Oak Bluffs Webcam – See Circuit Avenue on Martha’s Vineyard

The Oak Bluffs Webcam streams from the Oak Bluffs Inn and looks straight down Circuit Avenue, the main street of Oak Bluffs on Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts. From the rooftop the camera follows the street between rows of two and three story clapboard and shingled buildings, with shop signs hanging over the sidewalks, angled parking down the middle of the road and a tangle of utility wires across the foreground. At the far end of the street the rooftops give way to a band of open water and a low line of land on the horizon. People on the sidewalks and cars pulling in and out of the spaces make up most of the action, and the crowd swells and thins with the season.

About Oak Bluffs

Oak Bluffs is a town on the northeastern side of Martha’s Vineyard, an island of 250 square kilometers (96 square miles) off the south coast of Cape Cod. The town had 5,341 residents at the 2020 census, and the whole island had about 20,530 year-round residents in 2023, a figure that rises to more than 200,000 in summer. Water makes up 71.61 percent of the town’s 67 square kilometers (26.0 square miles).

The town grew out of a religious camp meeting. The first summer camp meeting in this part of the island was held in 1835 at Wesleyan Grove, and around 300 Carpenter Gothic cottages, known as the gingerbread cottages, now fill the Campground district right beside Circuit Avenue. The area was part of Edgartown until 1880, when it was incorporated as Cottage City, and it took the name Oak Bluffs when it re-incorporated in 1907.

Circuit Avenue is the town’s business district. At its base stands the Flying Horses Carousel, built in 1876 by Charles W. F. Dare and the oldest platform carousel still operating in the United States. The town beach known as the Inkwell, officially Oak Bluffs Town Beach, is historically known as a beach of the island’s African American community.

Weather and Climate in Oak Bluffs

The island has a maritime climate. At nearby Edgartown, January averages a high of 4.5 C (40 F) and a low of minus 3.6 C (26 F), while July averages 26.9 C (80 F) by day and 17.9 C (64 F) at night. Precipitation totals about 1,212 millimeters (47.71 inches) a year, with rain or snow arriving in every month rather than in one wet season.

The webcam shows the seasons through the street itself. In July and August, Circuit Avenue can be lined with parked cars and full sidewalks well into the evening. Spring and fall bring quieter mornings like the one in the thumbnail, with a few walkers and plenty of open parking. In winter, snow can settle on the roofs and the street often stays empty for long stretches, while sea fog can roll in and hide the water at the end of the view in any season.

Things to Do Near Oak Bluffs

The Flying Horses Carousel sits at the bottom of Circuit Avenue, a few minutes on foot from anything in the frame. Beside the shops, Wesleyan Grove holds the gingerbread cottages, grouped around the Tabernacle where the camp meeting still gathers. On Grand Illumination Night, a tradition first held in 1869, residents and guests meet in the Tabernacle for a twilight sing-along, a first lantern is lit, and then the cottage owners light their own paper and silk lanterns until the whole Campground glows.

Oak Bluffs Harbor is a short walk from the street, and seasonal passenger ferries to Falmouth, Hyannis and Nantucket dock along its east side. The Steamship Authority runs year-round ferries to the island from Woods Hole. The Inkwell gives a swim close to town, and the island’s other towns, including Vineyard Haven and Edgartown, are a short drive away.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Oak Bluffs located?

Oak Bluffs is on the northeastern side of Martha’s Vineyard, an island off the south coast of Cape Cod in Dukes County, Massachusetts. Ferries link it to Falmouth, Hyannis and Nantucket in season.

What can you see on the Oak Bluffs Webcam?

The Oak Bluffs Webcam looks down Circuit Avenue from the Oak Bluffs Inn, showing the shops and sidewalks on both sides, the parking along the middle of the street and open water at the far end.

What is Circuit Avenue in Oak Bluffs known for?

It is the town’s main shopping street and business district, and the Flying Horses Carousel, the oldest operating platform carousel in the United States, stands at its base.

What is the weather like in Oak Bluffs?

Summers are warm, with July highs around 26.9 C (80 F), and winters are cold, with January lows around minus 3.6 C (26 F). About 1,212 millimeters (47.71 inches) of precipitation falls in a year.

What are the gingerbread cottages in Oak Bluffs?

They are around 300 Carpenter Gothic cottages in Wesleyan Grove, the camp meeting ground where summer religious meetings began in 1835. They sit in the Campground district beside Circuit Avenue.

What is Grand Illumination Night in Oak Bluffs?

It is a summer tradition first held in 1869. Residents and guests gather in the Tabernacle for a twilight sing-along, then the cottages of Wesleyan Grove are lit with paper and silk lanterns.

How do you get to Oak Bluffs by ferry?

Seasonal passenger ferries from Falmouth, Hyannis and Nantucket dock in Oak Bluffs Harbor, and the Steamship Authority runs year-round service to the island from Woods Hole.

Source: Go Martha’s Vineyard