Nantucket Landmarks

There are a lot of great landmarks in Nantucket that should be visited if you're on the island.  Being such an old city the landmarks in Nantucket have a lot of history behind them and are very interesting.  Some of the great landmarks that should definitely visit are Great Point Lighthouse, The Nantucket Whaling Museum, and Brant Point Light house.  All these landmarks have great history and are really amazing to see.

  Great Point Lighthouse is one of the most history filled landmarks on Nantucket.  It was originally built in 1784 out of wood but was destroyed by a fire in 1816.  It was reconstructed as a stone tower in 1818 and was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.  It was then destroyed by a storm in 1984 but rebuilt yet again in 1986 and is still standing today.  It sits at Great Point on Nantucket which is a small stretch of land that is surrounded on one side by the Atlantic Ocean and by Nantucket sound on the other.  Great Point Lighthouse is an almost synonymous image to Nantucket and is a great place to visit.

Great Point Lighthouse

 The Nantucket Whaling Museum is another great landmark in Nantucket.  The museum allows one to look into Nantucket's past and see what life was like for people 400 years ago there.  The museum contains a large collection of whaling artifacts and memorabilia.  It has things such as long boats, and harpoons.  But the main exhibit in the museum is a 46 foot sperm whale skeleton that hangs from the ceiling of the museum.  The museum before it became a museum had been a candle factory.  When whales were brought into Nantucket they were brought here to make candles, and so to stay true to its original purpose the building still has an exhibit on candle making and how the business works.  The whaling museum is a great exhibit and should be visited when on the island.

Sperm Whale Skeleton in Nantucket Whaling Museum

Brant Point Lighthouse was first constructed in 1746, this lighthouse was made of wood and burned down in 1758.  The current Brant Point Lighthouse was built in 1901 and has been in use ever since.  The lighthouse marks the entrance to Nantucket Harbor and is settled nicely on Brant Point with a small rock wall and beach surrounding it.  The lighthouse has been a landmark on Nantucket ever since its construction and it is a great place to visit.  Something fun to do when visiting Brant Point is to go when the 10:00 PM ferry is coming around the point and it is an amazing thing to watch.

Brant Point Lighthouse

Best Fishing Spots In Nantucket

Nantucket is a place that is known for its fishing.  There are so many great places to go fishing on the island.  There are a variety of fish to catch and if you know where to go your bound to catch some nice big fish.  Some of the best places for catching fish are; The Airport, The Bonito Bar, Great Point, along with many ponds throughout the island. 

Sunset Fishing on Nantucket

The Airport is one of the best places on Nantucket to fish.  Located about a mile offshore of Nantucket Memorial Airport there always seems to be fish jumping there.  It may be because of heat that emanates from the airport itself, or the shelf where the water depth suddenly drops, while it is probably a mixture of the two the only thing that matters is that it produces a great fishing experience almost every time.  The Airport is home to huge blue fish, blues of three feet or more are regularly caught here.  These salt water "piranhas," because of their razor sharp teeth, are a blast to catch as they put up a great fight and usually make acrobatic jumps into the air.  If your looking for variety though you may want to head somewhere else as mostly all you will catch here are blues, even though there's nothing wrong with that.

Bluefish and its razor sharp teeth

Another great place to fish in Nantucket is the Bonito Bar.  The Bonito Bar is located near Tuckernuck on the ocean side and while it is not always a sure bet that you will catch something, if the conditions are right you could catch some very nice fish.  The Bonito Bar is a place where you will find a very wide variety of fish; Bonito (hence the name), Bluefish, Tuna, and even sharks can all be caught here.  The Bonito Bar is a place that must be fished with patience but if you wait your persistence will pay off.  Huge fish have been known to hang around the Bonito Bar and it has become a hotspot for charter fisherman.  The Bonito Bar is a solid fishing spot, and you may even see some seals swimming around here trying to grab some lunch before going back to the beach to rest for the day.

Bonito

  Probably the best place to fish in Nantucket is Great Point.  Great Point has the biggest fish and probably the most variety too, but the main draw for Great Point is the striped bass.  The striped bass is one of the most highly prized fish, and the ones caught at Great Point are trophy fish.  Great Point is located at the northern most tip of Nantucket and is easily recognizable because of Great Point lighthouse.  When fishing at Great Point trolling works best.  When trolling at Great Point you will almost always catch some huge bluefish, and hopefully you will also catch some striped bass.  Great Point also yields tuna, dolphin, and of course some sharks.  Most of the charter boats out of Nantucket will regularly take trips to Great Point, and sometimes you may even see Jimmy Buffet's personal boat out there as he is also hoping to catch some Great Point stripers.

