Blue Skies Sunny Days Travel

Whether you are a “Hildebabe” (a fan of famous beach-read author Elin Hilderbrand) or not, there’s nothing like exploring Nantucket, a classic New England island 30 miles off of Cape Cod. Known for its 19th century whaling history, cobblestone streets, grey-shingled beach homes, hydrangeas, and beaches, Nantucket is an upscale vacation getaway for a day trip, a long weekend or even a longer stay.

• About Nantucket
• Weekend Getaway Itinerary
• How to Get There
• Getting Around
• Where to Stay
• Activities
• Restaurants
• Hidden Gems

About Nantucket

• Claim to Fame: grey-shingled beach homes, hydrangeas, billionaires, home to author Elin Hilderbrand
• Location: Massachusetts, 30 miles south of Cape Cod

Full disclosure, Nantucket has been a dream location for me since I read almost all of Elin Hilderbrand’s 30 Nantucket beach read novels during the Pandemic. Her books feature Nantucket as a main character and her descriptions of the island, the people, the food are unparalled. Many of the things included in this post are inspired by and recommended in the books.

Weekend Getaway Itinerary

• Day 1: Take Hy-Line ferry from Hyannis to Nantucket, rent bikes and explore the Cisco neighborhood, including Cisco Brewers for live music, Barlett’s Farm and Cisco Beach, Dinner: The Sandbar at Jetties Beach, Drinks: Club Car Piano Room
• Day 2: Rent jeep and explore island, drive through the different Nantucket neighborhoods including Madaket, Surfside/Tom Nevers and by the airport, through the “Sergengeti,” Sconset to see the cottage roses, Sankaty Lighthouse, Lunch: 167 Raw food truck, in the afternoon – explore downtown (Mitchell’s Book Corner, Murray’s Toggery for Nantucket reds (infamous red pants that fade over time), Jessica Hicks Jewelry, Whaling Museum, Happy Hour: Oysters at Slip 14, Dinner: Brotherhood of Thieves, Drinks: The Gaslight, Rose & Crown
• Day 3: Explore downtown, Lunch: Something Natural – sandwiches to go, Take the ferry back to Hyannis and drive to Boston

By the way, we went in late May and the weather was still chilly and windy, so not ideal for beach-going, but we still had a blast even without being able to do beach activities.

How to Get There

• Ferry: We took the Hy-Line ferry from Hyannis, which is a high-speed ferry taking about 1 hour. We parked our rental car in Hyannis (buy a parking pass through the Hyline). There’s also a traditional ferry service which takes 2 hrs and 15 minutes
• Airplane: There are options to fly to Nantucket

Visit the Nantucket .gov site for detailed options.

Getting Around

• Walking: We stayed at a small hotel in town, walkable to the ferry and most restaurants and bars.
• Biking: Since we stayed in town, we rented bikes for a few hours and rode out to the Cisco area. There are more than 35 miles of sidepaths around the island so it’s a great way to explore! Our ride out to Cisco Beach from town was about 3-4 miels each way.
• Jeep rental: Jeeps are the car to rent while on Nantucket! I really wanted to explore all around the island and see places mentioned in Elin Hilderbrand’s books so we rented a Jeep for a few hours. There is a main paved road all around the island but if you start epxloring or go down to the beaches, you might run into unpaved roads! The Great Point Lighthouse was a recommended area, especially for a beach day, however you can also access via Jeep. When you get to the parking area for Great Point, there is a station where you can let air out of your tires so you can ride on the sand. We got too nervous so we turned around but next time, maybe we can get a local! Tip: You need to make sure your Jeep rental has an over-sand vehicle permit.

Where to Stay

We personally found it convenient to stay in Town, near Main Street because we didn’t have a car most of our time in Nanucket and the area is easily walkable. There are several neighborhoods to consider based on your activities:

• Town/Main Street: walkable to the ferry, most restaurants, bars and shops and a Stop & Shop grocery store
• Madaket & Cliff: west side of the island and great sunset views
• Cisco: 4 miles southwest of Town, famous for Cisco Brewers, Barlett’s Farm and Cisco Beach.
• Miacomet: northwest side of the island with Jetties Beach, The SandBar at Jetties Beach and Steps Beach
• Sconset / Siasconset: east side of the island, with cottages covered in roses, the Bluff Walk and Sankaty Lighthouse
• Polpis & Wauwinet: natural areas along northeasetrn side of island

I really enjoyed Town, Cisco and Sconset!

Activities

• Jeep rental to explore
• Rent bikes (We rented from Young bike rental but there are a few options – here’s a nice bike ride map)
• Nantucket Whaling Museum
• Cisco Brewers for live music, beer & wine and food trucks
• Sconset Bluff Walk and see Sankaty Lighthouse
• Sailing excursion – Nantucket by Water or Endeavor
• Bars: The Chicken Box, Club Car Piano Room, The Gaslight, Rose & Crown
• Explore downtown shops

Restaurants

• The Sandbar at Jetties Beach – had the best fish tacos of my life (pair with a cold glass of Sancerre!)
• Brotherhood of Thieves
• 167 Raw (food truck)
• Cisco Brewers (food trucks)
• The Nautilus (blue crab fried rice)
• Millie’s
• Cru
• Le Languedoc
• Something Natural (Sandwiches)
• Wicked Island Bakery for morning buns

Hidden Gems

• Can I say everything??
• Honestly everything was so fun and the food was great. In particular, I highly recommend making it out to Cisco Brewers. They even have some big bands come out (think Guster, All American Rejects and Phantom Planet!) – check their schedule.
• The Whaling Museum was also a great little museum and worth a visit