🏆 MVacay's Top 5 Posts of 2025
and a big thank you for reading!
💛 Thanks for reading MVacay in 2025!
As I reflect on the past year and begin shaping what’s ahead, I wanted to share the five MVacay guides readers loved most this year:
We all wanted to protect ourselves from ticks:
🕷️ Ticks on Martha’s Vineyard: What to Know in 2025
I spent weeks writing this practical guide to staying safe and reducing your risk while you’re on MV. It pulls together what I’ve learned through research and lived experience into one place that I hope helps others feel more prepared.
I consolidated ALL my recommendations into a skimmable guide to help pick where you should eat:
📍MVacay's BIG *Dining* Guide to Martha's Vineyard
150+ local restaurant picks across 30+ categories. I combined all of MVacay’s top five picks into one place!
One of my favorite annual posts to write:
🆕 Martha's Vineyard New Business Roundup (Spring 2025)
30+ new businesses, relocations, and updates all in one helpful guide!
Oak Bluffs is booked and busy! A bucket list for Black visitors:
🖤 Inkwell's Legacy in 2025: Traditions That Celebrate Black Joy
Highlighting traditions that make Inkwell Beach special, event highlights, and answering frequently asked questions about August in OB.
A list of real-life things about living on MV that don’t always make the postcard:
🤔 10 Things I Wish I Knew About Martha’s Vineyard Sooner
Here are ten things locals say they wish they had known earlier, crowdsourced from locals. Practical FYIs from people who love the island deeply but want you to know the FULL picture.
I’ve learned that MVacay’s readers love bucket lists and dates, so these runners-up got a lot of love as well:
💭 Personal Reflections on 2025:
As MVacay enters its ninth year, my goal has stayed the same: to be a reliable, inclusive digital guide that you can trust and return to.
That commitment comes with growing pains! For a long time, I wanted to give everything away for free. But this year pushed me to recognize that my work has value and continuing to level up means getting uncomfortable. Seeking out advertisers, saying no to unpaid work, and paywalling guides does not come naturally to me, but it is part of growing MVacay in a way that lasts.
Behind the scenes, I wear a lot of hats. I photograph, edit reels, consolidate information, design graphics, coordinate with advertisers and event hosts. I publish across TikTok, Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook. I keep the mobile app updated and back-edit What’s Open and What’s New guides each week. I do all of this while being the primary parent to my two toddlers, who are home with me.
Your support allows me to keep doing this work thoughtfully and consistently. Thank you for the patience and encouragement along the way!
📢 Shout Outs:
Thank you to the partners, contributors and collaborators who helped me showcase new and unique offerings on MV this year: Oak Bluffs Association, Stefanie Wolf Designs, Island Grown Initiative, Point B Realty, Cottage City Charters, MV Cheesery, Trusted Tables, The Creative Current, Misty Meadows, David Welch Photography, AnicaBanica Photography, Larisa Stinga Photography, MV Calendars, ARo Pottery, Featherstone Center for the Arts, Toteally Yours, Classic Aviators, Shored Up Digital, Vineyard Style Magazine and MV Cultural Council. It was my pleasure.
Thank you to paid subscribers: Pamela, Denise, Grace, Liza, David, Libby, Virginia, Graham, Roselle, Sloane, John, Lisa, Marcus, Lauri, Gabrielle, Heather, Kelly, Anne, Lydia, Terri, Sandy, Kelsey, Chris, Sofie, Jennifer, Meadow, Cassandre, Julie, Phyllis, Elizabeth, Sara, Debbie, Joe, Rebecca, Heath, David, Valerie, Marc, Meghan, Irene, Becky, Clark, Caro, Anna, Melissa, Kate, Ken, Mary, Ingrid, Brenda, Deb, Marta, Kristin, Nancy, Elisa, Lynn, Joy, Taylor, Maura, Diane, Candace, Nancy, Marnely, Susanna, Sue, Julia, Sarah, Cindy, Eileen, Laura, Sean, Susan, Erin, Maureen, Kendra, Anna, Natasha, Diane and Zack.
Thanks for all your great work! 🤩
Thanks for all your hard work, Lis! Our walk with the kiddos and subsequent collaboration post really shook loose a lot of inspiration for me! Quite simply, you rule.