Great Point

Best Places to Grab a Bite to Eat in Nantucket

There are a bunch of great places to get food in Nantucket.  There are places for freshly caught lobster, mexican food, and everything in between.  I am going to share some of the places that I think have the best food on the island.

The first street that you come to when getting off the ferry is Broad Street.  On Broad Street there are a lot of great eateries.  One of the first places you see on Broad Street coming from the ferry is Joe's Broad Street Grill.  This quaint restaurant has seating but is also great for take out.  It used to be just a place for burgers and fries, typical American food, but when Tacos, Tacos from up the street needed a new location they merged with Joe's Broad Street Grill.  Tacos, Tacos has some of the best food on the entire island.  They have a wide selection of mexican food including some of the best burritos and soft tacos I've ever eaten.  Joe's Broad Street Grill overall is a place with great atmosphere, and quality food, it is definitely  a place you have to go if you are on Nantucket.

Joe's Broad Street Grill

A really special place to eat in Nantucket is Millies, formerly the Westender.  Located out near the end of Madaket road, Millies offers a wide variety of food and its location is second to none.  Its dining room is surrounded with large windows that let a perfect amount of light in and are great to watch the sunset from.  The restaurant also has a take out window downstairs if you don't have time to sit down.  Some of their signature dishes are their fish tacos, of which they have five different kinds.  And their quesadillas which range from the "Steps Beach" which contains lobster, to the "Bartlett Farm" which contains Sauteed mushrooms, grilled zucchini, tomato, sautéed spinach, of which all the ingredients were grown on the island at locally owned Barlett's Farm.  Millies is a great place not just for the food but also for the location which makes it a desirable place, but it is also not in town so it does not get as crowded as some other restaurants on the island.

Millies

 

 

 

 

   Something Natural from Nantucket makes some of the best sandwiches that I've ever had.  They bake their own bread, which is sold in the two supermarkets on the island as well as in their store.  They are located fairly close to town on Cliff Road.  Their store is not very big but it is always crowded.  While they do bake many different types of bread, my favorite is by far the Portuguese Bread.  It is always fresh and when I'm on the island it is really the only bread I eat.  Something Natural knows how to make a sandwich and you have to at least buy some of their Portuguese bread and eat it as toast, it is that good.  It small, on a nice piece of land, but it is rather pricey so if your not looking to spend a lot of money of just a sandwich then you may want to go elsewhere.  

Something Natural Store

 One place that you can tell is great just by being in town at night in Nantucket, is the Juice Bar.  The Juice Bar has a line going out its door and around the corner of the block its on basically every single night.  But waiting in that is worth it.  They have amazing ice cream, shakes, cookies, and waffle cones.  A trip to Nantucket is not complete without at least one trip to the Juice Bar, you can smell the store as you walk by and its aroma just draws you in.  Sitting right in the center of Broad Street it is by far the most crowded place on the island.  The crowds of people are all waiting for not just ice cream, but an eating experience as they enter the Juice Bar.

A Crowd Waiting to Enter The Juice Bar

 

Nantucket Beaches

Nantucket is an island so naturally it has many beaches, and some very fine beaches they are.  Possibly the most popular beach on Nantucket is Jetties Beach.  Jetties Beach, less than a mile from town and with all the amenities a person could want.  There is a playground for children, a basketball court, tennis courts, a restaurant, and even a shop were you can rent loungers.  Jetties beach is named after the famous jetties that come off the island on either side of the harbor entrance, which are right next to the beach.  There are virtually no waves at Jetties Beach and it is a perfect place for young children and families, because of this though Jetties is usually fairly crowded and may not be the best place to go if your looking for piece and quiet.

Jetties Beach with Ferry Leaving Nantucket Harbor

If you want to go to a beach that is similar to Jetties but less crowded there is always Cliff Side.  Only a short distance from Jetties the beaches are basically identical only Cliff Side is somewhat smaller and nowhere near as many people are there.  Cliff Side is easily accessible and to get to it you really only need to follow the signs that take you to Jetties Beach, but instead of turning into Jetties drive about half a mile past and Cliff Side will be on your right.  It is a quaint little beach and a great spot to relax on the sand, or go for a refreshing dip in Nantucket sound.

If your looking to go to a beach in on the ocean rather than the sound then Ladies Beach is perfect.  While Cisco is perhaps the most well known ocean side beach on Nantucket, Ladies beach is just as good if not better.  In order to get there you have to follow the signs for Cisco but turn onto Bartlett Farm Road, that road becomes a dirt road and you can follow that all the way to Ladies Beach.  Ladies is perfect for going out lounging around, throwing a football in the sand, and of course body surfing in the waves.  Sometimes you may see a boat anchored a few hundred yards off shore, and people swimming into shore from their boat to meet up with their families after fishing for a day at the beach.  All Ladies has to offer is a huge sandy beach, the massive Atlantic ocean, and sometimes some island natives renting out surfboards to anyone wanting to learn, everything else you bring yourself to make it a great day at the beach.

