lgliser Posted March 13, 2023 Share Posted March 13, 2023 Hey! Has anyone ever taken a vacation to Nantucket? We live in the midwest and love a roadtrip so we'd drive up that way and then probably take a ferry?? I'm looking at hotels and they are so expensive and I can't find very many VRBOs actually on the island. I'm looking at going over the 4th of July so maybe that's a busy time. Some VRBO options come up in like Cape Cod though... So I'm wondering if it would make sense to stay there and then just day trip to Nantucket? I have no idea how practical that is. Does anyone know about that area? What sorts of things are there to do in that general area? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted March 13, 2023 Share Posted March 13, 2023 (edited) 3 hours ago, lgliser said: Hey! Has anyone ever taken a vacation to Nantucket? We live in the midwest and love a roadtrip so we'd drive up that way and then probably take a ferry?? I'm looking at hotels and they are so expensive and I can't find very many VRBOs actually on the island. I'm looking at going over the 4th of July so maybe that's a busy time. Some VRBO options come up in like Cape Cod though... So I'm wondering if it would make sense to stay there and then just day trip to Nantucket? I have no idea how practical that is. Does anyone know about that area? What sorts of things are there to do in that general area? If you want to take a vacation to Nantucket, you have to stay on Nantucket. You could stay somewhere on the Cape, have a Cape vacation and take a day trip to Nantucket - the high speed ferry that leaves from Hyannis, takes an hour each way, and costs about $100/per person. Other ferries are two hours each way; high speed ones from other locations farther away that also are $100/pp or the 'regular speed' one from Hyannis that's about $40/pp. So really not a great option for daily back and forth. I think more people go to Martha's Vineyard; especially for day trips, as it's a lot closer (shorter/cheaper ferry ride). The Cape is long and skinny - it takes about 1.5 hours to drive from the Cape Cod Canal to Provincetown when there's no traffic, but there's pretty much one road and it's often congested, so people usually pick an area like mid-Cape or down near Provincetown (the tip). I'd say mostly people go to the beach, go biking on the trails (there are some nice rail trails and bike trails through the dunes on the National Seashore and in Provincetown), or go shopping in cute shops, eat local seafood. Which is pretty much what people do on Nantucket too. There are some tourist-trappy things to do in some places, but nothing I can think of that you would go to if you weren't already in the area. What kinds of things are you looking to do? And yes, getting to the Cape on 4th of July weekend will be insane. There are only two narrow bridges on/off the Cape; they back up for hours on holiday weekends, and then the one road on the Cape backs up as well. A better option if you're interested in Nantucket and not the Cape is to take the 2-hr high speed ferry from New Bedford (not on the Cape) - that might be much, much saner. Also, New Bedford has a cool Whaling museum. New Bedford and Nantucket were the world centers of the whaling industry in the 19th century. FYI: Just noticed it doesn't look like the high-speed ferries take cars, just the 'regular' one from Hyannis. You can rent a car on the island or just rent/bring bikes. Nantucket is a small island and you don't really need a car if you have a bike. Edited March 13, 2023 by Matryoshka 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitestavern Posted March 13, 2023 Share Posted March 13, 2023 I would go to MV and do a day trip to Nantucket from there. Lots more lodging options and so much more to see and do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kokotg Posted March 13, 2023 Share Posted March 13, 2023 I love Nantucket (went there on my honeymoon), but haven't been back in forever despite many, many trips to Cape Cod because, yeah....so expensive. If you've never been to that part of the country, honestly, I'd just stay on the Cape. There's tons to do there and it's much easier logistically. The area farther out--Eastham, Wellfleet, etc--near the National Seashore--is probably my favorite and at least a little less crowded. It's already pretty late to be booking anywhere on the Cape or Islands for this July, though. But if you're set on Nantucket, I'd just stay on Nantucket--the regular ferry is so slow and the high speed ferry so expensive that a day trip doesn't make sense most of the time. Martha's Vineyard is a good bit easier to get to (and very practical for a day trip). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Home'scool Posted March 13, 2023 Share Posted March 13, 2023 (edited) Nantucket - 4th of July - ...... that could be a problem. Lots of traffic. I'm not even sure you would get a spot on the ferry for your car. I live about 10 minutes from the bridges that connect to the Cape and I would not go near them on holiday weekends If you are thinking about staying on the Cape, pick a smaller town that will give you the feel of Nantucket. A lot of the towns on the Cape are crowded. Stay away from Falmouth, Sandwich, etc. Pick smaller towns like Chatham or Dennis. And P-Town (Province town) is amazing, Oh, and when you tell people you are going on vacation don't say "we are going to Cape Cod", you have to say "we are going down the Cape" That's how locals say it haha. Edited March 13, 2023 by Home'scool 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HomeAgain Posted March 13, 2023 Share