Martha’s Vineyard Family Campground Review

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Updated April 8, 2024

We visited Martha’s Vineyard Family Campground, which is the only campground on Martha’s Vineyard. It’s in the perfect location to explore all that this iconic vacation retreat has to offer and, it’s extremely affordable too.

The Campground offers tent, cabin, and RV camping, perfect for families and kids.

It has a playground, ball field, basketball court, and recreation hall. There is also a community fire ring with plenty of seating for adults to relax and meet other campers.

The campground was created in 1972 and has many visitors returning to vacation there yearly. The campground season begins in mid-May and lasts until mid-October.

The rates are very fair and far cheaper than the cost of a room at a bed and breakfast or hotel on the island. We loved our stay at Martha’s Vineyard Family Campground, and we think you will too.

4 Best Things You’ll Love About Martha’s Vineyard Family Campground

This campground is great, and there’s a lot to love about it!

1. The Location is Unbeatable

Martha’s Vineyard Family Campground is centrally located on the island. It is easily accessible to Vineyard Haven, Oak Bluffs, Edgartown, Aquinnah, Chappaquiddick, and more.

The campground is a short distance from the two ferry locations in Oak Bluffs and Vineyard Haven. It’s only a mile and a half from the Vinyard Haven terminal and 4 and a half miles from the Oak Bluffs terminal. Either way, you have a short but beautiful drive to the campground. Here are some distances to local towns and attractions:

• Vineyard Haven – 1.5 mi
• Oak Bluffs – 4.6 mi
• Edgartown – 6.4 mi
• South Beach – 9.0 mi
• Long Point Wildlife Refuge – 6.4 mi
• Joseph Sylvia State Beach – 7.0 mi
• West Tisbury – 7.2 mi
• Aquinnah Beach and Cliffs – 18.7 mi

2. The Convenience

You will love setting up your rig, tent or cabin and then never having to break camp to go sightseeing around Martha’s Vineyard. The island’s shuttle bus service stops at Martha’s Vineyard Family Campground every 30 minutes.

The Shuttle has 9 bus routes, and the shuttle buses go everywhere on the island. So, depending on where you want to go, just jump on the correct shuttle, and off you go.  And the shuttle buses have a bike rack on the front. We just loaded our bikes onto the shuttle bus, and off we went to visit Edgartown and Oak Bluffs and a few other sites, too!

The shuttle bus prices were very reasonable. The shuttle is only $8 for one day, $18 for 3 days, or $30 for 7 days, and it goes all over the island. You can buy any of these passes right on the bus, but you need to make an exact change because the bus drivers can’t make changes, and they don’t take credit cards. You can also buy bus passes to go from one town to another for as little as $1.25. We liked the daily pass option so we didn’t have to buy a pass every time we boarded the bus and we could roam the island conveniently.

3. Martha’s Vineyard Shuttle Buses: Great for Getting Around, Meeting Locals, and More!

The buses were also a great resource for finding cool and interesting places to go on Martha’s Vineyard. We met many locals while riding on the buses. They were the nicest people who gave us great suggestions for restaurants, bars, coffee shops, attractions and all kinds of ideas for fun things to see and do.

We even met Mike Haydn, the Martha’s Vineyard resident who played his guitar on the beach during Jaws’ opening sequence. He even helped us get our bikes off of the bike rack on the front of the bus!

4. The Campground Itself

The campground is very well-kept, quiet, and peaceful. It’s heavily wooded with a mixture of oaks and pine trees. There is a variety of campsites available too.

The campground has 100 Tent Sites, 27 Cabins, 26 Seasonal RV Sites, and 20 Daily or Weekly RV sites. We biked all through the campground and saw that the campsites are a good size and heavily wooded. We had a beautiful campsite surrounded by pine trees that were secluded and peaceful.

The campground itself was well organized, and the staff was friendly and helpful. The camp store sells firewood, food items, and camping accessories. The bathrooms, laundry and recreation rooms were all nice and clean. There is an area for a community campfire, and the campground is perfect for a family vacation with kids.

Below is a Google Maps image that shows how wooded the campground is. You can’t even see the campsites through the trees. The map also shows the bus stops right at the front of the campground.

Campground Amenities

• Open from mid-May through mid-October
• Daily – Weekly – Monthly Peak Season RV Rates: From $70/day – $455/week – N/A
• # Of RV Sites: 20
• # Of Tent Sites: 100
• # Of Cabins: 27
• Full Hookups: Yes
• 30/50 Amp: Yes
• Back-In/Pull-Through Sites: Back-In
• Pool/Hot tub: No
• Showers: Yes
• Pets Allowed: No
• Cell Reception: Yes
• Wi-Fi: Yes
• Discounts: N/A

Additional Amenities: Each site has a picnic table and a fire ring. The campground also features the following amenities:

• Hiking Trail
• Camp Store
• Bus Depot
• Playground
• Sports Field
• Volleyball
• Recreation Hall
• Laundry
• Community Fire Ring
• Dump Station for RVs 

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Martha’s Vineyard Family Campground Reviews From Other Campers

