Nantucket Island-First time Visit (rent, credit card, hotel)

[FedupwithNJ]

My Wife & I will be visiting the Cape 9/1-9/8 & want to visit Nantucket Is. since we've never been there & have heard it's beautiful. Can anyone suggest where to go/what to see once we disembark from the ferry? Thank you!

[audemars]

Just returned from a few weeks on the island and have some suggestions for you depending on how long you plan to stay. If you're there for a few hours, Jettys beach is walking distance and a popular downtown option. Surfside is one of the more popular south facing beaches with great surf and is bikeable, but given the distance you may prefer to take a cab...would say it's a 15min cab ride. You can rent kayaks or boats at the Boat Basin and explore the harbor on your own. Millie's restaurant in Madaket offers some of the best sunsets on the island but is a bit of a hike (30min or so).

One hidden gem is the Wauwinet Lady...a Hinckley style boat that leaves from the White Elephant hotel several times a day and travels the length of the harbor to their sister hotel/restaurant The Wauwinet & Topper's. Rides can be timed for a fantastic sunset cruise if you catch one of the later ones back to town from the Wauwinet but the restaurant can be pricey.

If you're there for a little longer, I'd suggest renting a Jeep and driving out to the Great Point lighthouse for great views, beaches and fishing, or drive out onto the sand on 40th Pole (typically middle aged crowd) or Nobadeer (skews younger).

For guided fishing tours, there's a Critter Cruise around the harbor for young kids and Captain Pete does a great job running longer trips on his boat the Althea.

[Cape Cod Todd]

I have been to Nantucket a handful of times but the last time was more than 10 years ago when my wife and I rented a cottage in Siasconset.



Nantucket is beautiful and well worth a visit. The downtown with its cobblestone streets is lovely to stroll on and window shop. The harbor is really nice to relax at and check out the yachts. We really enjoyed the Whaling museum and learning about the local history was the highlight of our trip.



I believe there are bus tours that will take you for a trip round the island.

Everything is a bit more expensive out there so do not forget your credit card.

[CaseyB]

The ferry will take you to downtown so you can visit the restaurants and shops on the main street. Also walk to the Whaling museum.

There's local bus service that takes you around the island. I think it was only a couple of bucks when we took it.

[redplum33]

Slightly off topic, I was very surprised to read that the violent transnational gang MS-13 has a presence in Nantucket.

WGBH did a 4-part article about this.

The Gangs Of Nantucket: The Arrival

The Gangs of Nantucket: The Story Of Henry Lemus Calderon

The Gangs Of Nantucket: The Partnership

The Gangs Of Nantucket: Fear And Politics

[G-fused]

Whaling museum is cool.

[FedupwithNJ]

Thank you all so very much.

[rethcir]

I heard the gang color there is Salmon.

[redplum33]

Originally Posted by rethcir

I heard the gang color there is Salmon.

MS-13 is perhaps the most violent gang in existence.

How violent street gang MS-13 operates in Massachusetts

“Mata, viola, controla’’ -- kill, rape, control -- is their motto.

[Boston Shudra]

For what it’s worth, OP. I went to Nantucket and had no run-ins with any violent gangs