The streets of Edgartown, the Island's first colonial settlement, are lined with upscale shops, art galleries, fine restaurants, and historic churches. The stately houses, many of them carefully restored sea captains' homes, are surrounded by well-manicured lawns and blossoming gardens. Some have lovely views of the Edgartown harbor.
Built in 1843 at the height of the whaling industry, the famous Old Whaling Church with its six majestic columns commands Main Street and now serves primarily as a performing arts center. Directly south of Edgartown is an area known as Katama, featuring contemporary vacation homes and a three-mile public barrier beach called South Beach, with surf on one side and protected salt pond on the other.
Edgartown shares with Oak Bluffs the distinction of being a “wet” town, where alcohol sales are legal, but it’s not quite as lively a party scene in the summer. The downtown district has a modern movie theatre and a fine assortment of shops dealing in everything from gourmet foods to designer clothes and jewelry.
Along the Edgartown harbor is the yacht club, with a parade of impressive sailing craft that lasts all summer. And beside the town’s Memorial Wharf, which has a spacious public viewing platform on its roof, the Chappaquiddick ferry service takes cars and passengers back and forth all day to the island-within-an-island whose highlights include the remarkable Japanese garden, Mytoi, and the large coastal nature preserves cared for by The Trustees of Reservations.
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