Might sound crazy to only do a day in Nantucket, but honestly - it was SO worth it + one of the highlights of our East Coast road trip. Elliot + I opted to do a day in Nantucket since the ferry is so easy from where we were staying in Cape Cod + we’d been torn on whether to do Cape Cod or Nantucket during our road trip.

Originally a whaling hub, Nantucket is now a prime summer getaway spot for those on the East Coast. I was expecting a very snobby (sorry) vibe from what I’d heard + who I’ve seen vacation there, but after spending a day there, found it didn’t feel like that at all! We’ll be breaking down the differences between Cape Cod, Nantucket, The Hamptons, and Newport soon, so stay tuned for our in depth thoughts on where the ultimate summer getaway on the East Coast is!

WHEN TO VISIT

Similarly to Cape Cod, Nantucket is best visited in the summer months. This does mean that it will make accommodation more expensive, but if you’re visiting in the off season, you risk shortened hours at restaurants (or them being completely closed) + poor weather - remember this is the Northeast! In the summer months, you’ll find it to be warm (albeit very humid) + perfect weather to vacation in. Just keep an eye out for those summer storms that the East Coast is known for!

GETTING THERE

Nantucket is an island where you’ll need to take a ferry. There are a few options for where to take the ferry from + what kind of ferry you can opt for. We took a ferry from Hyannis (Cape Cod) that was 1 hour + advertised as the speed ferry. It was a walk-on only ferry, which seems to be the most popular option. Coming from Seattle where all the ferries to the islands allow you to drive on, this was something I wasn’t necessarily expecting, but was totally fine. You do, however, need to book your tickets in advance (I’ve heard they can sell out months in advance). It’s also not cheap to get there - our RT ferry for 2 adults (with parking) was $190.

We took the 8:30 ferry out of Hyannis to be in Nantucket for 9:30am + then departed Nantucket at 9:30pm - giving us a full 12 hours on the island!

I have read that there are ferries that you can drive on, but I’d imagine they’re pretty expensive, so I wouldn’t recommend that if you’re going with just a partner or friend. Unless you’re traveling with older relatives or young kids, I don’t think it’s necessary to have a car.

There’s also a ferry that departs from New York to Nantucket, so if you’re flying in just to go to Nantucket it may make sense to fly into New York vs Boston + then driving to the Cape.

Once you’re on Nantucket, renting a car is expensive (like VERY expensive). We were quoted $399 for a single day Jeep rental + $249 for a single day SmartCar rental. This could be in part due to traveling in June 2021, where there’s been severe car rental shortages due to COVID, but definitely do your research first + only rent a car if it’s absolutely necessary. Instead, we opted to rent bikes for $35/day.

Biking in Nantucket was beautiful + easy. Weirdly, I find biking extremely stressful + seriously contemplated renting the SmartCar just to avoid it, but I’m so glad Elliot talked me out of it. Nantucket is very bike friendly - with the majority of the island having wide bike paths to get you from one end to the other. Even the drivers are very bike friendly. At almost every intersection that we came to, drivers would wave us on/let us go first + made me feel very safe.

There are also scooter rentals that I believe were about $100/day to rent at most of the bike shops. They’re all over downtown Nantucket when you get off the ferry. We went into a few + they all were quoting the same bike rental prices so it doesn’t really seem to matter where you rent from - ultimately we rented from Cooks Cycles!

WHERE TO STAY

Because we only visited for a day (12 hours total), we didn’t need a hotel as we returned to our Chatham hotel that night. If you are staying in Nantucket, I’d recommend staying in downtown Nantucket for ease of access to restaurants, stores, activities, etc.

For a splurge, I’d definitely look at staying at Cliffside Beach Club (home to Galley Beach Restaurant). It’s about a mile from where the ferry lets you off in downtown Nantucket + is a stunning property.

For something a little more affordable, I’d look at staying at somewhere like the White Elephant Hotel - it’s centrally located + has great reviews. Keep in mind though, that Nantucket is an expensive place all around for accommodations!

From what I’ve seen, rental homes seem to be quite pricey, so even when traveling with a group it may not make sense financially.

WHERE TO EAT + DRINK

Nantucket has so many great food + drink options. There was obviously no way that we could do it all in one day. We’ll include the spots we did visit on our trip, as well as some of our top spots to visit next time!