Posted March 13, 2023 32 minutes ago, Home'scool said: Nantucket - 4th of July - ...... that could be a problem. Lots of traffic. I'm not even sure you would get a spot on the ferry for your car. I live about 10 minutes from the bridges that connect to the Cape and I would not go near them on holiday weekends If you are thinking about staying on the Cape, pick a smaller town that will give you the feel of Nantucket. A lot of the towns on the Cape are crowded. Stay away from Falmouth, Sandwich, etc. Pick smaller towns like Chatham or Dennis. And P-Town (Province town) is amazing, Oh, and when you tell people you are going on vacation don't say "we are going to Cape Cod", you have to say "we are going down the Cape" That's how locals say it haha. I second this. I honestly probably wouldn't do the Cape for the holiday, but that's just me. If you make it here, there's plenty to do and more ice cream shops than you can shake a stick at. 😄 If you consider other options...we vacationed near Lake Placid, NY last 4th. It was lovely. Quiet when we needed it to be, busy when we went into town. The house we rented was on the lake and came with kayaks, paddleboards, and a family of ducks to hang out with. And there were plenty of fireworks and festivities around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted March 13, 2023 Share Posted March 13, 2023 2 hours ago, kokotg said: I love Nantucket (went there on my honeymoon), but haven't been back in forever despite many, many trips to Cape Cod because, yeah....so expensive. If you've never been to that part of the country, honestly, I'd just stay on the Cape. There's tons to do there and it's much easier logistically. The area farther out--Eastham, Wellfleet, etc--near the National Seashore--is probably my favorite and at least a little less crowded. It's already pretty late to be booking anywhere on the Cape or Islands for this July, though. But if you're set on Nantucket, I'd just stay on Nantucket--the regular ferry is so slow and the high speed ferry so expensive that a day trip doesn't make sense most of the time. Martha's Vineyard is a good bit easier to get to (and very practical for a day trip). Yep, that's pretty much the reason I've never been to Nantucket. It always ends up Martha's Vineyard is so much easier (and cheaper) to get to instead. Or we just stay on the Cape. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MEmama Posted March 13, 2023 Share Posted March 13, 2023 I've only been to the Cape once but I loved it. We went in end of April/early May before things were all the way open and before the crowds. It was cold and grey and blustery, the beaches empty and just hints of life as the towns prepared for the upcoming season. Exactly my thing lol. A dream vacation for me would be to spend the winter in a little cottage in Provincetown with just my cats. Heaven. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Tick Posted March 13, 2023 Share Posted March 13, 2023 4 hours ago, Home'scool said: Oh, and when you tell people you are going on vacation don't say "we are going to Cape Cod", you have to say "we are going down the Cape" That's how locals say it haha. 😄 I lived in MA for a while, and you are right, of course. Living in the Midwest now I will add that you can't say The Cape, because most people seem to think of South Africa? so I had the say "Cape Cod, in Massachusetts, ya know?" and simultaneously make the strong arm gesture to jog their 3rd grade geography memory. 😂 We drove out and met friends there 5ish years ago, high season. P-Town was crazy busy but worth the drive to see. I second the Whaling Museum, and we also all enjoyed the small Edward Gorey House, if that is of interest. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ethel Mertz Posted March 13, 2023 Share Posted March 13, 2023 We lived on Cape for 10 years. Going on Cape or the Islands for the 4th of July holiday is nuts. Avoid it. September is by far the best time to visit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lgliser Posted March 16, 2023 Author Share Posted March 16, 2023 (edited) Ok you have given me some things to think about! A few more questions. I'm thinking alternate dates now. Late May maybe? Or early August, which might be better if we want more beach activity. Nantucket has been a dream destination for me for years. But is there enough to keep our family entertained for ... how many days do you think? I have three 16 year olds. Or would it really be better to stay on "The Cape" (see how cool I am now...) and ferry over for a day. And then we could see other things like Martha's Vineyard one day too.... Edited March 16, 2023 by lgliser Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starr Posted March 16, 2023 Share Posted March 16, 2023 Not that you get really warm water but May water is cold. My kids always prided themselves to swim whatever the temperature until they hit their 20s lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitestavern Posted March 16, 2023 Share Posted March 16, 2023 If you’re homeschooling them all, September is beautiful. Crowds are gone and water is warm. It’s not considered off season, though, so lodging would still be expensive. Personally I’d save Nantucket for a romantic couples vacation and do the Cape or MV with the kids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sassenach Posted March 25, 2023 Share Posted March 25, 2023 If you do end up going to Nantucket, the back of Elin Hilderbran's most recent novel, Hotel Nantucket, has her personal travel guide to the island. She's a local. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.