Destination Guidebook for Nantucket, Massachusetts
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Nantucket, Massachusetts, is at the confluence of two bodies of water, 30 mi/48 km out from the mainland. The north side faces the gentler waters of Nantucket Sound, its main harbor nestled within the protection of a barrier beach. Facing south and up around to the northwest are the more temperamental waters of the wild Atlantic Ocean. At Nantucket's northwestern peak, Great Point is the long swath of sand and stunning beach that ends where the two waters meet, tangling together in frothy, dangerous tumult. For years, the island's position demanded a life dependent on the sea, a legacy that continues to shape its fortune.
Visitors to Nantucket are drawn by the appeal of an idyllic sense of history, beautifully preserved by the sea. The entire island is a National Historic District because of its wealth of architecture dating back to the 18th century. There are more than 800 buildings on Nantucket that predate the Civil War, a distinction that even historic Boston can't surpass.
In addition to the lure of history, it is the power of the ocean that draws people to Nantucket. The beaches are arguably some of the finest on the East Coast, offering more than 80 mi/128 km of unspoiled ocean shoreline. One is free to swim, walk or explore without interruption. Boaters and fishermen go to take advantage of the bounty of the island's waters. Perhaps most of all, despite the crowds, Nantucket island is the embodiment of the faraway, of a place that seems greatly removed from almost anywhere. There is a sense of rugged independence there not often felt elsewhere.
Preservation land protects a full third of Nantucket from development, always with more land under consideration. This is a very fragile place. And although its popularity with visitors threatens its natural and historical importance, these are the very qualities that keep people coming by the tens of thousands each year.
The 14-mi/23-km island, easily explored on foot and bicycle, has plenty of secluded beaches thick with bayberry, beach plum and heather. Most of them are open and easily accessible to the public. Spend at least a full day on Nantucket to allow plenty of time for lying on the beaches, meeting the people and, because it's part of historic Massachusetts, visiting the significant sites scattered around the island. The island also offers plenty of fine dining and shopping.
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Sights—Climb the steps of Great Point Light for the view; go to an open night at one of the observatories of the Maria Mitchell Association to see the stars through powerful telescopes.
Museums—The Nantucket Whaling Museum's skeleton of a sperm whale, as well as exhibits that illustrate the dangers—and wealth—of the whaling industry.
Memorable Meals—San Francisco-style seafood stew at Cioppino's; The SeaGrille's award-winning clam chowder; The Summer House, just to dress up and feel like part of a Great Gatsby scene; a sunset picnic at the beach in Madaket.
Late Night—The bar at 21 Federal, to get a glimpse of Nantucket's visiting celebrities; live music at The Chicken Box most nights in the summer.
Walks—The Nantucket Haunted Hike, a guided, wonderfully narrated tour of the island's lesser-known haunts. Especially for Kids—The Aquarium of the Maria Mitchell Association; Nantucket Community Sailing for lessons and camps; a lobster- or seal-watching boat trip with Shearwater Excursions. Nantucket is dominated by the presence of its surrounding waters, Nantucket Sound and the Atlantic Ocean, and its inland geography reflects that influence. Within that space are wild cranberry bogs, haunting fog-laden moors, expanses of wild roses and heath, and miles/kilometers of uninterrupted, dune-backed beaches. It truly is an island of small natural wonders. Indeed, approximately one-third of America's heathlands (moors) are on Nantucket. As a result of the island's curvaceous shape, there are more than 80 mi/128 km of shoreline, despite the fact that the island itself is a mere 3 mi/4 km at its widest and 14 mi/22 km long.
Nantucket Town settled itself on the edge of the large harbor, protected nicely from the rages of the open ocean. It sits close to the center of the island, on the north side. Visitors aboard the ferries arrive there, and today, just as in the 18th century, Nantucket Town is the center of activity and the commercial hub. Streets are often narrow (watch for the cobblestones, laid out in the 1830s to prevent heavy carts filled with whale oil from sinking in the mud) and jut off in all directions. Generally, Main Street runs east to west.
Roads and bike paths spiral out from the town center—due east to the village of Siasconset on the ocean side and due west to Madaket, a favored sunset-watching spot. Areas outside of town are much quieter, with less commercial influence, though there are plenty of large and ornate vacation homes spread throughout. The island's manageable size makes it an easy place to cover by bicycle, the preferred way to get around in summer. Named by the native Wampanoags, Nantucket means "faraway land," a description that defines more than just its physical location out to sea. For its first white settlers in 1659, it was a state of mind as well as a way of life.
Nantucket was part of a land grant given to Thomas Mayhew, whose intention was to bring Christianity to the native population, which he did for a time. But the island was too remote for his tastes, so when a group of Massachusetts Bay Colony residents offered to buy the island, Mayhew agreed, selling all but a tiny parcel for 30 pounds sterling and two beaver hats. The original purchasers had partners; in time, more shares of the island were sold in order to bring a well-balanced and multiskilled group of settlers.
The settlers wanted to be free from the harsh judgment and strict rule of the Massachusetts colony's Puritans, and it wasn't long before a majority of the islanders had embraced Quakerism. The faith emphasized a strong, hard work ethic, neutrality in war, equality for women and a fervent opposition to slavery. Islanders banned slavery in 1773, and Nantucket was home to a good number of free blacks and escaped slaves.
The island has always relied on the sea for its prosperity. The Quaker work ethic and the business of whaling combined to make the little faraway island of Nantucket a prosperous world capital in the industry. By 1774, 150 whaling ships called Nantucket their home port, and during the golden years of 1800-49, more than 200 Nantucket whaling ships circled the globe in search of whales.
Extraordinary wealth from whaling built the grand homes in Nantucket Town, each filled with goods from a world market. The town's dependency on whaling led to near-ruin when a combination of factors caused the industry's collapse. By 1849, petroleum and kerosene were cheaper alternatives to whale oil, a sand bar blocked the passage of the large, heavy whaling ships into the harbor, and sailors were jumping ship in California to join the fevered gold rush. A great economic slump ensued that would last until well after the Civil War; many historians say it was this depression that preserved both the great mansions and the more humble homes of the islanders.
From the success of the Industrial Revolution, a leisure class was born. By the 1870s, the island was a favorite retreat for the wealthy in pursuit of the healthful, beneficial pleasures of saltwater bathing and rejuvenating sea air. The notion hasn't changed—Nantucket remains a favorite place for those who seek the very same remedies. Nantucket is the only place in the country that is a town, a county and an island, with the same name for all three.
Cranberry bogs, like those found on Nantucket, are flooded in winter for protection of the plants and in autumn for the harvest.
Herman Melville traveled to Nantucket a year after publishing Moby Dick, to meet with Captain George Pollard Jr., who was captain of the doomed voyage of the whaleship Essex.
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Editor's Choice of Luxury, Deluxe, and Value priced hotels in Nantucket, Massachusetts:
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