Question for the community:
From the time of our engagement to last summer,our family has spent a week on Block Island. However, my wife and daughter have convinced me to spent a week on Nantucket. What be the best way to experience Nantucket for a first-timer?
Thank you.
Go during the shoulder season - aka local's summer. Everything is still open, but the crowds have thinned considerably.
ReplyDeleteOh! That was on my list of places to go. I would be a first-timer as well. How long of a stay would be sufficient? I was thinking 4-6 days and I would look to go in September after Labor Day.
ReplyDeleteYou’re on the right track.
ReplyDeleteJust relax and enjoy the island. I think it's best to visit without an agenda - just go with the flow! It's more relaxing that way, too.
ReplyDeleteNantucket is sweet. The ag scene on the Vineyard adds a certain joie de l’été (and don’t miss the Katama bivalves). Try and visit both places. Each has their own vibe.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the comments above. Nantucket is a small enough island that you don't really need an agenda; you can simply play the 'flâneur' or rent a bicycle to go further afield. It was where I spent my honeymoon and was one of my favourite places to holiday in when I lived in NYC eons ago.
ReplyDeleteI suggest you read as many travel guides and websites as you can before you go so that you can target your time and attention. Beach person? Shopper? Foodie? Cyclist or hiker? Fisherman? ACK offers all that in stunningly beautiful environs.
ReplyDeleteNantucket is overcrowded with wannabes overpaying for everything. Stay in Block Island, or go to Maine.
ReplyDeleteGave up going 20 years ago. Unless you belong to the golf club it’s not worth it. Still do. a weekend there with my extended family every year. But we stay away from the crowds and just go the club. Go to Maine !
DeleteJust go and enjoy all the wonderful things, people, and places that are there!
ReplyDeleteBring cubic dollars
ReplyDeleteWith the exception of last year, and maybe one or two here and there, I have been going to Nantucket annually for nearly two decades. I still recommend first timers visit the way I did back in the day, namely, a bed and breakfast on the outskirts of town, and critically, I would budget for a vehicle rental if you don't plan on bringing transportation. Yes, you could in theory get around the island on buses, but I found that to be too restrictive. Renting a Jeep or mini-cooper will accord you the freedom to explore the island and its many beaches at will, and there is much to explore. Being near town makes it easy to go to restaurants in the evening and stroll back, but renting a home somewhere further afield will work too, you'll just have to do a bit of driving from home to town and home to beach. Either way, it's a small enough plot of land that you can experience much in a week, but there's always something new and refreshing every time I visit.
ReplyDeleteStart looking now. Summer rentals are scarce this summer due to pent up demand. In the past, stayed in Madaket and liked being out there.
ReplyDeleteRented a tiny cottage about a mile from Madaket Beach. Absolutely love that area of island.
DeleteBack in the 70s my college girlfriend's family rented at Madaket. Fred Rogers lived a few doors down and that was a good enough recommendation for anyone. Surfcasting and walks on the beach were great after the night crossing on the ferry. I learned to like bluefish.
DeleteMake sure that you visit Murray's Toggery Shop: https://www.nantucketreds.com/
ReplyDeleteGet yourself a pair of genuine Nantucket Red pants, either long pants or shorts. They are extremely comfortable.
We had a wonderful time on Nantucket and can't wait to return. Take the ferry over to Brant Point Lighthouse. Go to the beach at Surfside. Visit the lighthouses around the island. Go to the Juice Bar. Make sure you stroll down Main Street. Eat at Cru, Straight Warf, Downeyflake, and Keepers. Go to the Whaling Museum. Take a bike ride around the island. Visit the Old Mill. I love Nantucket !
ReplyDeleteThe best way to enjoy Nantucket is to avoid going.
ReplyDeleteThe best way is with a lot of money! I love Nantucket, and I still go, but I always know I'm going to be going through a bunch of cash (or credit). It's a wonderful island, and I'd recommend a tour bus around the island. Don't even think of trying to buy a property unless you're the Rockefellers.
ReplyDeleteBring a bike!
ReplyDeleteIf you like surfcasting, the assorted beaches are great and social distanced. If they don't care for it, your wife and daughter can enjoy the sun and surf: https://postflybox.com/blog/2017/09/04/the-10-best-surfcasting-spots-on-nantucket/ https://newenglandboating.com/madaket-magic/
ReplyDeleteConsider going to Nantucket in September or even early October. Less population during those months than the summer which can get very crowded.
ReplyDeleteSept and Oct golden - make sure to get out to the brewery. And then sunsets at Cisco on the south shore....
ReplyDeleteNantucket is wonderful; I love it. Years ago we rented a sea captain's home in "Town" for a week. From there we made our ways to the beach, Sconset and all of the charming sites. Ate at various noteworthy venues. Enjoyed fierce family croquet competitions in the front garden. But now we, for the most part, we make our annual beach trek to a barrier island off of the Carolinas and spend a divine week at an unspoiled inn without AC ... collars up !!!
ReplyDeleteBeen to both- I would choose Block Island knowing what I know.
ReplyDeleteI commented on this four years ago. Adding that having stayed on the periphery and in town, I definitely preferred being away from town. Also, other than taking a motor vehicle on the ferry to get our stuff out to the house on the beach, we went everywhere by bicycle. Longest ride we took, from Madaket Beach to Great Point Coskata wildlife refuge (which I highly recommend, it's beautiful and peaceful), was less than 20 miles each way.
ReplyDeleteÀ few years ago I saw an article that said seven acres of dunes on Nantucket sold for $1,500.00 in 1956. Perhaps back in those days, owing to its proximity to the population centers, land was even more expensive on Block Island. Maybe not. Does anyone know?
ReplyDeleteBack in the 1950s, Block Island was far from touristy. It was a very different place, attracted mostly passionate fisherman who liked to get away from it all, enjoy hanging with their buddies, fishing big game fish (mostly swordfish) and drinking. There were no boutiques. That is my impression. I imagine land was cheap, but I too don't know.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy, to suit your taste! Cheers!
ReplyDelete