PROS: Very clean, upscale looking people, nice shops, has Chappy ferry, best restaurants on the…read moreisland is at this town CONS: The people who shop and work in this town are stuck up and the prices on everything are higher than all other towns OVERALL: I would come to this town, but not to shop or socialize; only to relax, eat, sleep over, and walk around

Mix of Old World Charm and Modern Amenities [Martha's Vineyard MA]…read more Once our ferry arrived at the terminal in Vineyard Haven we purchased a day pass at the ticket office. Edgartown was the first town we visited at Martha's Vineyard. It is on the eastern side of the Island which was about 20-mins to the Visitor Center. Edgartown is a quiet, lovely village with a deep history of its New England whaling past... we enjoyed some shopping in the various souvenir shops in town. We had lunch at the Seafood Shanty and stopped by the Ice Cream and Candy Bazaar for some ice cream (and chocolates). I started to imagine Brody walking through the center of town with his supplies for his "Beach Closed" mission. This was where they filmed some of the scenes from Jaws! We were not aware that there was an "Amity" walking tour, otherwise, we would've loved to see some of the filming locations but we did see the brick building that was temporarily used as the Amity National Bank (located on the corner of South Water Street and Main Street). The actual prop is located inside someone's office. That was pretty cool to see. The bank clerks allowed us to take a photo of it. I have to rewatch the movie again. The shops not only sell Martha's Vineyard merchandise, but many sell t-shirts and sweatshirts with "Amity" and other Jaws references... Across the harbor from the Chappy Ferry is Chappaquiddick. The island is accessible year-round by a small car ferry. Stop by the Visitor Center and grab a map. There is a public restroom in the premises. This also serves as a souvenir store. Review #3024

This place is awesome. Any boy who once dreamed of being a fireman must check it out.read more

A work in progress, but the tireless efforts of the Edgartown Firemen's Association shines through…read morein this museum dedicated to the town's fire dept and it's history. The Association (comprised of all volunteers) built an addition this year and now houses the 1855 Button Tub, a 4th of July parade favorite for years. There are also two beautiful antique engines, also staples of the 4th of July parade. It's very clear that these men and women care deeply about their community. They have done a great job here and have big plans for future exhibits and displays. Stop in and check it out and while you're there pick up an Edgartown Fire t-shirt for the firefighter in your life. They have added a few new designs this year and have kid's and women's T's this year, $15 and proceeds go right back into the museum! The group also hosts an annual pancake breakfast the last weekend in August. The volunteers show off their skills, rappelling off the ladder truck, cutting up cars with the jaws of life, and more. There are fun take home bags and great activities for the kids (Sparky the fire dog usually makes an appearance). It's a great event family event that gets better every year!

I love Woods Hole as you can see from my other reviews. I have lived near there in the past and…read morelove to visit when I can and always learn something new there. This time it was about their new parking system which is inflicted on them by the Town of Falmouth who has the right to do it as Woods Hole is technically a village within Falmouth. Historically, Woods Hole's metered parking has been quite independent. So I blame this conversion on Falmouth, not Woods Hole. Their new parking system (digital electronic) requires inputting your license plate when you park in a legal space along Water Street as well as any of the residential and nonresidential side streets. In the past, and I mean for many decades, it was a "find a space and pay" with manual meters. You could visit and stay as long as you wished should you have plans for an early day meal and shopping and then return later in the day for another meal. No more! You can only have a paid visit with a maximum total of 3 hours in the entire day, even if the second trip is located on a different block of the town. We learned that when we tried to pay during our one day here to be in 2 segments such as I described. However, it would not allow us to pay a second time. Luckily for us it was close to 6pm which is when the pay day ends. Luckily we did not get a ticket as we had reservations at one of our special restaurants. Later, I spoke to Falmouth Parking office staff about the policy and I asked why they changed. They thought it was a better system to move people along. Even with spending hundreds of dollars in local shops that day, they did not think it should be altered for convenience of the visitor. They "suggested" that the alternative was to park over in Falmouth Heights, miles away, and find a place eat there for the second meal. I did not fly from Colorado to eat in that area, I came for Water Street eateries and shops in Woods Hole. Watch your meter and plan around this policy. Go back for a second stint if needed after 6pm. The good parts of the visit that day, in addition to shopping and eating brunch at Pie In The Sky, a longtime favorite, was investigating all of the educational displays in town for the anniversary of the first lab, WHOI. Much of it is world famous, the Alvin deep diving submarine capsule and all the shipboard research they do. The sunset over Eel Pond is classic. We did that after dinner at our favorite fresh seafood restaurant, Shuckers. We had made reservations earlier that day when we walked by on the way to the car and we saw the "2 full lobster meal" special. We also watched the ferries and research vessels arrive and depart from the docks. We noticed that another restaurant is still not open all week, just the 5 busiest days, so we missed it on this trip. And sadly one of our long time favorite eatery spaces has still not found a reliable occupant since before the pandemic. But "in the old days" it was a charming seafood place right on the water. It was a pizza place when it reopened but closed again a couple of years ago. It's still a wonderful town to visit for so many reasons. And for the first time ever, we did not see the drawbridge on Water St operate a single time.

