"The Carousel House" - Ocean Park - Featured in New York Times
House in Oak Bluffs, MA
12 guests · 7 bedrooms · 3 baths
Reasons to book
Guests love it hereGuests give this property a top rating
Top-tier experienceOne of the higher cost properties in the area
Includes essentialsKitchen or Kitchenette, Air conditioner, Internet / Wifi and more
About this house rental
This house, built in 1865, was featured in the New York Times article on Oak Bluffs, 'The President Was Here (Grant, That Is).' The article described the unique Victorian homes on Ocean Avenue as 'the Fifth Avenue of Oak Bluffs.' Our house was featured in the article, and photographed in the New York Times online slide show. It is a unique Victorian home, wonderful for family gatherings. The location is ideal - it sits at the heart of Ocean Park, with the closest access to Circuit Avenue of any of the homes on the Park.
The home has been completely renovated, including central air with two zones. Chef's kitchen with granite countertops and stainless appliances, a six burner commercial oven and a wine fridge. Bathroom sinks have marble tops. Four flat screen TVs.
This house has unique charm and convenience. Walk to everything - you don't need a car. The child friendly beach is just across the road, where you can make sandcastles in the sand, or stroll along the boardwalk above the beach, and rest on a bench facing the water. Or stay at home, sit on the porch and gaze over Ocean Park with its iconic gazebo. Have your own private front seat to the concerts and fireworks in Ocean Park during the summer.
It takes about 60 seconds to walk to Circuit Avenue and access the heart of Oak Bluffs: restaurants, quaint shops, art galleries, grocery store, wine and liquor store, hair salon, movies, ice cream parlors, churches, etc. Pick up the bike path from just in front of the house and ride around the island (bike rentals just a short stroll away). Visit the Flying Horses, the oldest carousel in America dating back to the 1800s, just a couple of short blocks away. Take a stroll to the harbor, and see the beautiful yachts docked there. Fly a kite in Ocean Park.
On rainy days, walk just yards away to the movie house, or entertain the kids in the arcade on Circuit Avenue, a 90 second run in the rain! Or stay home and watch movies on the big TV in the living room, or play a board game of Monopoly or Scrabble. Or lose yourself in a book from our small library.
Entire downstairs has hard wired speaker system that you can connect to your phone or tablet, and play your own music.
Be sure to wake up early at least one day of your vacation to catch the breathtaking sunrise over Nantucket Sound, easily visible from the two master bedrooms!
Fun Fact: The Emperor of Ocean Park, the New York Times best seller murder mystery, was written about this house. Read the book before you come, or on the porch while you are here, to relive this home's iconic history. We keep a couple of copies of the book in our bookcase for you to check out while you are with us.
Keywords: House
The home has been completely renovated, including central air with two zones. Chef's kitchen with granite countertops and stainless appliances, a six burner commercial oven and a wine fridge. Bathroom sinks have marble tops. Four flat screen TVs.
This house has unique charm and convenience. Walk to everything - you don't need a car. The child friendly beach is just across the road, where you can make sandcastles in the sand, or stroll along the boardwalk above the beach, and rest on a bench facing the water. Or stay at home, sit on the porch and gaze over Ocean Park with its iconic gazebo. Have your own private front seat to the concerts and fireworks in Ocean Park during the summer.
It takes about 60 seconds to walk to Circuit Avenue and access the heart of Oak Bluffs: restaurants, quaint shops, art galleries, grocery store, wine and liquor store, hair salon, movies, ice cream parlors, churches, etc. Pick up the bike path from just in front of the house and ride around the island (bike rentals just a short stroll away). Visit the Flying Horses, the oldest carousel in America dating back to the 1800s, just a couple of short blocks away. Take a stroll to the harbor, and see the beautiful yachts docked there. Fly a kite in Ocean Park.
On rainy days, walk just yards away to the movie house, or entertain the kids in the arcade on Circuit Avenue, a 90 second run in the rain! Or stay home and watch movies on the big TV in the living room, or play a board game of Monopoly or Scrabble. Or lose yourself in a book from our small library.
Entire downstairs has hard wired speaker system that you can connect to your phone or tablet, and play your own music.
Be sure to wake up early at least one day of your vacation to catch the breathtaking sunrise over Nantucket Sound, easily visible from the two master bedrooms!
Fun Fact: The Emperor of Ocean Park, the New York Times best seller murder mystery, was written about this house. Read the book before you come, or on the porch while you are here, to relive this home's iconic history. We keep a couple of copies of the book in our bookcase for you to check out while you are with us.
