Oak Bluffs Town Beach

Right in the heart of Oak Bluffs near the ferry terminal and downtown. Calm harbor water and total convenience — grab lunch, take a swim, browse the shops. Not scenic, but incredibly accessible.

Oak Bluffs Town Beach (sometimes called Pay Beach or North Bluff Beach) is the convenience beach of Martha's Vineyard — a small, calm crescent of sand right at the harbor entrance, a two-minute walk from the Steamship Authority ferry terminal and the cluster of restaurants and shops on Circuit Avenue. The water is gentle and warm by mid-July, lifeguards are on duty in season, and there are public restrooms steps away at Ocean Park. The view is more harbor-and-ferry than wild-and-scenic, but the accessibility is unmatched: if you're a day-tripper off the boat with two hours to swim before catching the ferry home, this is the beach. Note that for a more atmospheric Oak Bluffs swim, Inkwell Beach is just a few hundred yards south along the seawall.