FAQ’s to help you

We have written some FAQs to help with questions you have about buying a house, listing your house, renting your property on the vineyard, and finding the perfect summer rental.

We have also put together some answers to FAQ about navigating a summer vacation on the vineyard. Leave us a comment and let us know if you have a question you don’t see in any of our FAQ pages. We would be happy to answer your questions.

FAQ:

Is it true you can only buy liqueur in some towns on the vineyard?

Yes. There are only two wet towns on the island, Edgartown and Oak Bluffs.  The other island towns; Vineyard Haven, West Tisbury, Chilmark, Aquinnah, Menemsha are all dry towns. You can buy beer, wine and spirits at the liqueur stores in Edgartown or Oak Bluffs, locally know as package stores.

If you are eating in a restaurant in one of the dry towns you can BYOB, and expect to pay a large corking fee.

It is unusual not to find any fast food restaurants on the vineyard why is that?

Many years ago the towns on the island decided they didn’t want any fast food or chains on the island. Each town board has strict zoning and bylaws that prevent such businesses except for the two exceptions that exist on the vineyard which were grandfathered in.

In Edgartown you will find a DQ, Dairy Queen, although you will have to look hard to notice from the outside of the building that is what it is. The other chain is the Stop and Shop, which bought out the A & P which was given the original grandfathered grocery chain exception.

Are all beaches on the vineyard accessible to the public?

No. Unlike the rest of Massachusetts The County of Dukes county has the dubious distinction of allowing beach access to be blocked by some land owners.  There is the low water mark rule; where people are allowed on any beach carrying a fishing pole if they stay with in the low water mark region of the beach.

Many of the beaches on the vineyard are accessible with a town permit or from having a pass that you get when you have a vacation rental in that town or by purchasing a pass from an environmental organization that manages a particular stretch of beach.

In the beach off season, usually from mid September to mid May you will find that you can enjoy all of the best beaches on the vineyard and have a wonderful beach walk with your dog.