Accessibility

Nantucket is an island off the coast of Cape Code. To get from the mainland you’re going to need a private plane or, the purposes of this blog, a ferry. We took the Steam Ship Authority Ferry from Hyannis, Massachusetts because that’s the island’s only car ferry. There are a few other pedestrian only ferry options including day trip ferries from Martha’s Vineyard. Schedules vary greatly offseason vs. the summer, make sure to check the website of whichever boat you are planning to take.

Nantucket Island is big and exploring with a car is by far your easiest option. If you’re traveling outside of the summer months it’s a no brainer, bring your car. But if you’re there for a lazy August beach vacation consider this:

• Even with increased scheduling during the summer months the boats have been known to get booked up months ahead of time. If you are bringing a car book as far ahead as possible.
• There are very few roads on the island and they are known to be very crowded during the summer.
• There is a reliable bus service on the island, as well as cabs. But there are also miles of good bike lanes.

All ferries arrive in Nantucket’s historic downtown, a beautifully preserved colonial city that was once the whaling capital of the world. The whole island is about 14 miles east/west and 4 miles north south. The downtown is on the northern coast, right in the middle of the island.
We stayed in the town of Sconset on the far eastern end of the island, pushed up against the Atlantic Ocean.

When We Went

Mid May. It was not beach weather but it was right before the tourists come in for a flower festivals.

What We Did

This was our first trip with a baby. He was just 3 months old. We didn’t do much. But we had a really cute little airbnb on a beach over looking the Atlantic Ocean. We walked on the beach, explored lighthouses and listened to the waves crashing at night.

Sights

The beaches. The ones to the east and south are the most exposed to the ocean and have the best surf. Go north near the downtown if you want calmer water.

The lighthouses. There are three on the island. Brant Point protects downtown. Your ferry will round it on its way into town. Sankaty Head in Sconset had to be moved further inland after being threatened by erosion. At the island’s far north end you’ll find Great Point lighthouse.

The Whaling Museum shouldn’t be missed. In fact if you were only going to go to one whaling museum in your lifetime…if should be this one.

Accommodations

The island is abound with homes to rent, ranging from expensive to jetset. Airbnb is a great place to start but check out the other home sharing sites too. Most places are listed on all of them. Within the main town you may also find some more traditional bnbs.

Restaurants

We cooked all of our dinners at our airbnb. We did venture into town for lunch each day as well as morning coffee.

Baxter’s Boathouse in Hyannis might have been our favorite meal. We stopped here before the ferry right over. The stuffed quahogs were our “Welcome to Cape Cod” moment.

Our favorite cup of coffee was Handlebar Cafe right in downtown Nantucket.

Twice we stopped at The Bean for sandwiches and coffee.

We stopped for beers one afternoon at Cisco Brewery which is well worth the trip to the middle of the island.