By Abby Hirsch, Coastal Living

On a warm august afternoon, clusters of families stake out places for themselves on the lawn of the Oak Bluffs Campgrounds on Martha's Vineyard. Some spread out colorful blankets and enjoy leisurely picnics. Others stroll the grounds, watching summer residents string hundreds of silk and paper lanterns from the porches of their brightly painted cottages-a well-preserved collection of Carpenter Gothic-style architecture distinguished by gables, turrets, and balconies with lacy designs and scrollwork.

All the buzz is in anticipation of Grand Illumination Night. Many attendees have been coming for years, and some of the families have planned their vacations around this low-key festival for generations.

Bob Cleasby, nattily attired in red pants and a white jacket, begins the evening conducting the Vineyard Haven Band. When they swing into "Home on the Range" and "I've Been Working on the Railroad," the crowd joins in enthusiastically. Small children dance in the aisles swinging neon sticks. But the concert is only a warm-up to the moment everyone has been waiting for: the simultaneous lighting of the lanterns, many of which have been handed down along with antique furniture and middle names.

The combination of the music, the beauty of the lanterns, and the convivial camp dwellers makes visitors feel welcome even if it's their first time on the island. The luckiest are invited to private parties to watch festivities from one of the cottage porches where everything from pizza to elaborate buffets is served. At the cottage dubbed "Summer Love," owners Virginia and Arthur Hetherington, dressed as a Victorian bride and groom, treat guests annually to a taste of Virginia's enormous four-layer cake with pink and white icing, posing for photographs between bites.

With the crowd fading into a blissful post-festive-grazing stupor, the evening light joins in, fading to a chirpy summer night. A tradition this old must have some decorum, so no one's surprised when a single lit lantern sways across the grounds, carried by a designated honoree to be hung on a pole in front of the Tabernacle. Then the collective gasp, same as the one more than a century ago, accompanies the simultaneous lighting of each cottage's lanterns. Night illuminated.

Get There

Martha's Vineyard is a 100-square-mile island of six towns: Vineyard Haven, Oak Bluffs, Edgartown, West Tisbury, Chilmark, and Aquinnah. About 7 miles off the coast of Cape Cod, it's accessible by plane and ferry. There are three ferry embarkation points from the Massachusetts mainland.

From Woods Hole, the ferry arrives at Vineyard Haven (year-round) or Oak Bluffs (summer only). Take the Steamship Authority Ferry (45 minutes). Car reservations are required in summer. Passengers don't need a reservation. For booking info, call 508/477-8600 or 508/693-9130 or visit steamshipauthority.com.

From Falmouth, the passengers-only Island Queen runs from late May to mid-October (40 minutes). For booking info, call 508/548-4800 or visit islandqueen.com.

From New Bedford, the passengers-only New England Fast Ferry runs year-round (1 hour). For booking info, call 866/453-6800 or visit mvexpressferry.com.

Eat

Martha's Vineyard has many fine restaurants. In summer the best fare is lobster, fresh fish, and island-grown vegetables.

Best porch dining Atria: good food, elegantly presented. Outdoor and porch dining. Downstairs bar and live music. 137 Main Street, Edgartown; 508/627-5850 or atriamv.com.

Comfort food & live music Lola's: Southern cooking and seafood. Dining room and bar with entertainment. Beach Road, Oak Bluffs; 508/693-5007 or lolassouthernseafood.com.

Elegant Sweet Life Café: American cuisine served in a restored Victorian house or its lovely outdoor patio. 63 Circuit Avenue, Oak Bluffs; 508/696-0200 or sweetlifemv.com.

Famous for the T-shirt Black Dog Tavern: casual. American cuisine. Hang out for breakfast, lunch, and dinner on the harbor in Vineyard Haven. No reservations; 508/693-9223 or theblackdog.com.

Romantic The Outermost Inn: American cuisine. Owned by Hugh Taylor, James' brother. Stunning views of Vineyard Sound. 81 Lighthouse Road, Aquinnah; 508/645-3511 or outermostinn.com.

Dive The Bite: best fried oysters and clams, served from a shack near the beach. Eat on picnic tables. Basin Road (off North Road), Menemsha; 508/645-9239.

Local sweety Mad Martha's Ice Cream: local company making extraordinary ice cream. At 20 Union, Vineyard Haven, 508/693-5883; and Dockside Lake Avenue Extension, Oak Bluffs, 508/693-8349.

Sleep

There are many inns and bed-and-breakfasts on Martha's Vineyard, some open year-round. Here are our favorites.

Glam Charlotte Inn: most luxurious hotel on the island; boasts an excellent prix fixe restaurant, L'étoile; 25 rooms. 27 South Summer Street, Edgartown; 508/627-4751.

Funky The Wesley: 19th-century Victorian hotel adjacent to Campgrounds; 95 rooms. 70 Lake Avenue, Oak Bluffs; 800/638-9027 or wesleyhotel.com.

Authentic The 1720 House: bed-and-breakfast within walking distance to town, ferry, and beaches; 6 rooms. 152 Main Street, Vineyard Haven; 508/693-6407 or 1720house.com.

Beachy The Beach Plum Inn & Restaurant: small inn close to beach and boat dock; the restaurant's considered one of the island's best; 11 rooms. 50 Beach Plum Lane, Menemsha; 508/645-2521 or beachpluminn.com.

Explore

The Vineyard offers extensive hiking trails, ecology tours by foot, canoeing and kayaking, golf, tennis, swimming, horseback riding, fishing, and birding.

Illumination Night

MV Strictly Bikes-bike rentals. Union Street, Vineyard Haven; 508/693-0782 or mvstrictlybikes.com.

Island Water Sports-day sails, powerboats, kayaks, sailboats, and Zodiacs for rent. 100 Lagoon Pond Road, Vineyard Haven; 508/693-7767 or boatmv.us. Ghosts, Gossip and Downright Scandal Walking Tours-guided walking tours of Edgartown, Oak Bluffs, and Vineyard Haven; 508/627-8619.

Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary-programs for children and adults including snorkeling, kayaking, canoeing, and talks on native wildlife. (Eligibility for activities varies by age.) Off Vineyard Haven Road in Edgartown; 508/627-4850.

Polly Hill Arboretum-hundreds of different species of trees, shrubs, and flowers collected by 90-plus-year-old horticulturist Polly Hill. Many interesting lectures. 809 State Road, West Tisbury; 508/693-9538.

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