I love Nantucket! We were lucky enough to spend a long weekend with the kids on the island, and it was one of the most serene places I have ever been. Where to begin in describing this magical place???
My only perception of Nantucket was from watching the sitcom, Wings, years ago. I loved Crystal Bernard’s character, Helen Chappel, the comedic bantering between the Hackett brothers, and the eccentric mechanic, Lowell Mather. I adored the cottage feel of Helen’s home, the friendships depicted at the fictional ‘Tom Nevers Field’ airport, and the seemingly quaint, island of Nantucket. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I added visiting this island to my Bucket List.
Being a transplant to New England, I tend to approach many of our family trips and outings as if we are tourists in this region. There are so many beautiful places to visit and explore, that I finally planned a family weekend away to this beautiful and peaceful island.
Nantucket is quite small and the number of cars permitted to come onto the island is extremely limited. One of our favorite family past-times is biking the many rail trails through out Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Although bringing cars onto the island are strongly discouraged, bikes are happily welcomed on the ferry to Nantucket. So, I envisioned us stepping off the ferry, hopping on our bikes, and riding to the hotel with three children and luggage in tow. I think my husband thought I was out of my mind, but I told him and the kids we were limited to one back pack each for the weekend. It’s amazing how much you discover you really don’t need when you are confined to a limited amount of space. It was also amazing how simple it was to get onto the fairy with our bikes, each of us hauling a backpack, enjoying the one hour ferry ride across Nantucket Sound, and stepping onto the island with smiles on our faces and soaking in the glorious sun. I was instantly in love! We donned our backpacks, hopped on our bikes and rode the one mile to check-in to our hotel.
One of the first things I always do when we are visiting someplace new, is look through the guidebooks and local newspaper, available in the hotel lobby, for current events and sights-to-see. We escaped to Nantucket to relax, bike some trails, and have an unhurried weekend, but a part of me also turns into a crazed, busied tourist, concerned that I will never return and must be sure not to miss everything that there is to do. Skimming through the weekend calendar section, we highlighted a few things that would appeal to the kids, but also present us with an opportunity to see the island. We had already planned daily walks into town for ice cream, riding our bikes, swimming in the hotel pool, and spending an afternoon at Jettie’s Beach. But, we also added these activities…..taking a small, bus tour of the island, feeding turtles at Long Pond along the Madaket bike trail, climbing 94 steps to the top of the historic, First Congregational Church for a bird’s eye view of the town and harbor, and taking a kid-friendly evening ghost walk (ghost finder app included) to our weekend escape. We also discovered that we had arrived at the tail end of Nantucket Race Week, so made it a point not to miss the Rainbow Fleet Parade scheduled to take place in the morning, before we were to hop back onto the ferry to return to the mainland and drive home to the north shore of Boston.
What did I fall in love with? Bicycles with baskets, lush window boxes, intimate gardens filled with hydrangeas, cottages with names, white picket fences, Jettie’s Beach, bike trails, the smell of the ocean, cobblestone streets, brightly colored sailboats, weathered gray shingles and lighthouses all found a place in my heart, and will surely lead me back to Nantucket soon.
What is your favorite get-away island?
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