or at various establishments just steps away ashore.

The casual dining and drinking atmosphere at Coop de Ville (Dockside Marketplace, Oak Bluffs, 508-693-3420, www.coopdevillemv.com) which serves wings, seafood, and a raw bar just steps from the docks at Oak Bluffs, reflects the laissez-faire feel of this Vineyard town.

The nation’s oldest platform carousel, the Flying Horses Carousel (15 Lake Ave., Oak Bluffs, 508-693-9481, www.mvpreservation.org/p.php/preservation/community/flying-horses) has delighted children of all ages since 1876, when it operated at a Coney Island amusement park before moving to Oak Bluffs in 1884. When the Martha’s Vineyard Preservation Trust took over the carousel in 1986, it restored it to its original glory in order to avoid it being sold off in pieces to collectors. The cost is $2.50 per ride.

A souvenir in the arcade ajacent to the carousel.

A souvenir in the arcade ajacent to the carousel.

Giordano’s (18 Lake Ave., Oak Bluffs, 508-693-0184, giosmv.com) has been serving pizza to the Oak Bluffs area since 1930, with a variety of pizza and a clam bar which the establishment claims was the first on the island. Martha’s Vineyard Magazine awarded Giordano’s with the prizes for both best pizza and best fried clams in 2011.

The Strand Theater hasn’t shown movies since 2011, but it still boasts a tribute to the island’s illustrious history in film.

The most defining images from Oak Bluffs are in the Martha’s Vineyard Camp Meeting Association, a series of gingerbread houses that have been here since 1935. According to the official website, “the founders of the MVCMA were Methodists, and the original bylaws of the Association stipulated that all members of the Board of Directors had to be members of a Methodist church… Today the Campground is a community of summer residents and a smaller number of year-round residents who value the intimacy created by the crowding of cottages on small tent lots. Many of the cottages have been owned by the same families for generations.’’

Some of the homes at the campground located along Jordan Crossing.

Mopeds for rent in Oak Bluffs. Certainly one effective way to get around Martha’s Vineyard, but how else can you explore all the island has to offer for a $7 all-day ticket like you can on the VTA?

Less than 12 hours after arriving on the island, we’re back in Vineyard Haven awaiting passage back to the mainland. Martha’s Vineyard truly is a most accessible island, even for a day trip, and visitors can rest assured that once they arrive, the ways to get around are easier than one might normally think.