Family Vacation Destination: Martha's Vineyard

In Cape Cod with my cousin, circa 1996

A few years before we got hitched, Chris and I vacationed in Cape Cod with my mom and my cousin. We spent two weeks in July exploring Boston, Cape Cod, and Martha's Vineyard. That vacation is one I think of often, and hope to repeat with Chris and the kids some day. I loved being able to drive up and down the coast, walking around the little towns, hanging out at beaches, and feeling a connection with American presidents, since Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard in particular, is a known holiday hot spot for Commanders in Chief. One chilly day we spent out on the ocean whale watching, and another day we took a ferry to Martha's Vineyard for the day. Martha's Vineyard was beautiful, and I was intrigued by its history. At the time I remember thinking it would be nice to dedicate a full vacation to the island itself. Maybe it's time I look into Marthas Vineyard accomodations, and see what is available for families.

One thing I clearly recall from that vacation is that the weather was far milder than I expected. I can understand why local residents escape the heat of the city for the Cape, although it is actually only about an hour outside of Boston. There were days when it was too cool to swim in the ocean, and once we ended up buying sweatshirts while we were out because we weren't dressed quite warm enough. However, the beaches were beautiful, and we spent many hours exploring tide pools and sitting around bon fires late into the night. I can imagine how much my beach-loving kids would enjoy playing in the sand and the salt water.

I enjoy family vacations that encompass simple pleasures, and while exciting theme parks are fun too, sometimes just hanging out and relishing the company of loved ones and our natural surroundings is even more gratifying. In our family, we love beach vacations. We do not require something "to do" 24/7, and are perfectly content packing some snacks, beach towels, and sand toys and laying around the beach for lazy stretches of several hours. In fact, some of my happiest memories with my kids involve just laying around the beach, doing nothing much. What more do we need than sunshine, a place to swim, and sand to play in? The kids enjoy finding treasures - rocks, shells, aquatic life-, burying each other in the sand, trying to catch fish with nets and buckets, and of course endless swimming, floating, and boogie boarding.

For us, the appeal of a Martha's Vineyard vacation would be alternating between building sand castles and walking down the street for an ice cream cone; window shopping at unique touristy shops and watching sunsets on the beach; taking long walks and dozing on the warm sand. Simple, easy things like this make the best memories, and are good for the soul. I think island vacations are especially awesome. There is just something decadent about being isolated on a beautiful island, with nothing to do but joyfully appreciate everything around you.

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post. However, all opinions are my own.