felix neck wildlife sanctuary

Excellent walk through mix of oak forest and salt pond beach and marsh...an easily accessed Audubon trail.

This was a first for me..guide was excellent and taught me a lot about the area. A bit cloudy that night so moon was hazy, but sunset gorgeous and a serene time on the water.

We are a family of five with a 5, 4, and 2-year-old. We took a week-long vacation to The Cape, and spent a day at The Vineyard. I had done some advance research and found the Seashore Discovery program at Felix Neck - it looked like a great deal for the kids. I am so glad that we went.After the Hy-Line fast ferry and a short taxi ride we met with the friendly staff at Felix Neck. The visitor center is homey and fun for the kids. We met out naturalist and a couple other volunteers, then took our nets and headed down the Sassafras and Beach Trail with a crew of other families. Once we reached Sengekontacket Pond the hunt was on! The kids spent over an hour catching all sorts of marine life - crabs, fish, shellfish, shrimp, plantlife, etc. They all had a blast, and so did the parents. As we netted our finds we emptied them into a couple kiddie pools filled with water from the pond. The naturalist and volunteers spent about 45 minutes, with the kids and adults crowded around the pools, talking about the various marine life, passing around neat finds, and taking questions. We had our kids in water shoes and swim suits. We brought along sunscreen and insect repellent (the bug juice was not needed this late in August, but would probably come in handy earlier in the year). We also brought along water, some snacks, and a change of clothes.This was a great program and such a wonderful experience for us Minnesotans who don't have ready access to saltwater marine life. For any and all visitors to the Cape or Vineyard, you will find a visit to Felix Neck to be fun, educational, and well worth your time. Thanks for the memories!

The Mass Audubon outpost on the island offers great activities to keep children busy while learning about nature. Varied setting of pond, marsh, woods all teeming with wildlife of various sorts. A good place for a walk, too.

I've been coming here since I was young. The trails are gorgeous and well maintained. Well worth a visit!

Don't miss this unique place while on Martha's Vineyard. It is a wonderful place for a walk in the woods, observation of all sorts of birds and other wide life and a view of an exquisite butterfly garden filed with many flowers. The staff is well trained and totally dedicated to preservation of the environment. They are particularly good with young people. They have a wonderful web cam that observes a snowy white owl family. They also have a wonderful summer camp, kayak tours and seal side exploration. This is another one of the hidden jewels on this small Island just off the coast of Massachusetts, affectionately known as "the Rock".

This Audubon preserve is well staffed and maintained. In this fairly small area there are many habitats and trails. One can kayak, and birdwatch.

You might not want to spend every day at the beach, and Felix Neck gives you a great alternative. Learn about the local wildlife in a beautiful surrounding and walk away feeling like a more aware and well-rounded person, and more fully connected to the the Vineyard. This place is a jewel.

Helpful staff in the information center. Great beach along the trail. A little tough to follow the map

run by great people. We went twice, a return after a dusk stroll around the place for a morning bird watch. It was a great way to get oriented and see a different part of the Vineyard experience. these people are quite thoughtful as they provided options in their shoppe for insect repellant that was quite economical, provided filed glasses and had an owl cam for the barn owl living in the roof. I liked the place very much and will return if am able. Bring the insect repellant .... actually the bird watch tour I took had all locals in attendence whom were all smart wearing long pants !!

I'm so glad we chose to pack insect repellant and ignore the mosquito warnings. August 22nd got us a perfect hike with wonderful views of ocean, marsh, barn owls on live cam, bayberries, unfamiliar wildflowers, osprey, and a picture-book butterfly garden. There is a boardwalk across "Turtle Pond". No turtles were out on our hike but there was a lovely pair of swans on the pond.The mosquitoes were non-existent and the ocean breeze made hiking comfortable, even on a hot day. The tiny campers with nets and a wading pool were excited to share the moon jellies and tiny hermit crabs that they had captured in their nets for close-up viewing. It's great to know that the future is in good hands at the Felix Neck Sanctuary. The #1 bus will stop at the entrance to the sanctuary with the pull of the cord and pick up is just as easy. Martha's Vineyard is scattered with towns bearing Wampanoag names. The 3/4 mile trail from the main road to the visitors' center , a quiet hike through forest and fields is the perfect location to contemplate the lives of "the people" whose history is easily lost in the bumper-to-bumper traffic and summer crowds of Edgartown, Oak Bluffs, and Vineyard Haven. This is our favorite spot on the island.

Felix Neck is a wonderful place to explore the woods, a duck pond, salt marsh, and the tidal pond of Sengecontacket. It is well laid out with clearly marked trails. The trails are accommodating for even the smallest of hikers. There is wonderful birdwatching, and we have spied many other kinds of animals there as well. Early in thhe day, a scavenger hunt for footprints can yield deer, otter, raccoon, and skunk prints! There is also a fantastic discovery room where kids can learn about the island habitats and who resides in them...and almost all are touchable. All this, and some of the best vistas on the island. Enjoy!

This place is beautiful and even better, is set up to educate rather than intimidate. We were able to see tons of birds this weekend and our non-birding friends got a great introduction to birding without even trying. The staff loans binoculars (honor system) and was able to point out the best places to try and see things. In addition, because of the owl camera and the great feeders set up outside the visitor's center everyone is able to see really cool things without being frustrated. Great place to bring kids or those who can't walk too much too.

We went late in the season. Well laid out and lots of fun things to do there with kayaking and good walks. Good bird watching but that's not my thing.

Great hiking trails, and you can get to an isolated waterfront. Trails are well-maintained and well-marked.