Time To Travel: Senior Ladies’ Travel Review of Martha’s Vineyard

Something that I really love to do is travel. I feel like I appreciate seeing new places and trying new things even more as I get older, although it is not always quite as easy as it once was. Traveling can be very beneficial for older adults in many ways. Traveling can provide cognitive stimulation-learning about new cultures, learning to navigate in new cities and trying new things can help keep your mind sharp and potentially delay cognitive decline. It can reduce stress, improve mood, improve mental well-being and reduce feelings of social isolation AND it helps senior ladies (and men) stay more active and improve mobility. Believe it or not, travel can even strengthen your immune system because it exposes you to different environmental factors. And travel is becoming more popular among the senior demographic; it is now estimated that at least 52% of the 50+ plus group rank travel as the #1 priority for using discretionary income (AARP Press Release, online, 2025).

As much as I love to travel, as I get older, certain things are more important to me than they once were. Accessibility, comfort and ease in getting around a hotel or location is more important because my husband has mobility issues. We travel with a service animal, so that is a consideration. Cost might be more of a concern to some seniors. I feel like there are a lot of travel bloggers out there, but not that many that talk about travel from a senior’s perspective. I thought it might be fun to do some travel reviews for people in this age group. We just recently traveled with our family to Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket, and this is a great trip for seniors!

Getting there: There are several ways to get to Martha’s Vineyard which is where we went first. We opted to go all the way to this island by air instead of a combination of air and ferry. We flew to Philadelphia from Charlotte and then on to the island. Martha’s Vineyard airport is small, easy to navigate, the baggage claim area is easy to maneuver, and transportation to town is readily accessible. The only thing that is difficult here for people with mobility issues is that the planes unload onto the tarmac and you must walk down a ramp.

Places to Stay: We opted to stay in Vineyard Haven at the Mansion House Inn and Spa. This Inn is a good choice for senior travelers for several reasons.  The location is good because it is right in town with a street full of eateries and cool shops that you can get to with a short walk (and the sidewalk is mostly flat, easy to navigate). There are automatic doors at the entrance, there are handicap accessible rooms, and service animals are allowed. There is an indoor pool, hot tub and health club that can be utilized for free during your stay.  There was a free light breakfast in the lobby and coffee service was free in the morning. Employees were very friendly and helpful. The two main things that I thought could be an issue here for senior travelers would be that parking on the street was limited, and the parking lot requires a trip down some stairs. The Inn had a beautiful cupola where you could go up a look at the gorgeous views, but the elevator did not go all the way up to the top and there was a short but steep flight of stairs.  There also was very little shade.

Martha’s Vineyard can be a pricey destination, and this hotel is a little more reasonable than many of the other accommodations on the island so I would stay here again.

The Mansion House Inn and Spa

The view from the Cupola

Things to do: One thing that is great about Martha’s Vineyard is that there are fun things to do for any level of mobility, from hard core hikers to people who are very limited. Some of the things we enjoyed were driving around visiting the lighthouses, looking at all the beautiful flowers, browsing in the little shops and going to the beach. Most of the lighthouses were easy to view because the walks to them were short and not rough. The Gay Head Lighthouse was a favorite because you could walk right up to it, and you could view Aquinnah Cliffs from the look out. These stunningly beautiful, multi-colored cliffs are on tribal lands and are sacred to the Wampanoag tribe, which makes them historically interesting as well. We also enjoyed going to the gift shops here, it was a great place to pick up souvenirs that were a little different. 

Emma and Liam at Cliffs

Gay Head Lighthouse with Emma

Another thing that we enjoyed doing was looking at all the beautiful flowers. You can just drive around the island and there are cute little cottages with the most gorgeous Hydrangeas that I have ever seen everywhere!

Beautiful Hydrangeas Everywhere!

Going to the beach is something we love to do. There are multiple beaches in Martha’s Vineyard. Some are easily accessible and some are not. The beach that we enjoyed the most on Martha’s Vineyard was the beach at Joseph Sylvia State Park. The water was clear, calm and beautiful and getting down to the beach was easier than the other beaches we went to. The beach was wide and clean and mostly flat, making it easier to get around. We also enjoyed South Beach, which was kind of cool because it is where they filmed the movie Jaws, and the weekend we were there was the 50^th anniversary of Jaws! Keep in mind that you do have to bring your own chairs and beach towels for these beaches.

Beaches of Martha’s Vineyard

Other Senior Friendly Things to Do on Matha's Vineyard:

Island Alpacas was fun and educational for the whole family and easily accessible. There was a short walk from the parking lot, but it is flat. The staff were very informative, and you can sure get up close to the Alpacas and a few Llamas. The admission fee was $8 per person when we were there. 

Morning Glory Farm: We stopped at Morning Glory Farm to get fresh supplies for an alfresco picnic on the beach, and it was great. It was the perfect place to pick up fresh baguettes, gourmet cheeses and meats, fresh fruits and veggies, and it was just fun to browse around and look at all the beautiful flowers.

Flying Horses Carousel: This is the nation’s oldest platform carousel. It has been around since 1884. It’s beautiful and the horses are hand carved. They even still have the brass rings you can grab. I think this would be accessible to most, but people with mobility issues need to be aware that there is a step to get on and off and the platform is slightly uneven.

Eating!:  There is no shortage of wonderful places to eat on Martha’s Vineyard. We were excited to eat a lot of lobster and fresh seafood. We had picked out several places to try before we went, they were all good but some were more senior friendly than others. My favorite place was 19 Oyster Bar. The seating was spacious, they had both indoor and outdoor options. The fresh oysters and seafood were delicious and there were a lot of healthy salads on the menu.

We were also looking to find a good lobster roll. Lookout Tavern had very good ones, but this restaurant is not what I would consider very senior friendly. There are necessary stairs to get in, it is very crowded and loud, and many tables are high tops which can be difficult to get comfortable in or sit safely in if you are a little older.

Lobster Roll on Martha’s Vineyard

Martha’s Vineyard is the perfect senior ladies’ (and men) getaway. There are loads of senior friendly places to stay, activities and restaurants. The summertime climate is great, it is easy to get around and absolutely beautiful!