Martha's Vineyard

Martha's Vineyard has a history whose quirky jumble of religion, hard work and diversity echoes that of America as a whole. Dating back to 1602 when Englishman Bartholomew Gosnold's ship first dropped anchor, this history is still apparent in the six towns which spread out over the largest island in New England at 23 miles wide. Much of this acreage remains covered with sandy bluffs, farm land and shady forests obscuring tiny harbors. Victorian cottages and Gothic Revival 'gingerbread' clapboard homes ring one town center, while lighthouses sit atop wind-swept cliffs and broad beaches stretch into seeming nothingness.

The Vineyard is a curious fusion of the well-preserved past and the fast-moving present. Edgartown has long been known for the grand mansions built by the 19th-century sea captains of the whaling industry, yet many of these homes are now occupied by modern-day captains of industry. The Grange in Tisbury is a centuries-old agricultural hall that has recently been converted into an arts and community center. Hidden inland amidst the red cedar trees is one music club that bursts into action come nightfall. It could even be argued that the Vineyard's renown as a retreat came from the islanders themselves: Oak Bluffs first achieved fame as a Fundamentalist Revival camp in the 1820s.

And dining is another of these ambitious Vineyard pursuits. Stroll around the corner to a chef-owned neighborhood joint or take a water taxi to an up-Island destination - the currents of past and present, year-round and visitor collide at all points. Pan-Asian cafes, cheery farmer's markets, wine bars and Brazilian eateries co-exist, and their forms range from the Ralph Lauren-ish charms of clapboard inns to urbane wood-floored bistros down Oak Bluffs way. It's the exact kind of line-up you¹d expect from a place where Carly Simon, Spike Lee and Art Buchwald find common ground, and that's precisely because the Vineyard, as locals know it, has long been a place that rewards individuals - whether 25,000 in November or 100,000 come July.