Keywords: House
Amenities
Air conditioner
Kitchen or Kitchenette
Internet / Wifi
Fireplace
Parking
Laundry
Balcony or Patio
Dishwasher
TV
Family friendly
Map of Oak Bluffs, MA
$$$$
Reviews
10.0
We very much enjoyed our stay. Heidi was incredibly responsive to our needs and the kids loved how close we were to the Green. What a perfect location.
10.0
Location is excellent. House has many amenities
10.0
We love this house and hope to be welcomed back for years to come.
8.0
Great property, sadly 2nd floor AC was not working. Had to fix it on our own as owner and handy man was no help! Missed and entire beach day because of it.
10.0
Conveniently located in Oak Bluffs! Perfect for my son’s college graduation weekend.
10.0
Really good location, many bedrooms, clean
10.0
The trip was phenomenal. We didn't all know each other but have made lifelong connections. The house was the perfect size and location. Beautiful kitchen. We met many locals who came in to chat and took info to possibly rent the house too. All communications with management was easy. We had no negative issues at all. A couple of drawbacks - steep stairs for women of a certain age with bad knees and hips and strange configuration of rooms upstairs above kitchen. Had to pass through rooms to get to shared bathroom. Score still nearly 10. Great experience.
10.0
We were a group of five besties, one stayed behind due to illness. . Our stay on Oak Bluff at the Carousel House was awesome from initial coordination with our Host, to saying goodbye to the neighbors next door. We each had our own comfortable room and plenty of lounging room around the house. The view of the Atlantic Ocean from the porch and bedroom balconies were PRICELESS!! I asked my group to give me a word to describe their experience and they were very similar; Rejuvenation, peaceful, accommodating, historic, and LOCATION!!!!!! We were a stones throw away from the ocean, Inkwell Beach, great shopping, best restaurants, and the Ferry! We can’t wait to book our next trip!!!!
10.0
Wet relaxing
10.0
N
Very nice place
10.0
My Vacation Stay at the Carousel House
My Friends and I couldn’t have asked for a better place to stay for the Seven days. The House is beautiful and the location is prime. It is walking distance to all the Stores and Restaurants and it is right across from the Beach and a beautiful Park. Teresa and Justina were easy to communicate with. I would Definitely stay there again!
10.0
Simply Outstanding
The Carousel House is simply an outstanding luxury home to stay in for that quintessential Martha's Vineyard experience. My family of 3 and I had the most enjoyable stay here at the end of the summer. The house is a true five star experience - and I'd call it relaxed luxury. All the rooms are so well kept and beautifully decorated. It was super clean and we immediately felt at home. The location on Ocean Drive is unbeatable for convenience and access to everything we needed - cool restaurants, shops, art galleries, gingerbread cottages, the Flying Horses carousel and the beach. From our bedroom windows we had the most breathtaking views of the park and the ocean about 3 minutes walking distance. I spent my mornings on the porch watching the spectacular sunrises over the ocean and most afternoons on the same porch enjoying sundowners and reading a book.
Teresa is an excellent host. When on one day I mistakenly messed up the television, I called and within minutes a very kind and professional caretaker arrived and sorted our cable issues. Traveling with a 15-month old toddler meant we prepared most of our breakfast at home. The kitchen is a true functional chef's kitchen.
Thank you so much for a beautiful Martha's Vineyard experience in a historic but relaxed luxury home.
10.0
2021 Vineyard Adventure
Location, Location, Location. The best location in Oak Bluffs. Minor hiccups-faulty door knobs and latches, (property mgr Omar was very responsive), code box with key a little tricky but workable. An extra bath would have been nice for 9 adults, but again it was workable. If your group has leg issues or 55+, the stairs may be a challenge. All bedrooms are on 2nd floor. Sofas need updating for comfort but workable. This property accomplished our goal. Reuniting and connecting with friends. Spending some quality time in a great destination. Overall we had a great time. Thank you
Mary and the other 8 members of 9 United Visions
10.0
Lovely stay
We saw the previous review just before we left, but happily there was no reason to be concerned.
Pros:
1. The location was great. The house couldn't be better situated to everything we wanted to do in Oak Bluffs.
2. The kitchen was truly a chef's kitchen - huge and well appointed.
3. The porch! We spent hours on the porch.
4. Teresa and the caretaker were highly responsive and made sure we were happy.
5. House was clean as a whistle.
6. Parking pass (wonderful to be able to park on Ocean Park and leave the car there with no concern about getting a ticket)
7. The house has an amazing history. We love staying in places with stories. There is a write-up from the family that owned it long ago, and a book written about the house. My sister-in-law enjoyed reading the novel on the porch as we were the Emperors of Ocean Park for our stay!
