AT T R A C T I O N S
The Islands
descending passenger liner, and the boredom of interminable stretches of becalmed waters and clear horizons. To pass the time, Nantucket lightship sailors created an art form: the Nantucket Lightship Basket. The design has evolved over time, if slightly, meaning the baskets made today—even by visitors taking classes on how to do so—vary slightly in concept from the originals. 49 Union Street 508.228.1177 www.nantucketlightshipbasketmuseum.org
Dr. Daniel Fisher House and Old Whaling Church
Anchoring the historic village of Edgartown, Dr. Fisher’s house stands as a reminder of the glory days of Martha’s Vineyard, and today it’s available for yours: you can rent it for a small function or a wedding. Next door, the Old Whaling Church also represents those glory days, but also their sadder side, when whaling captains built the church to pray for lost crews. Add the Vincent House to your itinerary, and truly catch the spirit of old Edgartown. Main Street, Edgartown 508.693.9317 www.mvpreservation.org
Nantucket Shipwreck & Lifesaving Museum
When wind and wave conspired to wrestle lives from the ships sailing the 19th century seas, iron men in wooden boats defied the odds and raced to the rescue. Nantucket men were among those who served in volunteer Humane Society of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and United States Life-Saving Service lifeboat crews. Their stories, from ancient sailing schooners to the tale of the Andrea Doria, are told here, through their tools, uniforms and more. 158 Polpis Road 508.228.1885 www.nantucketshipwreck.org
Cottage Museum and Shop
Oak Bluffs started out simply, as a place where folks could escape the rapid industrialization of northeastern North America, studying religion in tents overlooking the sea. Someone thought somewhat more permanently, built a cottage, and a neighbor did the same, adding some competitive decorative flair. The result is a series of quaintly gingerbreadstyle dwellings creating a fanciful village in that still, at all times of year, contemplatively looks out to sea. 1 Trinity Park, Oak Bluffs 508.693.0525 www.mvcma.org
Nantucket Whaling Museum
Ancient traditions tell of the “Nantucket sleigh ride,” a high-speed, barely survivable dash across the waves towed by a speared whale—but is it fact or fiction? The Nantucket Whaling Museum tells the stories of days now long past, when local crews shipped out farther and farther in search of the world’s largest marine creatures in order to render and process them for their blubber, their oil, their baleen. [???&]Z\?? H
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