5 Things to Do on Nantucket: Visiting the Grey Lady and Experiencing her Charm

Nantucket is an island about 30 miles off the coast of Massachusetts. Since it can be completely shrouded in fog, it's known as the Grey Lady. It's also known for shingled cottages, swanky price tags, hydrangea blooming lanes and cobblestone streets. I visited for my first time last summer and it definitely lived up to the hype in my book. It's quite the picturesque little corner of New England! Come along with me and spend a day on Nantucket:

How to get there:

Take a Ferry - You can take a ferry to Nantucket from Cape Cod or, like we did, from New Bedford, Massachusetts. Ferry service takes about an hour for the high speed or 2 1/2 hours for traditional. Find out more info here

Fly - Cape Air, Jet Blue and other airlines fly into Nantucket from Boston and New York plus a myriad of other cities. One option is to take public transport to Boston Logan, fly to Nantucket and get picked up by a taxi in Nantucket to whisk you to your accommodations. Check your usual flight app to find airlines that fly there.

How to get around:

Public Transportation - We chose to use the Nantucket bus system to get around the island. Upon exiting the ferry we walked to a little sandwich shop for lunch, The Shack, and then we walked to the bus station which is located right in town.  The WAVE can take you all over the island for a fraction of the cost of renting a car. You can find more info here

Rent a Car-There are several car rental establishments available - a few at the airport and at least one in town. I would suggest booking in advance, especially during season. 

Ride Bicycles - Nantucket Bike Shop has two locations and rents bicycles and scooters. Young's Bicycle Shop has rentals, jeep rentals and bicycle sales. Find out more info here and here.

Take the Sconset Bluff Walk
The Sconset Bluff Walk is the most scenic path in Nantucket. It starts in the teeny tiny village of Siasconset and goes all the way to Sankaty Head Lighthouse, a distance of about 2 miles. On one side of the path you will see cottages, and then large million dollar homes, with roses climbing trellises and on the other the Atlantic Ocean. It's one of the highlights of visiting Nantucket and well worth tracking down this slightly hidden gem.

The path is free as it is a public walkway though locals aren't keen on letting you know about it. Especially those whose residences are on the path - you are essentially walking along their backyards. It's not clearly marked and can be tricky to find. We got off the bus in the village and started heading in what we thought was the right direction. A local tour guide was waiting on his guests and gave us exact directions - thanks to him!

The path will take you past manicured cottages, then under tree cover, past gorgeous mansions and views of the ocean. It's an out and back path so you can come right back the way you started, so it's easy to do and no getting lost. We happened to undertake it on a blue sky day with low humidity. 

We have William Flagg to thanks for this public right-of-way. He was a developer in the 1880's who knew that this area of the island with it's oceanfront views and bluffs would grow in value. To keep access for the common man, he built into the deeds of the homes he was developing a public access. 

Learn about the Island's Past
The first inhabitants of Nantucket were Native Americans, the Wampanoag Tribe, followed by a group of Quakers. The oldest house on the island is the Jethro Coffin house built in 1686. It became the whaling capital of the world from the mid-1700's with some 150 ships in its port in its heyday. So there's lots of history here. You can visit the Whaling Museum located in downtown Nantucket if you're interested in learning more about the island's beginnings. (Did all the cobblestone's come from ship's ballast?) It's an interactive museum that's perfect to visit on a rainy day

Check out the classic Architecture
A fun thing to to do is check out all the classic New England architecture. Nantucket was a master planned community - meaning it was carefully planned by developers so that all the buildings have the same look and feel. Hop on a bike or drive around the island looking at all the shingle style houses with their gorgeous gardens. If you're here in the summer, you can't avoid seeing all the hydrangea's and roses in bloom. They're everywhere!

Visit a Lighthouse
Nantucket has three lighthouses - Brant Point, Sankaty Head and Great Point. There were between 700 and 800 shipwrecks off the coast of Nantucket in it's history so these three lighthouses all proved their worth. Today, they are merely beautiful to look at or visit as modern technology has taken over navigation.

Brant Point is the lighthouse that you see when you arrive by ferry. Built in 1746, it is the second oldest lighthouse in the US. And at only 26 feet high, it is the shortest lighthouse in New England. Be sure to toss a penny in the water as you curve past it on the ferry, to make sure you return to Nantucket.

Sankaty Head Lighthouse, built in 1850, stands at the end of Baxter Road which is the endpoint of the Sconset Bluff Path. Known for it's red and white stripes, this lighthouse was moved 400 feet in 2007 due to erosion. The view from here is one of the best on the island.

Great Point Lighthouse was the most powerful light in New England and sits in relative isolation - it's a seven mile walk, in the sand, to reach it or it can be reached by four wheel drive vehicle or by tour with a tour guide. It's actually not the original lighthouse, it was constructed in 1986, as the original was destroyed by fire and the second toppled over. 

Hang out at Cisco Brewery
When just about everyone you meet tells you to head to Cisco Brewery, then you have to do it! Cisco Brewery, along with Nantucket Vineyard and Triple Eight Distillery, is located mid-island.  Not only can you get a beer - maybe  or glass of wine or spirits to drink, you can have it while you hear live music or eat from one of the food trucks there. And if you can't get yourself there, then Cisco will pick you up by minivan and take you there. (Pick up point is 23 Federal Street daily every 20 minutes from noon to 6:30 in season - look for the sign)

We used the minivan service and enjoyed a few hours at the brewery - heard a little music, enjoyed a beverage and then had to get back to town to catch our ferry. If you want to visit the most happening place on the island, then Cisco Brewery is for you.

And that's it! Five fun things to do on Nantucket to experience all the Grey Lady's charm. 

How about you? Have you been to Nantucket? Would you like to go?


Linking up with: My Corner of the World at Photographing New Zealand!