A Day Trip to Nantucket
Nantucket is only an hour ferry ride from Cape Cod, but feels like a completely different world. While in Cape Cod, during the summer you will likely struggle to get from place to place due to traffic and crowds. This island offers you more of a small town destination, you can see most of Nantucket in a day. While it does get busy during the summer, even when busy, there are lots of places to get away and explore on your own. Visiting Nantucket takes you back in time, where most people bike or walk to get around. Explore this island that helped inspire Herman Melville’s Moby Dick.
How much time should you spend in Nantucket?
We did a day trip to Nantucket and I felt like this was a good amount of time. There are several ferries throughout the day to the island. If you can get on a mid-morning ferry to the island and a later one coming back, it will give you plenty of time. We scheduled the ferry right around sunset so got a little bit of a sunset cruise without the crazy prices. Nantucket is a very small island and you can see and do most things in one day.
If you want to spend more time biking around the island or if the shark signs haven’t scared you away from the beaches, consider adding on another day or two to get some beach time as well.
And no, I am not kidding about the shark signs. Going around the islands and Cape Cod, it is surprising how many signs there are warning you of Great White Sharks
How do you get to Nantucket?
The main way to get to nantucket is by taking the ferry. Nowadays there are some flights into the small Nantucket Memorial Airport, but the main way is by ferry and it gives you a great introduction to the island by way of the water. We took a ferry through Hy-Line cruises from Hyannis. It’s about an hour long ferry ride. During the summer, make sure to book your tickets ahead of time as spots can fill up fast.
Do you need a car?
Nantucket is much smaller than Martha’s Vineyard and a car is not necessary if you are spending only doing a day trip to Nantucket. If you are spending several days, it might be nice having your own transportation. Most places of interest are within walking distance to where the ferry is. That being said, there are tours that are set up by the ferry companies that take you around the island. We found that a good way to see the entire island. Uber is also available on the island if needed.
Top things to do for a day trip to Nantucket:
Take a walk
Exploring the town is probably the top thing to do if you are doing a day trip to Nantucket. There are many areas near where the ferry drops you off that you can go for a stroll. One of the walks we enjoyed was from the main area of town down to Brant Point Lighthouse then out to Jetties Beach. This takes you through a beautiful neighborhood so you can admire the classic Cape Cod architecture. One of the things that makes Nantucket unique is the history. This small town has over 800 pre-Civil War houses that have been restored. After your walk, why not spend some time on the beach.
Visit the Whaling Museum
If you are looking to escape the weather or looking to learn more about the history of this area, The Whaling Museum is a great stop. It is located in the original candle-making factory. It goes into the history of this area prior to the 1860s when whaling became outlawed. Prior to that, these towns survived on the whaling industry to make whale oil and other products. Don’t miss the 46 foot skeleton of a sperm whale.
Get some seafood
There are many great places to eat on Nantucket. During summertime, this town gets very busy and it can be difficult to find a place without reservations. We ate at the Brant Point Grill which is located at the White Elephant Hotel. The food was great, but the best part was the location. They have covered outdoor seating overlooking the harbor. If you have kids, there is also a lot of room for them to run and play.
Visit the lighthouses
There are 3 lighthouses on the island, but only one of them is within walking distance to the town. Brant Point Lighthouse is closest to the town and is unique as it has an American Flag on it. It’s only about a half mile walk from the main part of town.
During the Driving tour, they also take you by Sankaty Head lighthouse that was built back in 1850 and is on the eastern side of the island.
The 3rd lighthouse is the Great Point Lighthouse which is really only accessible by AWD car. We did not end up seeing this one.
Take a bike ride
Nantucket is a small, flat island so it is perfect to explore by bike. It is a great alternative to a car and there are many places to rent them throughout the town. If you are doing a day trip to Nantucket, it might be tight doing a long bike ride. We unfortunately did not have time to bike out to Sconset on the east side of the island, but I hear it is supposed to be beautiful.
Go on a boat ride
Seeing the island by boat is one of the best ways to see this island. As most people arrive by ferry, they get a little view of this on the way to the island. Down by the harbor, there are places where you can book a short 20 min cruise or a 2 hour sunset cruise. While you are down there, take some time admiring the yachts. Nantucket is a city where the wealthy like to visit and you will see evidence of this by all of the yachts in the harbor.