Cons: We had to leave. Wish we could have stayed for the rest of the summer!
6.0
Downtown Oak Bluffs property
My mom had always dreamed of staying at this property so when I saw it listed on VRBO I couldn't wait to stay here on our annual MV trip. The property is located right on the Oak Bluffs green which is great. However, one thing to note is that on Friday and Saturday nights it gets quite loud when the bars empty out. The noise didn't last long but it will definitely wake you up. To be expected given its downtown location. The other nights were not loud.
Pros:
-Great Downtown location
-Historic gingerbread home with lots of MV character
-Large home with lots of beds to accommodate a large party
-Great porch to sip morning coffee or drinks and enjoy all things MV
-Air conditioned
-Very nice grill
-Owner was responsive to issues we had during our stay
-During booking, the Owner was very understanding and allowed us to postpone our trip due to Covid 19
-Lovely welcome note and gift upon arrival
Cons:
-The layout upstairs is quirky requiring one of the bedrooms to cut through the other to get to the shared bath. Main bath has three doors leading into it - just need to be diligent with locking and knocking before entering.
-No outdoor table. The dining room seats like 10-12. We were just used to enjoying outdoor meals on vacation.
-Oven did not work (owner gave us a $100 credit for this and did buy a toaster oven which was very nice but we typically make certain meals involving an actual oven)
-Door knobs and some locks were not working (maintenance did come and fix the front door quickly)
-Couches in living room are dirty. We covered them with a sheet while we were there
-Overall cleanliness when we arrived was just ok
-Parking is a challenge. The house comes with one parking pass which is nice but it is tough to find a spot. It often means driving around or parking far away from the house if you opt to venture out.
-Owner is withholding a portion of our security deposit and claiming damages to her ceiling. Hoping this an isolated incident to me but including it here so other renters can be sure to take pictures of everything upon arrival.
10.0
Great house, great location!
We're a family of 9 and just returned from a wonderful stay at the Carousel House. Plenty of room for all of us! Loved the location, we could easily walk to the beach, shops, and restaurants. The owner was very responsive to any requests. Would definitely go back!
5.0
We had a wonderful stay at the Carousel House in Oak Bluffs! The owner Teresa was very responsive to any questions we had. The house overlooks Ocean Park, which was great for the kids. Each evening, they were playing football or tossing the frisbee around. During the day, they would walk across the park to Inkwell Beach and hang out. Parking wasn't a big deal, as the house had one parking pass, and the sea wall had ample 24-hour parking during our stay. The location was super convenient being so close to shops, restaurants, Back Door Donuts, and Mad Martha's :)One of our favorite features of the house was the wrap around porch. Unlike other houses on Ocean Ave, the porch was very private, and we were not in the line of sight of our next-door neighbors. The view from the master bedroom was unbeatable, and a great place for early morning coffee. Thanks to Teresa for a great stay on our vacation!
10.0
Beautiful House in the Heart of Oak Bluffs
We had a wonderful stay at the Carousel House in Oak Bluffs! The owner Teresa was very responsive to any questions we had. The house overlooks Ocean Park, which was great for the kids. Each evening, they were playing football or tossing the frisbee around. During the day, they would walk across the park to Inkwell Beach and hang out. Parking wasn't a big deal, as the house had one parking pass, and the sea wall had ample 24-hour parking during our stay. The location was super convenient being so close to shops, restaurants, Back Door Donuts, and Mad Martha's :)
One of our favorite features of the house was the wrap around porch. Unlike other houses on Ocean Ave, the porch was very private, and we were not in the line of sight of our next-door neighbors. The view from the master bedroom was unbeatable, and a great place for early morning coffee.
Thanks to Teresa for a great stay on our vacation!
5.0
This was our first visit to Martha’s Vineyard and the Carousel House was perfect for our party of 11! Including 8 adults and our 3 grandchildren under the age of 3. Oak Bluffs was the perfect town with its beach, Ocean Park, retail stores and children’s playground at Niantic Park and of course the location of the Carousel House cannot be beat!! We rented cars to tour the whole island one day and took the ferry to Nantucket another day. We were there during the Covid crisis so were happy for the kitchen and dining room that could seat us all for cooking and carrying out!The owner and property manager were immediately available the couple of times that we had questions!Thank you, Teresa!!
