Having done it, I can say with confidence one day on Nantucket is not enough! I wish I had stayed a week and will definitely return to do just that. However, if you’re in the area and have one day, visiting Nantucket will make the most splendid summer day trip.
I visited while staying near Boston during my nearly two-year-long solo road trip through the United States, Mexico and Canada. I’d heard of Nantucket before but knew little about it. After visiting, it tops my list of places I’ll return to and one I recommend to anyone looking for a summer dream come true.
GETTING TO NANTUCKET
The best way to get to Nantucket is on your yacht or private plane. The second-best way is your friend’s yacht or plane. There are commercial options too, and the 45-minute flight from Boston costs about $400.
Failing those, most of us take the most affordable option, which is the public ferry. It’s an unfortunate choice if you only spend one day on Nantucket because of the time it takes. From Cape Cod, Massachusetts, the island is about 16 miles out to sea, but the ferry trip takes just over two hours each way to reach the Nantucket Harbor. You’ll also need another 2:15 to get back, and the last ferry leaves at about 8 pm, so your trip will be much too short. Even still, it will be worth it. You can get there faster with the high-speed ferry, which I took, but it costs about twice as much for half the time.
Either way, you should plan and buy tickets in advance. My first attempt to spend one day in Nantucket failed when I arrived at the ferry station the same day and thought I could just buy a ticket and hop aboard. Wrong. The next regular ferry with space for me wasn’t leaving for two hours; the high-speed ferry was sold out. If I had taken the traditional ferry, I’d have had to turn around and return to the mainland essentially.
DO YOU TAKE YOUR CAR?
You’ll also have to plan what you’ll do with your car. You can take it on the regular ferry (for a few hundred dollars) or park it in designated ferry lots. Depending on which port you’re leaving from, the lots might be far away and require a shuttle back to the dock. On the map, you’ll see lots right next to the pier, but unless you leave on the 6 am ferry, all the close lots will be full. My shuttle on two trips added an extra 30-45 minutes each way. If you’re staying for more than a few days taking your car would be worth it, otherwise, I’d try one of the other options.
As your ferry nears the harbor, you’ll see the expanse of the 105-square-mile island, including nearly 80 miles of spectacular coastline, lighthouses and clear blue water as far as the eye can see.
Fun fact: Those clear blue waters are the same ones Herman Melville wrote of in Moby Dick.
GETTING AROUND NANTUCKET
While the island is only 14 miles long and 3.5 miles wide, that still quite a bit to walk. While much of the tourism and hotels are downtown, you’ll still want to explore some neighborhoods near the docks. To do that, you’ll need wheels.
After I disembarked the ferry, I walked up the slope toward town. Taxis are waiting here if you need one to help get luggage to your hotel, but after that, you’ll want your own transportation. I opted for a bicycle. It was an ambitious plan, but I didn’t realize just how ambitious until it was too late. Nearby, up the cobbled lane, there was also a moped rental shop and later, I regretted not choosing one of those instead.
If you don’t rent or have any transportation, you’ll be confined to the downtown area, and that’s a mighty fine way to spend one day on Nantucket too.
The bike was an excellent choice for slowly seeing the island and being in the pristine nature, dune and ocean breezes as I zipped past. The island is flat, with few hills, but I found each as I bicycled out of town and onto one of the many bike paths leading past honey dew pine, hydrangeas, wild roses and endless ocean vistas. I even passed some turtles and long-legged birds on the trails. But if you only have one day on Nantucket, you’ll want to go faster to see more of the neighborhoods.
NEIGHBORHOODS ON NANTUCKET
As I peddled 10 miles from downtown to Siasconset, or “‘Sconset,” as they say, I smiled the entire way. The trails were wide, and other bikers occasionally passed me, going the other direction and a few from behind. I roll slowly. The tall, green grasses, wooden fences and charming grey cottages covered in wild roses were like a dream. The scent of honeysuckle and pine overcame me. It seems everyone has a jeep, a pool and a beautiful yard. I cruised along the dunes near the seashore and occasionally saw the bright blue ocean against a lighter blue sky. Being the end of June, the flowers were at their full potential. It seemed each home was covered with them – literally. Many homes have lattices attached to their sides and roofs so wild roses and other flowers can grow on top of them.
Here, nature is one with architecture, reminding me of an English country village. I wasn’t surprised to learn Nantucket has the country’s highest concentration of pre-Civil War homes.
Fun fact: There are over 800 historic homes but zero traffic lights on the island.
SCIASCONSET
The ocean breeze kept me cool and relatively non-sweaty when I rolled into Sciasconset. It’s the only other designated town other than Downtown Nantucket. Some say it’s the country’s most beautiful 18th- and 19th-century village. You’ll get no argument from me. It was here that I first noticed Nantucket architecture has a theme.
