Active Pursuits

Bird-Watching

Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary, Edgartown-Vineyard Haven Road, Edgartown (tel. 508/627-4850), is an easy 2-mile bike ride from Edgartown. A Massachusetts Audubon Property, it has a complete visitor center staffed by naturalists who lead bird-watching walks, among other activities. You'll see osprey nests on your right on the way to the center. Pick up a trail map at the center before heading out. Several of the trails pass Sengekontacket Pond, and the orange trail leads to Waterfowl Pond, which has an observation blind with bird-sighting information. While managed by the conservation group Sheriff's Meadow Foundation, the 300-acre Cedar Tree Neck Sanctuary (State Rd., follow to Indian Hill Rd., then to Obed Daggett Rd. and follow signs), Tisbury, was acquired with the assistance of Massachusetts Audubon. There are several trails, but you'll eventually arrive out on a picturesque bluff overlooking Vineyard Sound and the Elizabeth Islands. Check out the map posted at the parking lot for an overview of the property. The range of terrain here -- ponds, fields, woods, and bog -- provides diverse opportunities for sightings. Wasque Reservation on Chappaquiddick, a sanctuary owned by the Trustees of Reservations and located on the easternmost reaches of the island, can be accessed by bike or four-wheel-drive vehicle. The hundreds of untouched acres here draw flocks of nesting shorebirds, including egrets, herons, terns, and plovers.

Fishing

For shellfishing, you'll need to get information and a permit from the appropriate town hall. Popular spots for surf-casting include Wasque Point (Wasque Reservation) on Chappaquiddick. Deep-sea excursions can be arranged aboard Big Eye Charters (tel. 508/627-3649) out of Edgartown and Summer's Lease (tel. 508/693-2880) out of Oak Bluffs. Up-island, there are North Shore Charters (tel. 508/645-2993; www.bassnblue.com) and Flashy Lady Fishing Charters (tel. 508/645-2462; www.flashyladycharters.com) out of Menemsha, locus of the island's commercial fishing fleet (you may recognize this weathered port from Jaws). Flashy Lady guarantees striped bass catches; their motto is "you don't catch, you don't pay." Charter costs are about $500 for a half-day for five people and $1,000 for a full day.

Cooper Gilkes III, proprietor of Coop's Bait & Tackle at 147 W. Tisbury Rd. in Edgartown (tel. 508/627-3909), which offers rentals as well as supplies, is another acknowledged authority. He's available as an instructor or charter guide and is even amenable to sharing hard-won pointers on local hot spots.

Fitness

Gym addicts can get their workout fix at the Health Club at the Mansion House Inn on Main Street in Vineyard Haven (tel. 508/693-7400), which accepts visitors for a $15 fee.

Golf

The 9-hole Mink Meadows Golf Course off Franklin Street in Vineyard Haven (tel. 508/693-0600), despite occupying a top-dollar chunk of real estate, is open to the general public. There is also the semiprivate, championship-level 18-hole Farm Neck Golf Club off Farm Neck Road in Oak Bluffs (tel. 508/693-3057). The Cafe at Farm Neck serves a wonderful lunch overlooking their manicured greens. In season, greens fees at Mink Meadows are $50 for 9 holes and $70 for 18 holes. In season, greens fees at Farm Neck are $135 (including cart) for 18 holes.

Ice-Skating

The Martha's Vineyard Ice Arena on Edgartown-Vineyard Haven Road, Oak Bluffs (tel. 508/693-4438), offers public skating for $4 from mid-July to mid-April; call for details.

Nature Trails

About a fifth of the Vineyard's landmass has been set aside for conservation, and much of it is accessible to energetic bikers and hikers. The West Chop Woods, off Franklin Street in Vineyard Haven, comprise 85 acres with marked walking trails. Midway between Vineyard Haven and Edgartown, the Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary includes a 6-mile network of trails over varying terrain, from woodland to beach. Accessible by ferry from Edgartown, quiet Chappaquiddick is home to two sizable preserves. The Cape Pogue Wildlife Refuge and Wasque Reservation (gatehouse tel. 508/627-7260), covering much of the island's eastern barrier beach, have 709 acres that draw flocks of nesting or resting shorebirds. Also on the island, 3 miles east on Dyke Road, is another Trustees of Reservations property, the distinctly poetic and alluring Mytoi, a 14-acre Japanese garden that is an oasis of textures and flora and fauna.

The 633-acre Long Point Wildlife Refuge off Waldron's Bottom Road in West Tisbury (gatehouse tel. 508/693-7392) offers heath and dunes, freshwater ponds, a popular family-oriented beach, and interpretive nature walks for children. In season, the Trustees of Reservations charge a $9 parking fee, plus $3 per adult over age 16. The 4,000-acre Manuel F. Correllus Vineyard State Forest occupies a sizable, if not especially scenic, chunk mid-island; it's riddled with mountain-bike paths and riding trails. This sanctuary was created in 1908 to try to save the endangered heath hen, a species now extinct. In season, there are free interpretive and birding walks.

Up-island, along the sound, the Menemsha Hills Reservation off North Road in Chilmark (tel. 508/693-7662) encompasses 210 acres of rocks and bluffs, with steep paths, lovely views, and even a public beach. The Cedar Tree Neck Sanctuary, off Indian Hill Road southwest of Vineyard Haven (tel. 508/693-5207), offers some 300 forested acres that end in a stony beach (alas, swimming and sunbathing are prohibited). It's still a refreshing retreat.

Some remarkable botanical surprises can be found at the 20-acre Polly Hill Arboretum, 8809 State Rd., West Tisbury (tel. 508/693-9426). Legendary horticulturist Polly Hill has developed this property over the past 40 years and allows the public to wander the grounds Thursday to Tuesday from 7am until 7pm. This is a magical place, particularly mid-June to July when the Dogwood Allee is in bloom. Wanderers will pass old stone walls on the way to The Tunnel of Love, an arbor of bleached hornbeam. There are also witch hazels, camellias, magnolias, and rhododendrons. To get there from Vineyard Haven, go south on State Road, bearing left at the junction of North Road. The arboretum entrance is about a half-mile down, on the right. There is a requested donation of $5 for adults.

Tennis

Public courts typically charge a small fee and can be reserved in person a day in advance. You'll find clay courts on Church Street in Vineyard Haven and non-clay in Oak Bluffs' Niantic Park, West Tisbury's grammar school on Old County Road, and the Chilmark Community Center on South Road. Three public courts -- plus a basketball court, softball field, and children's playground -- are located at the Edgartown Recreation Area on Robinson Road. You can also book a court (1 day in advance only) at two semiprivate clubs in Oak Bluffs: the Farm Neck Tennis Club (tel. 508/693-9728) and the Island Country Club on Beach Road (tel. 508/693-6574). In season, expect to pay $20 to $24 per hour for court time at these clubs.

Watersports

Wind's Up, 199 Beach Rd., Vineyard Haven (tel. 508/693-4252), rents out canoes, kayaks, and various sailing craft, including windsurfers, and offers instruction on-site, on a placid pond; it also rents surfboards and boogie boards. Canoes and kayaks rent for $16 to $25 per hour, $45 to $50 for a half-day, and $55 to $65 for a full day.