Family vacations in the summer time are
pretty easy to plan, but when you travel during the fall or winter months
finding kid friendly activities is a little more tricky. Your kids loved visiting Martha's Vineyard in
the summer, they happily built sandcastles and swam in the ocean, ate ice
cream, saw outdoor shows, and generally frolicked around the island with
delight. If you reserved your Martha's
Vineyard vacation rental for November instead of July, your kids probably
shouldn't be splashing around in the Atlantic.
If you're planning on a family vacation to Martha's don't fret, there
are still things your young ones can do to have fun.
Outdoor Activity: Nature Exploration at Long Point
Wildlife Refuge
Many New England vacationers spend their
fall vacations looking at the area's infamous gorgeous leaves, but there aren't
a lot of trees on this island. If you
want your children to enjoy the great outdoors, plan a day to explore the local
landscape. The Long Point Wildlife
Refuge contains over 600 acres of land and is comprised of beaches, dunes, and
woodlands. The main attraction at this
refuge is the grassland that's a relic from the Last Ice Age. The plants and wildlife in the area have
formed unique adaptations in order to survive, and your kids will have a chance
to see scrub oak shrublands, sandplain grasslands, pitch pine barrens, and even
heathlands.
Indoor Activity: Cooking Famous New England Dishes
New England has some signature dishes that
are popular with both the residents and the tourists. You could go to local restaurants so your
kids can enjoy some authentic New England dishes, or you could make a day out
of cooking some of the area's legendary foods in your Martha's Vineyard vacation rental. Make a trip to the local super market and
stock up on clams, potatoes, and if you're feeling a little crazy, some bacon
so you and your kids can make delicious New England clam chowder. If the kids aren't into seafood, opt to bake
some pumpkin muffins or other seasonal deserts.
Outdoor Activity: Boating/Boat Racing
During the summer the bays and open water
around the Vineyard are bombarded with boats.
Sailing and fishing are popular sports on the island, and since the area
is much less crowded you and your family can have a maritime adventure of your
own. You can easily rent a sailboat or
another kind of boat if you don't own one, or if money is a little tight you
can encourage your kids to make some boats of their own. Crafts stores around the Vineyard have little
kits for making boats, but a well folded piece of paper can be a great boat
with the right kind of folding. After
your kids make their ships, hold a little boat race in a local pond and see
whose ship wins.