NANTUCKET HOUSES
All the homes have a similar look with local stone, pitched roofs and grey cedar shingles. I learned that this similarity exists because of construction requirements that require them to be identical in these ways. Flat roofs are not allowed; you must have unpainted cedar shingles and – I don’t think this is a rule – but you must have gardens filled with glorious flowers.
Fun fact: Fresh red cedar shingles stand out as a reddish brown but fade to grey after one or two Nantucket winters and blend right in, as intended.
NANTUCKET FLOWERS
Tiny, rare Broom crowberry, golden yellow Aster, American Pillar roses, the cheery yellow balls of the Craspedia (Billy Buttons), pink and purple Hydrangeas and many other flowers surrounded the cottages in ‘Sconset. The fragrance, color and energy of this little town were surreal. Each cottage was more charming than the next. The small downtown looked like it came out of an 1800s movie set. The beaches went on for miles with homes perched upon the cliff edges, hidden by roses and artfully designed shrubbery.
Fun fact: The shrubberies are privets or hedges that grow around the edges of gardens. Some on Nantucket have small white fragrant flowers and poisonous black berries. Don’t let the kids eat them!
In Nantucket, it’s customary to name your home. Some of the names I saw were:
- Hedge fun
- Paddy go wack
- Capitol Hill
- Liberty House
A public trail along the coastline called the ‘Sconset Bluff Walk. It allows you uninterrupted ocean views from cliffs as you tower over the wide-open Atlantic. If you’re looking for a lighthouse, this is where you’ll find the famed red and white striped Sankaty Light Head. It was built in 1850 and is still operating. It’s on the National Register of Historic Places.
Other neighborhoods worth visiting:
- Surfside: Aptly named for its location on the island’s southern end and, as you might imagine, boasts more giant waves and better surf.
- Madaket: is more remote on the island’s west side with sea-washed dunes. It’s a favorite of boaters and good for fishing.
- Cisco: Here you’ll find Cisco Brewers, Nantucket Vineyard and Triple Eight Distillery
- Miacomet: Almost every neighborhood has a beach, and this is no exception. There’s also an extensive golf course and a lovely pond.
- Brant Point: These are the homes near the heart of downtown and Brant Point Lighthouse.
- Cliff: This is where you’ll likely find homes to rent. It’s on the outskirts of town and gives the best of nature and city life.
BEACHES
The south shore beaches are open to the ocean and typically have stronger currents and large waves, while north shore beaches are protected by Nantucket Sound and are calmer with smaller waves. The popular Children’s and Jetties Beach is on the north shore.
While walking along the beaches, past summer cottages with pools artfully tucked behind trees, and kids splashing in the water, I couldn’t help but think THIS is what the summers of childhood should be like. I grew up in Detroit suburbs, where my parents’ house backed up to an alley with a Chinese restaurant. It was filled with dumpsters and menacing rats (that’s a story for another time). Still, we had our summer fun, but Nantucket, my goodness, that’s the stuff of summer dreams.
DOWNTOWN NANTUCKET
There are hundreds of historic buildings on Nantucket, many downtown. Most buildings are small businesses, high-end retailers, or hotels that have kept their old-world charm, including the signs. Sign-making is an art, and no place is that truer than Nantucket. Instead of square billboards, the signs were shaped to indicate what the business sold. I saw fish signs, boat signs, flower signs and more.
The honeysuckle fragrance filled the air as I patronized businesses and restaurants near the wharves.
WHALING MUSEUM
A highlight for visitors is the Whaling Museum. It’s one of the first buildings you’ll see when you exit the ferry. It’s housed in an old candle factory that used to make candles from whale blubber before whaling was outlawed. You’ll learn all about it. The museum has a lot of whale artifacts, including a complete sperm whale skeleton hanging from the ceiling.
Fun fact: Nantucket was once the “whaling capital of the world.”
The Nantucketer, he alone resides and riots on the sea … For years he knows not the land; so that when he comes to it at last, it smells like another world, more strangely than the moon would to an Earthman. … at nightfall the Nantucketer, out of sight of land, furls his sails, and lays him to his rest, while under his very pillow rush herds of walruses and whales.”
Herman Melville, Moby Dick
IF YOU VISIT NANTUCKET
You should visit Nantucket if you like fishing, golfing, biking, shopping, museums, beaches, watersports, or relaxing on beautiful beaches.
The high season for vacationers is during the summer when the weather and water are warm, the sun is shining, the hydrangeas are blooming, and all restaurants, galleries, shops, and other venues are open. Though it’s not the easiest or most affordable place to go, it will be a summer dream come true.
Read more stories about places in Massachusetts.