Visit
Plan Your Visit
Experience the Vineyard’s unique history and culture.
MUSEUM HOURS
Please note, last admissions are sold one half hour before scheduled closing time.
OPEN TUESDAY – SUNDAY
10:00 am – 5:00pm
May 27, 2025 – October 12, 2025
ADMISSION
INDIVIDUAL ADMISSION
Adults: $21
Seniors: $18
Children 7-17: $7
Children 6 & Under: Free
YEAR-ROUND ISLANDER RATES
Adults: $15
Seniors $12
MV Museum members are always free.
Group rates are available for parties of 10 or more.
ADVANCED TICKETING
The Museum has implemented an online, timed ticketing system for the 2025 summer to ensure an optimal visitor experience during our busy Jaws at 50: A Deeper Dive exhibition. Single day Museum admission tickets may be purchased in advance. Members are always free and will receive an email about how to reserve a time slot for our busiest days.
FIRST LIGHT CAFE
OPEN TUESDAY – SUNDAY FOR LUNCH
Located within the MV Museum and run by Gina Stanley, the First Light Café offers a delicious assortment of rotating lunch specials, sandwiches, soups, and baked goods. Visitors can also enjoy freshly brewed coffee, tea, and a variety of cold drinks.
GALLERY WALKS
FRIDAYS & SUNDAYS AT 2PM
Learn more about the highlights of the collection on a brief guided tour of the Museum’s permanent exhibits.
Free with Museum admission.
DIRECTIONS
Saltzman Cabinet of Curiosities
Rotating exhibit space. Visit our exhibitions page to learn what’s currently on view.
Challenge of the Sea
Ongoing exhibit exploring ship wrecks, navigation, lifesaving, and weather in Vineyard waters.
Welcome Center
Please check in at the Welcome Center to begin your visit. Lockers are available for storing your belongings.
Morgan Learning Center
Multipurpose room utilized for field trips, programs, meetings, and special events.
Waggaman Community Gallery
Rotating exhibit space. Visit our exhibitions page to learn what’s currently on view.
Gift Shop
Find the perfect gift with our unique selection of books, apparel, jewelry, prints, toys, and Island-made items.
One Island, Many Stories
Ongoing exhibit providing an introduction to the Island’s history and culture organized around seven core themes.
Linnemann Pavillion
Multi-floor pavilion showcasing the Fresnel Lens and ongoing exhibits relating to navigation, seafaring, and lighthouses.
Fresnel Lens
The stunning first-order Fresnel Lens, which was first installed in the Gay Head Light from 1854 to 1952.
Flashes Of Brilliance
Ongoing exhibit chronicling the history of lighthouses on Martha’s Vineyard.
First Light Café
Stop by our grab-and-go café for light refreshments in a bright and lively setting overlooking Lagoon Pond.
Bodman Courtyard
A courtyard space for enjoying the Museum campus and a home to outdoor programs and events.
Doherty Hall
Ongoing exhibit showcasing some of the Museum’s larger collection objects including boats, whaling artifacts, and carriages.
Rose Styron Garden
Created by renowned stone artist Lew French, this outdoor garden serves as a place for visitors to enjoy peaceful contemplation.
Sunbird
Created by Tim Laursen, this impressive metal bird scultpure with a seven-foot wingspan is powered by solar energy.
Lewis Lawn
Our grand front lawn overlooking Lagoon Pond and Vineyard Haven Harbor that is open to visitors all year long.
Research Library
The Library serves as a public access point for our collections and a broad range of research resources.
Grain Family Gallery
Rotating exhibit space. Visit our exhibitions page to learn what’s currently on view.
VISITOR GUIDELINES
- Food or drink can not be brought into the Museum. Please use proper receptacles when dining outside.
- Pets are not allowed, except for registered service animals.
- MVM is a smoke-free property. The use of tobacco or e-cigarettes is prohibited.
- Skateboards, hover boards, and similar recreational equipment are prohibited from the campus. Bicycle racks are provided at both the top and bottom of the driveway. Please keep bicycles off the Lewis Lawn and Bodman Courtyard.
- Photography is permitted for personal, non-commercial use, except where posted in certain galleries. The use of tripods, free-standing lights, and similar equipment is not permitted inside Museum buildings. Flash photography is not permitted.
- MVM regularly produces publications and posts content online that features the Campus, exhibits, and visitors. Your presence here constitutes your consent to be photographed, filmed, and/or otherwise recorded for the purposes of MVM communications and related outreach activities, in perpetuity.
ACCESSIBILITY
The Museum buildings, walkways, courtyard, and vehicular drop-off area are all 521 CMR compliant and accessible. Handicapped parking is available onsite including a designated spot for a handicapped van. The Museum provides complimentary non-motorized wheelchairs during your visit to those who request them. Please speak with the Visitor Services staff at the front desk at the beginning of your visit or call 508-627-4441 x110 prior to your visit to request use of a wheelchair.
DISCOUNTS & PARTNERSHIPS
BLUE STAR
Active and veteran military personnel and their families are invited to tour the Museum for free with proper identification.
BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS
Big Brothers Big Sisters members receive free admission to the Museum with their member card.
BUY LOCAL ISLAND CLUB
Club members receive 10% off in the Museum Shop.
NORTH AMERICAN RECIPROCAL MUSEUM (NARM) ASSOCIATION
Members from other NARM institutions who present a current membership card validated with a gold North American Reciprocal sticker are entitled to: free admission to the Museum, 10% off in the Museum shop, and the MVM member discount on lecture/talk admission.
RECIPROCAL ORGANIZATION OF ASSOCIATED MUSEUMS (ROAM)
Members from other ROAM institutions who present a current membership card validated with a silver ROAM sticker are entitled to: free admission to the Museum, 10% off in the Museum shop, and the MVM member discount on lecture/talk admission.
MASSACHUSETTS CULTURAL COUNCIL
We are proud to participate in
Mass Cultural Council’s Card to Culture program in collaboration with the Department of Transitional Assistance, the Department of Public Health’s WIC Nutrition Program, the Massachusetts Health Connector, and hundreds of organizations by making cultural programming accessible to those for whom cost is a participation barrier. EBT, WIC, and ConnectorCare cardholders receive free admission to the Museum. Visit the complete list of participating organizations offering EBT, WIC, and ConnectorCare discounts.
MUSEUMS FOR ALL
Recipients of SNAP benefits receive free admission to the Museum by showing an EBT card as part of the Institute for Museums and Library Services Museum for All program.
NEW ENGLAND MUSEUM ASSOCIATION
New England Museum Association members are welcome to visit the Museum for free with their NEMA member card.
AMERICAN ALLIANCE OF MUSEUMS
American Alliance of Museums members are welcome to visit the Museum for free with their AAM member card.
AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF STATE AND LOCAL HISTORY
American Association of State and Local History members are welcome to visit the Museum for free with their AASLH member card.
MASSACHUSETTS TEACHERS ASSOCIATION
Massachusetts Teachers Association members receive half-off admission at the Museum and 10% off in the Museum Shop with their MTA Member Card.
VINEYARD PRESERVATION TRUST
We are thrilled to announce a new partnership between the Martha’s Vineyard Museum and the Vineyard Preservation Trust. This collaboration introduces the Museum’s Edgartown property as a key stop on the Trust’s Historic Walking Tours. These popular tours offer an immersive journey through Edgartown’s storied landmarks, now including an exclusive visit to the Cooke House, one of the oldest houses on Martha’s Vineyard still in its original location. The tours are available from June 4th through August 31st, Tuesday to Saturday at 10:30 AM. For more information on the tours and to purchase tickets, please visit vineyardtrust.org/tours-events.