Let's talk about Nantucket for a minute. Located 30 miles off the coast of Massachusetts, Nantucket exudes quintessential coastal New England charm. There are cobblestone streets, cottages covered in climbing beach roses, and restaurants serving up lobster rolls. Yards and houses are bordered by blooming hydrangeas. The air is salty and it's easy to feel like you truly are a world away.
So why isn't everyone visiting this beautiful island?
Nantucket is super popular right now. Well, it's been popular for years, but with each year, its popularity seems to climb even higher. It's all over my IG feed and blog reader. I get it. It's a pretty place and if I could jet off there every weekend, I would.
Now let's talk reality. Nantucket is very expensive and not exactly convenient to travel to. The island is on the smaller side (14 by 3.5 miles) and while most people rent houses, there are hotels and inns. Unless you know someone with a house there, it's not an inexpensive vacation. There is an airport on the island so travel by plane is an option. Otherwise, you're stuck traveling to Cape Cod and then taking a ferry over to the island. As those of us who live here know, traveling just to Cape Cod can be a beast of a commute. Never mind the additional time for the ferry to Nantucket. If you're traveling from the Midwest or farther, you're easily looking at a full day of travel. Even if you fly into Nantucket, you'll have layovers, and have to deal with all that fun airport stuff. Unless you have a private jet, of course.
Maybe I'm biased because we have a place on Cape Cod, but if you want to visit coastal New England, come here, to Cape Cod. We have hydrangeas and shingled cottages and beach roses and lobster rolls. Yes, it can be expensive here "in season" which is mid-June through August, but what's nice about Cape Cod is its diversity. There are camp grounds and independently run motels. There are smaller cottages and six bedroom homes. There's something for every budget and because Cape Cod is significantly larger than Nantucket, there's a bigger inventory of rental homes, motels, hotels, campsites, etc. I know it's not the same as Nantucket, but if you can't get to Nantucket, it's the perfect alternative.
You could also check out Martha's Vineyard. It's larger and located 7 miles off the coast, making it easier to get to. Both islands have a different vibe, but again, if coastal New England is your goal, you can't go wrong with any of these places.
Common question: What is there to do on Cape Cod? What is there to do on Nantucket?
These are both primarily "beach" vacations. What do people do when they go to the Jersey Shore? Or the Outer Banks? Or Destin, Florida? Obviously, there are other things to do and see, but for most, these vacations revolve around the beach. You are on the coast after all. If you're staying on the Cape, there is more to do/see than if you are on Nantucket and if you're super curious about Nantucket, you can take a day trip there. So much easier to do if you are based on Cape Cod.
The girls are really curious about Nantucket and we have it on our list of places to visit with them, along with Martha's Vineyard, which we just call the Vineyard by the way. We have to take Anna's spina bifida into consideration with trips like this, and for us, these would be day trips. Currently this year, there would be some challenges so we may wait until next summer. We shall see.
If you're interested in learning more about Nantucket and its history, check out Away Off Shore. I was hoping to read it this summer, but I'm a bit behind. Well, I don't know if behind is a good description of my current state. I decided to read a very long (but very good) trilogy and that sort of changed my to-be-read list. Not that big of a deal as books can wait to be read.
I know today is July 31st and some parts of the country are getting ready to head back to school. We have just over a month of summer break left so I'm still pretty much in summer vacation mode. People do start to plan their vacations a year in advance though. Or just toss around ideas. I feel like I'm constantly listing places I'd love to travel to, especially if we didn't have school, commitments and work to worry about. Oh, and let's not forget expenses.
If you are interested in visiting Cape Cod, here are links to my travel guides:
The Ultimate Cape Cod Travel Guide
12 Free/Inexpensive Things to Do and See on Cape Cod
Day Trip to Falmouth with Kids
Postcards from Provincetown
An Afternoon in Provincetown
Emily and I take on the Cape Cod Rail Trail
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