10.0
Amazing week on the Vineyard
We had an amazing week at the Clarke House! The house was clean, comfortable, and amenities were great. You can't beat the location and Teresa was wonderful to work with. I highly recommend.
10.0
Great family vacation!
This was our first visit to Martha’s Vineyard and the Carousel House was perfect for our party of 11! Including 8 adults and our 3 grandchildren under the age of 3. Oak Bluffs was the perfect town with its beach, Ocean Park, retail stores and children’s playground at Niantic Park and of course the location of the Carousel House cannot be beat!! We rented cars to tour the whole island one day and took the ferry to Nantucket another day. We were there during the Covid crisis so were happy for the kitchen and dining room that could seat us all for cooking and carrying out!
The owner and property manager were immediately available the couple of times that we had questions!
Thank you, Teresa!!
10.0
Thanksgiving 2019
Wonderful place for the family Thanksgiving!! Nicely accommodated three generations ages 8 months to 71 years :-).
4.0
Great location but the house needs TLC.
Historic home with an amazing location but the pictures of the exterior from the website were taken when the house was in better shape. The porch and trim need overdue maintenance. The lock on the master bathroom was broken so my buddies wife walked in on me the day we arrived. The door knob on the front door is broken and kept falling off. Nice home in need of maintenance work.
10.0
Beautiful
Great time, check out Farm neck golf course when staying.
10.0
Great location.
Caretaker and team excellent. A few things remaining to be done from renovation, but great house.
10.0
Right around the corner from the fun
We loved staying at the Carousel House for our first trip to Martha's Vineyard—"we" being two families with kids.
The house is right around the corner from Back Door Donuts & the Arcade and a 2-minute walk from the Carousel. Additionally, the restaurant directly next door to the house was our favorite (we ate there 3 times) and the kids loved the unlimited peanuts & throwing shells on the ground (the food was great too).
The home owner was very responsive in answering all of our questions and the home was as pictured.
10.0
Beautiful Home
We had a great stay at the Clarke Family house!! Thank you for hosting our family and helping make our return to Oak Bluffs special
10.0
Wonderful!
We loved being at the Carousel House to celebrate a big birthday with extended family. It exceeded our expectations! The house is lovely, property manager is top notch, and the location is ideal. The porch just can't be beat for people and ocean watching. We were entering the busy season, so it was a bit noisy outside the house. For anyone who prefers a quieter time, go at other times of the year.
10.0
Great house
Great space! We loved the house it was in a perfect location to everything in town.
10.0
Elegant large Victorian, recently refurbished interior, with spectacular ocean views
Our family (5 adults, 4 children) had a wonderful and memorable four-night stay at the elegant and comfortable Carousel House on Sept. 20-24, 2018. The views of Ocean Park and of the harbor and ocean from the upstairs front porch and the downstairs wraparound porch were spectacular. The sleeping accommodations and baths were all quite satisfactory and comfortable. The interior of the elegant tall-ceilinged Victorian house had very recently undergone total refurbishment, including modernization of the entire kitchen and bathrooms and restoration of stairwells. The celebratory occasion of our stay at the Carousel House was the wedding of our son, and many out-of-town guests were staying in Oak Bluffs, within easy strolling distance from the Carousel House, so it was delightful for many guests to be able stroll over and visit with us on that front porch. Being in the center of Oak Bluffs meant that we were literally only a few steps away from multiple coffee shops and restaurants. Parking was never an issue; we could always find spots on Ocean Drive near the house. Fortunately, our four young grandchildren each brought their scooters, which they happily used on the sidewalks around and within Ocean Park as well as those within Oak Bluffs. The perfect house for a perfect long weekend.
10.0
Great Location, perfect spot for family time
Our Family has made many memories here over the years...great spot for large families.
10.0
A crown jewel for a royal vacation!
We stayed at Teresa's the week of July 4, 2018....we are already planning our return!
As others have said, the house location simply CANNOT be beat. Corner of Ocean Ave and Healy way...you can literally see your guests arriving on the OB ferry. Back door Donuts is 500 feet away for the midnight fritter craving that won't subside. The heart of Circuit avenue is 1000 feet away...you can walk to the grocery store every morning for the day's supplies if that floats your boat. Everything is in walking distance, including the harbor restaurants and the beautiful Camp Meeting cottages. Don't bother with a car - uber was available when we needed it, and there is a bus stop literally in front of the house. The very best thing about the location was sitting on the porch meeting all our neighbors who were strolling past for ice cream or apple fritters. :) This house sits literally in a social center of OB, between Ocean Park and Circuit ave...there is a constant flow of friendly foot traffic! We came home with dozens of new friends and contacts.