“Fun Family Trip – Had a wonderful week vacationing at Martha’s Vineyard family campground!!! My husband and I stayed for a week. My son and his wife and baby stayed 3 nights. The 2 bedroom cabins were clean,, had a little fridge with a freezer and lots of bunks to hold stuff.. outside our cabin we had a great barbecue and fire pit … we also went to the big communal fire pit a few nights and met some interesting people. The bathrooms were clean and we absolutely loved the wonderful outdoor showers. The store had good selections and firewood and ice. The campground is close to vineyard haven and oak bluff .. we also were were not far from the beautiful beaches on Martha’s … also we went to Larsen’s twice for their amazing seafood!!! Hopefully, we can get back there again next summer.. just remember to book early and you must book your ferry first”.   lesway001 – Trip Advisor

“GREAT Campground! – I have tent camped about a week here every year for 6 years with my family. Great for tent, Pop-ups and RV camping. They also have cabins! Love the outdoor showers, game room, camp store, the central location of the campground and the beautiful grounds! Can’t wait to come back next summer!” M Rosen – Google Business Review

“Great Way to Visit Martha’s Vineyard – Our family spent 5 nights tent camping here. We have two young daughters and they enjoyed our site’s proximity right across from the playground and athletic field. There is a camp store which is well stocked with some basics like firewood and cooking accessories. There is only one set of bathrooms and they are a bit tight space-wise, but the outdoor showers attached to a separate building are a nice addition. We had our car which made it easy to explore the island. I think it would be nice to visit with just bikes, but this could be tricky with small children.

There is a rec room with a ping pong table, air hockey, and video games, but the equipment needs some updating. You might get a kick out of it as a throwback to another time, but not much of it works. In spite of this, it is apparent that the camp is quite well maintained, and you can see employees working hard on it every day. Most sites have water and electricity so you might spot some campers with a microwave or toaster oven!

There are so many interesting things to do on the island, you may not want to linger too long in the campground. On the other hand, it’s peaceful and shady, and the other campers here are friendly so you might end up spending more of your days here than you planned!” Jesse-the-traveler  –  Trip Advisor

Martha’s Vineyard Attractions and Events

There are lots of things to see and do on Martha’s Vineyard. We can’t possibly list them all, but here are some of our favorites!

8 Popular Attractions on Martha’s Vineyard

Here are some of the most popular attractions we loved, and we think you will too!

1. See the Gingerbread Houses at Oak Bluffs

Over 300 privately owned cottages make up this amazing village within Oak Bluffs. We rode our bikes all through the grounds and were amazed at the level of detail on each of these gingerbread-style houses. There is also a museum cottage you can tour through if you want to see what they are like on the inside.

2. Visit Edgartown

Edgartown is a gorgeous community of restored houses from the 1800s. We took the bus there and then biked all over this town, looking at amazing architecture and landscaping. The Edgartown Lighthouse is a popular spot to snap a picture. You can also take a tour and go to the top of the lighthouse.

3. Spend the Day at South Beach

South Beach is also known as Katama Beach. It stretches along the ocean for 3 miles with beautiful sand dunes. The beach sand is beautiful, and the water is blue here. It’s a really pretty beach. There is plenty of parking there, but many folks just ride their bikes from Edgartown to the beach.

4. Eat a Donut

After a night of partying, grab a mouthwatering Back Door Donut in Oak Bluffs, which is at the back door of Martha’s Vineyard Gourmet Café & Bakery.  By day it’s a restaurant but at night, a “crew of 10 keeps making the donuts until 1am” and they sell them at the back door. You might have to wait in line for a bit but the wait is worth it.

5. Check Out Chappaquiddick

You can take the ferry from Edgartown to Chappaquiddick, where you can visit the Cape Poge lighthouse or the Mytoi Japanese Garden. If you are looking for a remote beach location, you should consider East Beach on the Wasque Reservation.

It’s a bit of a trek to the eastern shore of Chappaquiddick from where the Chappy Ferry drops you off, so not many travelers make the trip. Because of its location, this stretch of sand is relatively empty, making it a great spot to observe the birds that call this area home.

6. Have a Lobstah Roll

We stopped at The Seafood Shanty, which is right on the water, to try out a Lobstah Roll. Now we are from Maryland, hun, so it’s really hard to top our famous blue claw crabs! While most people rave about the Lobster Rolls, we prefer our tasty crab cakes with Old Bay seasoning. There is no seasoning in Lobster.

We got the cold lobster roll, but they also serve a warm lobster roll with butter. The view is gorgeous on the deck upstairs. Just walk in and take the steps up. They have a lively bar and plenty of tables to enjoy a great meal and enjoy the view.

7. Long Point Wildlife Refuge

Beaches, marshes, woodlands, and freshwater ponds make up the 632-acre Long Point Wildlife Refuge. Long Point is home to many rare plants and wildlife that are suited to its dry landscape and brackish waters.

You can explore the refuge along a 2-mile hiking trail, which goes through the forest, salt marsh meadows and along the beachfront. You can swim in salt and fresh waters here; kayaks and paddleboards are also available for rent.