Claudette’s Sandwiches - Wish this spot was close to my house because it’s the perfect sandwich spot! Located in ‘Sconset, it’s not the most prime location to getting off the ferry/if you’re staying downtown, but ‘Sconset is charming + worth a visit, so if you do find yourself over there make sure to grab a sandwich from Claudette’s! There’s no indoor seating, but they have a patio area with first come/first serve seating to eat your sandwiches. It’s also not too far from the beach + would be perfect for a grab + go beach lunch.
Island Kitchen - This spot is ~1 mile from downtown Nantucket + has an extensive outdoor seating area. Part of the outdoor seating is covered with tables/chairs, whereas other seating are at picnic tables. It does seem like in order to get a table vs a picnic you’d need to make a reservation. We ordered the tuna poke bowl, lamb burger, + shao mai. This could totally be based on what we ordered (because the bread they served us was delicious!) but we found the food to be just okay, not great. It was a great ambiance, but due to the distance from town + not loving the food, I wouldn’t go out of my way to return.
Cisco Brewers - Absolutely loved this spot! Such a cool space - with lots of seating (there are however lots of people so doesn’t guarantee you a seat at first), live music, + multiple little houses (not sure how to really describe them!!) to buy different types of drinks, + a plethora of food trucks. They have drinks for everyone - beer, cider, wine, frose, etc. + so many food options (oysters, lobster rolls, pizza, sliders, mac + cheese, tacos…). This is the perfect spot to spend an afternoon + would also be a great spot to go with a large group or meet up with friends. There were plenty of families here, too so it is family friendly!
Straight Wharf - We stopped into the bar just for drinks while waiting for our ferry. It’s right on the wharf so an easy stop just before an evening ferry + also makes it an accessible location if you’re staying in town. While we didn’t order food, there were people eating at the bar so it seems they serve their full menu + the restaurant right next door was very popular so I would return for food!
Jack + Charlie’s Ice Cream - Such an adorable (+ quite busy) little ice cream shop - named after the owner’s sons! There’s plenty of space to sit outside + enjoy your treat. There’s also a wide selection of flavors - including DF sorbet + even doggy cones!! They also serve up milkshakes, floats, frappes, smoothies, + breakfast to go (think sandwiches + acai bowls).
Aunt Leah’s Fudge - Okay, they say this is the world’s best fudge + it may just be true?? Regretted only getting 1/4lb it was that good. They have a ton of flavors, but we stuck with just the classic fudge. This is just down the street from Jack + Charlie’s + right by the ferry so they both make a great dessert stop before hopping back on the evening ferry!

Spots we didn’t make it to, but are top of our list for next time:

or, The Whale - Located on Main St. this is a spot that I’m dying to visit next time we return, but you’ll definitely want to make reservations. Fun fact - it’s named after Moby Dick! Apparently Melville was torn between two titles + the restaurant went with the alternate/lesser known title. They serve brunch, lunch + dinner. The menu looks to die for + there are so many things that I want to try!
Galley Beach - Right on the beach, this place is infamous (+ expensive) with lots of celebrities visiting. We originally made reservations here, but there is a minimum $79/pp 2 course prix fixe (at time of visit - June ‘21) + nothing on the menu immediately jumped out at us (or the things that did were an additional charge). Because of the price, we decided if nothing initially grabbed our attention we didn’t want to spend the money. It is, however, supposed to be absolutely stunning at sunset.
Provisions - This is a little breakfast sandwich spot right on the wharf. We actually intended to stop here for a quick breakfast to go since it’s right next to where the ferry lets off. They were out of bagels so we opted not to, but there are plenty of good reviews + the location makes it the perfect spot for a quick grab + go breakfast if you’re getting off a morning ferry.

WHAT TO DO

‘Sconset Bluff Walk - If I could only do one thing on Nantucket in a day, this may honestly be it. This walk takes you literally through backyards of some incredible homes. On one side you have the beach + ocean and on the other side you have stunning, classic Nantucket homes. We walked from ‘Sconset on the Bluff Walk (~1 mile) + then exited at the end + walked back to town along the front side of the homes (down Baxter Rd) so we could get a different view.
Bike the Island - We rented bikes from Cooks Cycle for $35/day (this seems to be the standard price). We left downtown Nantucket to ‘Sconset (~10 miles) + after getting lunch at Claudette’s + doing the Bluff Walk, we biked to Cisco Brewers (~10 miles) + then biked back into town. Nantucket was the perfect biking spot with wide, paved bike paths covering the majority of the island. It was also relatively flat throughout the route we took.
Bartlett Farm - This spot is right next to Cisco Brewers + would be an easy spot to add on. Stop here for some grab + go bites +/or explore the plants!
Shop - Downtown Nantucket has plenty of stores - both name brand (think Vineyard Vines + The Black Dog), as well as local/small businesses.