I was unfortunately only a short time in Woods Hole. It's an interesting city, mix of both new and…read moreold. Small town feel but cutting edge. It's home to a lot of different scientific institutes including Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, the Marine Biological Laboratory, the Woods Hole Research Center, NOAA's Northeast Fisheries Science Center (which started the Woods Hole scientific community in 1871), the Woods Hole Science Aquarium, a USGS coastal and marine geology center, and the home campus of the Sea Education Association. The views like in most towns I visited on my vacation is spectacular, another wonderful little stop in my trip thru Cape Cod.

I absolutely love lighthouses! Rose Island Lighthouse has been on my bucket list for some yrs, so…read morethis past summer we finally road tripped to New Port, RI. You must take a ferry to reach the Island, see the website for details. This was not our first to RI, its a very clean, well kept area. It was abandoned some yrs ago approx 1970s and refurbished in 1993. Its now a B&B for visitors to stay in the property. You can also just daytrip across and visit this historic lighthouse inside, and the grounds. Lots history and the views are out of this world gorgeous. We did a tour with the keeper, and got to see the inside of the B&B. You cab also climb to the steep top to see the beacon, they best views. They do have a museum, gift shop and You can also donate to the foundation to help with the upkeep of the house. If you wanna stay I highly recommend being a volunteer or book on the website. It was a sunny fantastic kinda day to be on the water! ~Happy Trails

Dating back to the 1860s. Although decommissioned now do to the newport bridge this is about as…read morehistoric of a lighthouse as you can get. A must aee if you're in Newport area.

Hello from Gatlinburg TN Smoky Mountains Park.. I'm originally from Portsmouth RI and I lived a few…read moreblocks away from the farm and I visit every time I come back home to see my friends..I highly recommend visiting..It has the Oldest School house in USA too

I have been driving past here my entire life and seeing as this whole COVID thing has us doing more…read moreoutdoorsy things close to home, we decided to stop in and check it out. The windmill was really cute, the property was very well groomed and the flower gardens were lovely. There were little foot bridges as well as a nice big duck pond! Glad we stopped and checked it out!

22nd September 2026 Newport, Rhode Island…read moreEarly chilly weather 64°F Happy 1st day of Autumn from the beautiful coastal town of Newport! Did you know that Newport holds more surviving 18th & 19th century colonial structures than any other city in America? There are nearly 600 historic colonial era buildings for such a small walkable area on the Atlantic. The town features multiple National Historic Landmark Districts, including the Newport Historic District and the gorgeous amazing Bellevue Avenue Gilded Age mansion region. The landmarked Gilded Age showpieces which are managed by the Preservation Society of Newport County are the most impressive sustained architecture of the 17th and 18th centuries. Do take a take a tour or just walk-about and enjoy the beautiful homes and architecture as we did! Thank you for reading.

Love coming to Newport, Rhode Island!…read more So many wonderful places and activities are here: -Newport Jazz Festival- 1st wknd.in August -Naval Station -Mansions -Cliff Walk -International Tennis Hall of Fame -Auto Museums -Historic Pubs -Restaurants -Shopping -Cemeteries -Boat Rides -Area Wineries The only downside is the parking. Parking lots can get expensive here. Yeah and good luck with street parking. Despite the parking issues, it's mostly a fun place!