One other great beach in Nantucket is only accessible by boat, that beach is Tuckernuck Island about a five to ten minute boat ride from Madaket Harbor it is by far one of the best beaches on the Island.  The main part of the beach forms into a point and creates an inlet for boats to park in and for a nice calm swimming area.  On the other side of the beach is the ocean where there are waves and a strong current, a very fun place to swim.  Tuckernuck also has some defining characteristics about it, such as a statue in the middle of the island that is made up of old junk that has washed up on the shore.  The island is also home to seals, which can sometimes be seen either basking in the sun, or playing and feeding in the water.  Since there is no where to get food on Tuckernuck, it is a great place to bring your own and even perhaps a grill to have a cookout.  Tuckernuck is truly one of the most unique place in Nantucket and a place that you should definitely visit if your are in Nantucket.

Tuckernuck Island Inlet

Any beach you go to on Nantucket is going to be great, but these beaches just have a little more to offer than some of the others.  The way that each of these beaches differ is what makes Nantucket such a great place, it can have all these different venues in such a small confined island.  The beaches are of course an attraction for Nantucket and a great attraction at that.

Travel Arrangements

The first thing you are going to want to do, if you plan on vacationing in Nantucket, is to figure out how you are going to get there.  Since Nantucket is an island thirty miles out to sea you cannot simply drive there.  There are though many different ways to get to Nantucket and they range from; a fifteen minute flight to a two hour long ferry ride.  If you want to take your car with you on the island then you really only have one option, which is to drive to Hyannis, MA and go to the Steamship Authority which is located at  141 School Street.  There you can buy a ticket to take both your car and all its passengers on the ferry.  The ferries that the Steamship Authority uses to take cars across to Nantucket each hold about 100 cars and have a top speed of around fifteen miles per hour, this means one that space is very limited so it is always smart to make a reservation and also that the thirty mile trip takes about two hours.  A reservation can be made at the Steamship Authority Website, and is very easy to do.

Steamship Authority Car Ferry "M/V Eagle"

      If you don't want to take your car over to the island there are a few more options for you.  You can still take the car ferry over as a foot passenger or with a bicycle, doing this is much less expensive than taking your car across $35 to be a foot passenger compared to $400 to take your car on, both of these are for a round trip.  If you don't want such a long crossing there is also a fast ferry, this ferry leaves from the exact same dock as the car ferry but only takes 45 minutes to get to Nantucket.  The fast ferry is a very fun and quick way way to get to Nantucket but it does cost a bit more than the "slow" ferry at $67 round trip.

Steamship Authority Fast Ferry "M/V Iyanough"

   The quickest way to get to Nantucket is to fly there.  There are a few airlines that fly to Nantucket, such as JetBlue which flies out of JFK on a direct flight to Nantucket.  The most used airline though is Cape Air, which flies out of Hyannis directly to Nantucket.  The flight from Hyannis to Nantucket takes about fifteen minutes and costs $56 each way.  Flying is a great and fairly cheap way to get to Nantucket and offers a really nice view of the island.  Although Nantucket airport is considered one of the scariest airports in the world because on days when its very foggy, as it often is in Nantucket, the run way is very hard to see and it can be unnerving to some people.  Even so plane crashes are not at all common on Nantucket and flying to Nantucket is very safe.

Aerial View of Nantucket Memorial Airport

While all of these modes of transportation are great ways to get to Nantucket, I myself prefer taking the "slow" ferry to Nantucket.  If it is a nice day the ride is very nice and relaxing.  The two hour ride across the Atlantic really gives you a sense of how far out to sea the island actually is.  From leaving the moment the boat leaves the harbor in Hyannis to the time it docks in Nantucket the ride is enjoyable and there is a lot to look at.  You can see hundreds of boats, jetskis, and even a few windsurfers on the way out of Hyannis.  Out in the Atlantic there are big fishing boats, other ferries making the trek, and also you can see Martha's Vineyard at some points on the trip.  Once the ferry closes in on Nantucket you can begin to make out buildings, then you begin to see jetties on either side of you, which mark the entrance to the harbor.  Finally the ferry enters the harbor and you see the entire town and all the houses that mark the shoreline and it is very nice.  This ferry may be the slowest way to get to Nantucket but it is by far the most pleasing.  And if your not a boat or plane person, a thirty mile swim would be great exercise.

Nantucket Harbor