8. Vineyard Haven

Vineyard Haven is one of the two ferry locations on Martha’s Vineyard. The town is beautiful, and the harbor is so picturesque.

We were able to get some really pretty pictures of the boats floating in the harbor. The Black Dog Tavern is really well known for its baked goods. Grab something for the ferry ride!

I could go on and on, but here are some other cool locations to investigate for your trip:

• Menemsha Hills
• Martha’s Vineyard Museum
• Manuel F. Correllus State Forest
• Morning Glory Farm
• Polly Hill Arboretum
• Lucy Vincent Beach

Fun Events to Attend While You’re on Martha’s Vineyard

Some Annual events on Martha’s Vineyard are pretty cool, too. We were there during the Annual Fishing Derby, so we ran into fishermen going for the Martha’s Vineyard grand slam, which is catching a Striped Bass, Bluefish, Bonito and False Albacore! Some other annual events of interest are:

• MV Wine Fest – various locations in Edgartown
  A four-day food and wine festival that celebrates local chefs and world-class wines.
• Pink & Green Weekend – Edgartown
  A celebration of spring and Mother’s Day organized and sponsored by the Edgartown Board of Trade. Includes a festive decorating of the Edgartown Lighthouse, shopping and dining specials, and activities and entertainment for the whole family.
• Annual Oak Bluffs Harbor Festival – Oak Bluffs Harbor
  Island vendors, nonprofits, and artisans gather along the harbor to celebrate the arrival of summer. The kid-friendly festival offers live music, art, crafts, food, and summer-themed festivities for the whole family.
• Annual Filmusic Festival – Martha’s Vineyard Film Center, Vineyard Haven
  A weekend of feature films and musical performances that celebrate the convergence of music, culture, and film.
• All Island Art Show – Tabernacle, Oak Bluffs
  A longstanding tradition on Martha’s Vineyard, beginning in 1956. Professional and amateur artists from all over the Island display their creative works and compete for awards. The show provides a festive atmosphere with an opportunity to purchase fine art and meet Island artists.
• Illumination Night – Tabernacle, Oak Bluffs
  See the Campground aglow for the Grand Illumination, a special highlight of the summer season. The cottages of the Campground are adorned with colorful Chinese and Japanese lanterns, and both a Community Sing and a band concert are held in the Tabernacle.
• Martha’s Vineyard Jazz and Blues Summer Festival – Oak Bluffs and Edgartown
  A three-day festival celebrating jazz and blues on Martha’s Vineyard.
• Martha’s Vineyard Food & Wine Festival – various locations
  Four days and three nights of unique-to-the-Island dining experiences. Rooted in the Island’s rich tradition of farming and fishing, this festival invites you to meet local culinary talent, and the farmers, fishermen, oyster producers, and artisans they work with.

The Ferry To Martha’s Vineyard

We thought taking the Ferry to and from Martha’s Vineyard was a very fun part of the trip. Of course, we had the RV, so it served as a great conversation starter on the ride. We met quite a few people on the ferry who were curious about our RV being on board.

Either way, many tourists and locals were open to chatting during the 45-minute ride from Woods Hole across Vineyard Sound to Martha’s Vineyard. The cost to take our RV on the Ferry was $250. It was a little expensive but how many people can say they took their RV to Martha’s Vineyard and camped out?

The ferry, which is run by the Steamship Authority runs from Woods Hole, MA on the mainland to either Oak Bluffs or Vineyard Haven. Don’t worry about which location is better. They are both close to the campground, so just pick whichever one fits your schedule the best.

You need to book your ferry reservation as early as possible, especially if you are taking an RV. The maximum height requirement is 13 feet, but most RVs can fit on a ferry with no problem. Everything must be shipped to the island, so 18-wheel trucks get onto the ferry to make daily deliveries.

If you are driving an RV, you can’t book online. You can use the link above to check out the schedule, but you must call to make your reservation. The number for the Steamship Authority is (508) 477-8600, and they are open daily from 7:30 am to 4:00 pm. Below is a picture of our RV aboard the ferry boat on our way to MV!

Martha’s Vineyard Family Campground Info

Website: https://campmv.com/

Contact: (508) 693-3772

Location: 569 Edgartown Road / P.O. Box 1557   Vineyard Haven, MA 02568

Conclusion

Honestly, we can’t wait to go back! We loved camping out at Martha’s Vineyard Family Campground; the staff members were friendly and helpful.

We enjoyed having the campground as a very inexpensive home base while we used our bikes and the shuttle service to tour the island. While there, we met many locals who were some of the nicest folks we ever met.

They all have a cool story about how they ended up on MV. Many of their stories begin with, “I came to Martha’s Vineyard for a summer and never left,” and we loved hearing all about them. We also met plenty of other tourists on the island in vacation mode, and it was fun meeting them too.

Thanks for reading this article. Have you stayed on Martha’s Vineyard or at MVFC? Please share your comments below!

If you would like to contact us directly please feel free to visit our Contact Page to send us an email.

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Learn More:

– 21 Best RV Campgrounds on the Beach | East Coast Guide
– 8 Best National Parks on the East Coast
– The Best East Coast RV Road Trips

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