Over the weekend, we arrived home after our family vacation to Martha’s Vineyard. Martha’s Vineyard is a very special place to our whole family- MJD and I both grew up going there and now taking our own kids there makes us so happy! Martha’s Vineyard is full of beaches to visit and fun things to do as a family. I’m sharing five of our favorite things to do with kids on Martha’s Vineyard (besides visiting the beach)!
Visit the animals and a working farm at The Farm Institute- The Farm Institute (pictured above) is located in Katama that offers many amazing opportunities for children and their families. You can visit at any time when it is open and explore the farm, seeing the animals and gardens on your own. The Farm Institute also has many structured activities available- I took Nicholas and Peter to a “mommy & me” class called Wee Farmers and Nicholas attended a week of camp for some more farm time there during our trip. If you don’t have time for camp or a class, check out their wagon rides which was a highlight of my kids’ visit! Sunflower picking in August is on my list for next summer too!
Check out the fire trucks at the Edgartown Fire Museum– A perfect rainy day activity- The Edgartown Fire Museum is home to fire trucks from 1927 and 1952, as well as many antique firefighting tools, uniforms and more. The museum is small which makes it perfect for preschool age children as they won’t be overwhelmed with the size of it. My kids also loved getting firefighter shirts here- I think it was their favorite souvenir of the trip!
Ride on the oldest carousel in the U.S. at The Flying Horses- If you are visiting the Vineyard, taking a ride on the Flying Horses is a must-do! The carousel is the oldest in the nation so don’t expect anything too fancy and maybe plan to go either first thing in the morning or on a cooler day as there is no air conditioning inside. The horses are all original with real horse hair so it is a unique experience for anyone who visits. Your children will grab the rings as the ride around and whoever grabs the last ring- the brass ring!- wins a free ride.
Watch the planes at Katama airfield– For any airplane loving little ones, the Katama Airfield is a great spot to watch small airplanes take off and land up close. If you’ve ever visited South Beach, you’ve likely seen the Red Baron biplane flying overhead. It departs and lands at the airfield so you can get a great view.
Pet the alpacas at Island Alpaca- We made our first visit to Island Alpaca during our trip and Nicholas and Peter loved getting to pet the alpacas. During our visit, there were a few other kids there and they loved playing, petting and feeding the alpacas hay alongside the other children. My mom tip for a visit here- the farm closes at 4 PM and we arrived around 3:15 PM which gave us a perfect amount of time and a definitive end time with the closing.
Just a note, my kids are currently 2 and 4 years old so I can safely say these activities are a fan favorite for preschool age children! When visiting, we saw older children having a great time doing all of these activities as well. If you have the chance to visit Martha’s Vineyard and do any of these things with your own kids, I’d love to hear your favorites!
xoxo, Jenna