An island that never…read morechanges I love going to Prudence island. The little ferry from Bristol is inexpensive and just the trip itself pretty nice. For some fortunate reason the island was never really developed which is shocking considering how beautiful it is. There are some houses but I don't think many people stay there year round and any kids probably end up going to Portsmouth for school. We love to bike around the island because even in the summer the traffic is light to nonexistent. Not very many paved roads so a mountain bike is necessary but you can make it around the whole island in a few hours. It even has a cute little lighthouse that you can walk right up to. The views around the island are just spectacular and in many spots it seems you are the only people on the island. An absolutely wild and unspoiled place that always seems fresh no matter how many times we go out there. About the only negative thing about the island is that ticks also seem to enjoy it and repellent is a must. No, there's not much out there, and that is what makes it so great. There is a small store by the ferry landing to buy junk food and drinks but nothing else. That is why Prudence is so special.

Prudence Island is really good at what it's good for, but really not good at most everything else…read more For example, day trips! Not a great idea. It's okay, but really only if you can bike it. It's too big to comfortably walk in a few hours. And a mountain bike is a must; most of the roads are unpaved. Those that are paved, the pavement is very old and pock marked. There's some bike rental places in Bristol a short walk from the ferry dock. There's very little in the way of specific things to do. Mostly you'd just bike around the perimeter to enjoy the view of Narragansett Bay. If something that simple is enough for you? You'll love it! If you want ANYTHING more, you'll be disappointed. Watch out for ticks, too. They're EVERYWHERE. Your dog will have a ball but be prepared to pull a lot of ticks off them. And your kids. And you. Don't wimp out: use the hardcore extra-DEET bugspray and use it liberally all over your entire body & clothes. There are literally no shops nor restaurants. At all. It's almost hard to believe but there it is. There's a small general store with limited food and some curios, that's it. It's usually open only when the ferry arrives. There's also no public bathrooms on the island. NONE. I'm dead serious here. Hit the "head" on the ferry right before you arrive because that's the last place you'll have to "go" (unless you find some bushes) until you leave. The ferry runs five or six times a day from Bristol. It's very reasonably priced (esp if you're not bringing a car) but has a lot of trouble with high winds on the Bay. Don't schedule things too tightly or you can get stranded pretty easily. And there's no hotels or anything like that whatsoever, although the locals are generally pretty friendly and odds are good someone could put you up for the night. A much, much better way to go is to rent a place for a week and plan to do nothing but relax, watch the water, maybe some fishing. Watch the sun rise, hang out all day, go to bed at sunset. Cook your own meals (epic grilling!) and read some books. Watch the birds. That's it. But if raising the concept of doing nothing to an artform is not your idea of a splendid week? I'd recommend going elsewhere. FWIW, the weekly rental rates aren't bad; way better than Block Island or The Vineyard. But they're reflecting the more "simple" lifestyle and lack of amenities. And the "hassle" of having to buy all your food on the mainland and hoof it with you on the ferry, then cook everything yourself. Cellphone service is decent to good, depending on which side of the island you're on; you're picking it up from towers on the mainland or Portsmouth. Home internet is very iffy. Bring a 4G hotspot if you absolutely need internet access. (it kinda violates the spirit of the island though) There's no cable TV, either; some houses get directv/satellite TV. Regular over the air TV is not bad with a good rooftop antenna. All in all, it's a great place for what it is, and a very not-good place for what it isn't. Bear that in mind and you'll have a good time, otherwise, you'll know to go to Block Island or The Cape.

In his trademark whimsical manner, Jay Lagemann's sculptures on Falmouth's Main Street celebrate…read morefamily life in a happy way. The Bond, Swinging Jenny, and Crawling Baby are three large-scale pieces that are displayed outside the Main Street Gallery. They are all different in form and quality, yet they are all united by their joyful energy and affectionate warmth. The Bond is a cast bronze sculpture that evokes a sense of connection. It captures the closeness and power by showing two characters in a delicate embrace. Made of mirror-polished stainless steel, Swinging Jenny shines with movement and joy. A moment of pure kinetic play captured in time, it shows a toddler in the middle of a swing, suspended in ecstatic abandon. Crawling Baby, which is likewise made of bronze but has a deep "Rodin Brown" patina, provides a realistic contrast: a young infant moving around and observing the world with interest and resolve. Together, these works transform the sidewalk into a kind of open-air narrative. Lagemann's playful yet poignant approach makes these sculptures not just visual landmarks, but emotional touchstones for the community. [Review 1103 of 2025 - 1249 in Massachusetts - 24657 overall]