Now as for the house itself: having toured 2 other homes on Ocean Ave, this house is truly a class above. The 3 full bathrooms are updated and sufficient for 10-12 guests (in a house of mostly women, none had trouble showering when they wanted). The kitchen is completely modern and has new appliances...plus a lifesaving wine chiller which kept dozens of bottles of wine, water and soda cold for us, leaving the fridge available for food. The house is well-stocked with supplies, games, and fun odds & ends like the tiki torches Kevin the Caretaker brought out for us! Most importantly, though, this is one of the very few (if only??) houses on Ocean Ave that have central air. While the weather and ocean breezes justify open windows most days...on those few sweltering days that we had, we were so grateful to be sleeping in AC.
The downsides were few and bearable: only the master rooms have closets. The others have wardrobes, which aren't quite enough to store clothes for 2 for a week - and leave the rooms a bit cramped. Lesson: pack light.
There are no curtains, so the house wakes up with a bright sunrise, which on Ocean Park is 5am. Lesson: go to bed by 9 or 10 for a decent bit of sleep.
That's it! Everything else here was a treat. Teresa was kind, responsive and a gracious hostess in every way...helping us out months in advance and through to our final day. I highly, highly recommend!
8.0
House was a nice mix of classic, turn of the century style, with modern amenities. Very charming.
House was great. Very convenient location to town, ferry, bus, beach, Back Door Donuts and Offshore Brewery! Great porch for sitting and relaxing to take in the view of the park, which was always bustling with activity. House location gets a lot of foot traffic past it, as it is on a main side street into town. At night it can get a little loud as the late crowd makes it's way home, but that is the price of being in a super convenient location. House amenities were fine. The only issues we had were that the bbq grill grates need replacing and new mattresses/pillows wouldn't hurt. These things were nothing that impacted our stay or our fun. All in all we were very happy with the house and would highly recommend it if you want to be in middle of the action.
10.0
Amazing home in the perfect location for family vacation.
This home offers an unforgettable experience for a visit to Martha's Vineyard!
8.0
The location is not just good...ITS PERFECT!!!
My family from Texas enjoyed the celebration of our 50th wedding anniversary in this home for 5 days in April. We had a 12 passenger rental van and explored the island completely. This home is one block off of central Oak Bluffs, the perfect place to be on this island for just about everything.
While many attractions were on a limited schedule because it was low season, there was plenty to do even for our 6 and 4 year old grandkids. We happened to catch some challenging weather for a few days...to be expected...there was no problem making the best of it. This old icon of Ocean Park was excellent for 6 adults and the two kids.
The only reason this is not a 5 rating...there is routine maintenance going on all over the island getting ready for the high season including this home. There were a few things that needed correcting and Dale, the property manager, dealt with those well. No doubt in the high season things are very well oiled to go perfectly.
By the way, I think low/shoulder season is a great time to be on the Vineyard. There's plenty of action to keep the best restaurants open, and traffic and parking isn't a problem. I imagine its an entirely different experience when the population here triples...at least! Being essentially ocean/park front and in town is a huge plus.
Thanks Teresa for being so helpful.
10.0
Great time had by all (14) ! :)
We had 14 adults for a surprise for my husbands 50th-It was magnificent-plenty of room for all of us-we had great weather for early April and spent lots of time on the porch-The carousel house was well equipped with everything we needed-all the rooms worked out great-We all highly recommend this home for a large group as it accommodated all our needs-Lovely home-:)
10.0
Girls weekend a success
Spent lots of time on the porch. Stayed with 8 women, lots of space, three full baths a plus, comfy beds. Oak Bluffs great town,friendly people. Will definitely come back and stay at this house.
FAQs
How much does this house cost compared to others in Oak Bluffs?
The average price for a rental in Oak Bluffs is $906 per night. This rental is $1,918 above the average.
Is parking included with this house?
Yes, parking is listed as an amenity at "The Carousel House" - Ocean Park - Featured in New York Times. For more information, we encourage you to contact the property about where to park.
Is there a pool at this house?
We didn’t find pool listed as an amenity for this house. It may be worth double checking if a pool is important for your stay.
Is "The Carousel House" - Ocean Park - Featured in New York Times pet friendly?
Unfortunately, this house is not pet-friendly. Try searching again and filter for "Pets Allowed"
What amenities are available at "The Carousel House" - Ocean Park - Featured in New York Times?
We found 10 amenities for this rental. This includes air conditioner, kitchen or kitchenette, internet / wifi, fireplace, and parking.
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