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Martha's Vineyard
Exploring Cape Cod and the IslandsCape Cod is an easy drive from Boston and offers a wide range of attractions. A 2-3 day
or longer vacation is well worthwhile. Hyannis is a particularly good base from which to explore the Cape Cod coastline and take ferries to the
islands. Hyannis is famous for its association with the Kennedy family. It lies on the southern coast
of Cape Cod facing Nantucket island and Martha's Vineyard. It is an exclusive and busy resort area in
mid-summer but good deals are possible, for example with the Radisson Hotel Lowest Web Rate The following description in Catherine Fallin and Elizabeth Talbot's book Martha's Vineyard: Gardens and Houses shows that the island remains fruitful: 'Most people think of Martha's Vineyard as a summer island, and it is wonderful then, with long summer days and warm nights. Sea breezes gently cool the air, fragrant wild shrubs and trees burst into bloom in spring, which might arrive the first of March or not until well into April. The air smells of pine forests, new mown hay, honeysuckle, sweet pepper bush, swamp azaleas and more. Abundant fruit trees, wild berry bushes, beach plums that are native to a very small part of the New England coast, and, of course, wild grapes of a score of varieties - all grow in profusion. Early summer and fall are marked by sparkling clear days. Winter is cold and rainy, and sometimes blizzards and northeasters cover the island in a thick blanket of snow.' Bartholomew Gosnold and the WampanoagOn March 26 1602, Bartholomew Gosnold and his crew of 32 set sail from Falmouth, Cornwall in a "small Bark of Falmouth", the Concord. They arrived off Cape Cod on the 14th of May. According to Admont G. Clark in Sea Stories of Cape Cod and the Islands:- 'At their first anchorage they "took great store of codfish for which we altered the name (of Shoal Hope), and called it Cape Cod." Finding their way down the outer Cape, they entered Nantucket Sound and anchored off an island (which they called Martha's Vineyard). Ashore they were delighted to find: Strawberries, red and white ... much bigger than ours; rasberries, gooseberries, whortleberries, and such an incredible store of vines ...; also many excellent springs of sweet water, and a great standing lake of fresh water. Here are also in this Island, great store of deer ...' Gosnold's party did not settle on the islands but returned to Britain with a heavy load of wood and traded goods. When settlers did arrive they brought European diseases such as smallpox and diphtheria that soon decimated the native population. However, Aquinnah (Gay Head) is still partially populated by the Wampanoag who now have tribal recognition from the Federal government. Theirs is the main community remaining compared to a population estimated at around 4,000 in the islands in 1600.
Antiquarian and out-of-print books about Martha's Vineyard (Abebooks.com) New England has become famous for its distinctive cooking - a blend of Old and New Worlds - making use of the fresh native ingredients. See New England Cooking. More New England articles: Radisson Hotel Plymouth introduces new golf partnership Maine Islands - an Island a Day Books about Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket and the Elizabeth Islands |
 The Enduring Shore: A History of Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard, and Nantucket by Paul Schneider Cape Cod's Great Beach, Martha's Vineyard, and Nantucket are romantic stops on Schneider's roughly chronological human and natural history. His book is a lucid and compelling collage of seaside ecology, Indians and colonists, religion and revolution, shipwrecks and hurricanes, whalers and vengeful sperm whales, glorious clipper ships and today's beautiful but threatened beaches. Schneider's superb eye for story and detail illuminates both history and landscape. A wonderful introduction, it will also appeal to the millions of people who already have warm associations with these magical places More information and prices from: Amazon.com - US dollars Amazon.ca - Canadian dollars Amazon.co.uk - British pounds Amazon.de - Euros Amazon.fr - Euros 4 Star Hotels in London Hotels In Majorca Tunisia Deals Holidays Hotels Lisbon Agadir Holidays Switzerland Car Hire Taba Heights Holidays |
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| Copyright © 2002-2008 Alan Price and Island Guide contributors. All rights reserved. |