Destination Guides

What To See and Do in the Summer Town of Nantucket, Massachusetts

Experience the true romance of Nantucket’s exclusive shores through her ocean-side restaurants, idyllic summer cottages and sugar-soft sandy beaches

Once a busy whaling hub during the 19th century, things have since calmed down on the picturesque island of Nantucket, 30 miles south of Cape Cod in the northeastern state of Massachusetts. Luckily, the old-school charm of the place still remains preserved in its unique hotels and restaurants, attracting a steady stream of regulars and newcomers. Douglas Rogers rounds up his top picks for an ideal taste of what island life is really like.

HOTELS
White Elephant
The best hotel in town: a languid harbor-front property with a deckchair-lined lawn rolling down to the waterfront. The hotel comprises a main cedar-shingle building with 54 rooms, and 11 charming garden cottages.

Image: Nantucket Stock
Image: Nantucket Stock
The Wauwinet
Guests at this harbor-front hotel have access to Atlantic or harbor-side beaches, and can get ferried from hotel to village in a vintage 1948 Chevy, or via the Wauwinet Lady motor launch. Pure class.

The Summer House Cottages
Located in the idyllic village of Siasconset on the eastern side of the island, this iconic property, with 18 one- and two-room English-styled garden cottages, harks back to the Roaring Twenties. The hotel’s Beachside Bistro is also well worth a visit.

FOOD & DRINK
Straight Wharf Restaurant
This perennial favorite close to the wharf has been going strong for 36 years. Wood floors, hurricane lamps, and great service animate fresh, seasonal seafood dishes such as local swordfish with summer squash, and buttered lobster with chorizo.

Image: Nantucket Stock
Image: Nantucket Stock
Galley Beach
What started as a humble clam shack on Cliffside Beach in 1958 is now the coolest hangout on an island crammed with beautiful people. The main dining area and deck spill out to wicker chairs and tables set on the sand, water lapping at your feet.

Cru Nantucket
At this maritime-themed restaurant and raw bar on the wharf you can literally shout out an order of oysters and champagne as you step off your speedboat.

LOCAL ATTRACTIONS
The beaches
Despite frequent mist and fog, summer is a glorious time to visit. Beaches rim the island, including Great Point, which is only accessible by 4×4, and Cisco, popular with the surfing set. 

Madequecham Beach on the south coast. Photograph by Carys Hazlegrove
Madequecham Beach on the south coast. Photograph by Carys Hazlegrove
The Nantucket Whaling Museum
Run by the Historical Association and located in an old candle factory, the museum’s exhibits include a spectacular 46-foot sperm whale skeleton and gripping tales of Nantucket whaling adventures that inspired literary masterpiece Moby Dick.

Hike to Sankaty Head Lighthouse
Of Nantucket’s three working lighthouses, this one on its easternmost point near Siasconset is the most scenic. Open days take place twice a year (June and October), allowing visitors to climb 70 feet to the top.