Year visited: 2024

Time of Year: September

Ok, hear me out…

I know not everything has to do with Gilmore Girls! But I love traveling places from the show, mainly real life towns like Stars Hollow, or actual filming locations! And since Nantucket plays an important role in Emily Gilmore’s life, it definitely deserves a spot on my Gilmore Girls vacations list.

But… if you are not a Gilmore Girls fan… you can still day trip to Nantucket from Cape Cod (or Boston) and enjoy it. So no worries, this post is for you too.

In fact, I will “try” to keep my Gilmore Girls references to a minimum.

So without further ado, here is how to day trip to Nantucket, and all the great things to do there (without even needing a car)!

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What’s in this Article:

• About Nantucket
• Best Time of Year to Visit
• How to Get to Nantucket
• How to Get Around Nantucket
• Things to Do on a Day Trip to Nantucket
• If You Have More Time on Nantucket
• Tips for Visiting
• Other Things to Do on Cape Cod
• What to Read & Watch

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About Nantucket Island

Where is Nantucket?

Nantucket is a small island off the coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. It is about a one hour ferry ride south of Cape Cod, and east of Martha’s Vineyard, another popular island to visit.

History of Nantucket

Colonists settled on Nantucket in the late 1600s, where they learned the trade of “whaling” from the Native Americans who lived there. Nantucket was known to have the best whalers in the world during the heyday of the whaling industry, from the late 1700s to the early 1800s, and became a very wealthy island.

With the decline of the whaling industry (and the rise of railroads, that led ships to dock directly at New Bedford and ship oil across the continent, rather than returning to Nantucket), the island began to be abandoned. But its residents decided they could market Nantucket as a tourist destination, and the tourism market revived the island.

With plenty of undamaged historical buildings, a fascinating history, and diverse wildlife and landscapes, Nantucket redefined itself, and became the popular vacation spot we know today.

Vibe of Nantucket

Before visiting Nantucket, I had this idea in my head that it was super bougie. I was honestly a little nervous that I wouldn’t fit in, at least not unless I was dressed in an expensive sundress with a designer handbag…

Not to say that Nantucket isn’t an expensive vacation destination and an affluent little island, but by the time we arrived at the island, I had completely forgotten to feel self-conscious. I didn’t feel at all out of place, or even notice what anyone was wearing. It’s certainly a nice place to visit, but it’s not… “out of our league” nice.

What is the Gilmore Girls Connection?

If you’re not as overly familiar with the TV show Gilmore Girls as I am, you may be wondering what Nantucket has to do with it. The show takes place in nearby Connecticut, and often mentions spots like Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket. In the Netflix revival A Year in the Life, Emily Gilmore actually moves to Nantucket and volunteers at the Whaling Museum.

Is Nantucket Worth Visiting on a Day Trip?

Yes, Nantucket is absolutely worth visiting on a day trip!! We had so much fun moseying around this island, and even though we were only here for about 5 hours, it was super enjoyable. Nantucket is one of my favorite destinations I’ve ever visited, and it is very easy to do a day trip to Nantucket.

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Best Time of Year to Visit Nantucket

Nantucket is a popular summer destination. It is charming to walk around in the warm weather, enjoying the walkable town and the many beaches. However, it can also be crowded in the summer.

We visited in September, which I think is the overall best month to visit Nantucket. It was not overly crowded or hot, but the weather was comfortable and the island was beautiful that time of year.

To be honest, there are not many bad times to visit Nantucket (except maybe January…). But here are some other factors to consider:

Weather in Nantucket

Nantucket is known for being exceptionally foggy. She is nicknamed the “Grey Lady,” because of the fog that often sits over her. It can also be windy on this little island by the sea. It is a good idea to bring a jacket or sweater with you, even if it is summertime. It does tend to be colder on the island than on the mainland.

Off-Season vs. In-Season

The summer is a popular time to visit Nantucket, with beautiful weather, no school, and everything is open. It is also the most expensive time to visit.

t is less crowded and cheaper to visit during the off season, but something to consider is what shops/attractions will be open. A lot of things will start to close down in the fall, so be sure to check opening hours. There will also be less ferries available to Nantucket in the off-season.

As I said above, I think September is the best time to come. It’s not overly crowded, the weather is (usually) good, and most everything should still be open.

Christmas in Nantucket

Christmas is one of the best times to visit Nantucket! Though the seasonal weather may be questionable, and a lot of attractions may be shut down, there are also a lot of holiday things to do during this time.

The best time to visit Nantucket is during the annual Christmas Stroll event, usually towards the beginning of December.

• Psst: If you like cute small towns at Christmastime, check out this list of real life Hallmark Christmas towns! And be sure to get this cozy Hallmark cookbook, which even features recipes for movies set in Nantucket!

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How to Get to Nantucket

There are several ways to day trip to Nantucket. The most common will be to take a ferry from Cape Cod or New Bedford.

For our trip, we took a 2-hour Seastreak ferry from New Bedford to Cape Cod (that also stopped at Martha’s Vineyard).

Ferries to Nantucket

There are several places you can get a ferry to Nantucket:

• Hy-Line Cruises from Hyannis (1 hr. high speed ferry)
• Steamship Authority from Hyannis (1 hr. high speed)
• Seastreak from New Bedford (2 hr. ferry)
• Freedom Ferry from Harwich Port (1 1/2 hr. seasonal ferry)
• Any of the above companies from Martha’s Vineyard.

How to Book a Ferry

You can book your ferry ride online at the website for whichever company you choose to ride with. If you’re staying on Cape Cod, I recommend the Hy-Line cruise from Hyannis. If you’re visiting New Bedford (another famous whaling port), or coming from the mainland, take the Seastreak ferry from New Bedford (what we did).

You will want to book a same-day round-trip ticket, as this is cheaper than 2 separate tickets. In our case, there was only one time we could get a ferry out and back, so we had to go at the available times.

During the high season, with a ferry from Cape Cod, there are multiple ferries out and back. Make sure to book your round-trip ticket ahead of time. But, if you want to change the time of your return ferry, you can do this on the day of, as long as there is availability (be sure to make any changes before your scheduled ticket time).

Parking for the Ferry

For our Seastreak Ferry from New Bedford, we parked at the Whale’s Tooth Parking Lot, and then rode their free shuttle to the ferry terminal. Parking was $15 for the day, which I prepaid for with my tickets (*note that parking prices vary throughout the year).

In Hyannis, you can reserve a spot in their parking lot at the ferry terminal (prices range from $10-$28), or park in their off-site lot (prices range from $5-$17) and get a shuttle. Hy-Line Cruises has all the parking information available on their website.

Riding the Ferry

We rode the ferry on a Sunday in late September, and the ride there was fairly empty (the return ferry that evening was full though). We got to the ferry terminal about 20 minutes before departure, which was plenty of time to park, ride the shuttle and get checked in.

However, if it is the busy season, you will want to give yourself more time to find parking and get checked in.

The ferry ride was fast and enjoyable. On the way home we basically slept the whole trip. On the way there, I actually did get a little motion sick and had to take some Dramamine. We also tried to go out on the top deck, but it was waaaay too windy for that!!

A Day Trip from Boston

If you’re in Boston and don’t want to drive yourself down to the ferries, you can sometimes book a guided day trip from the city.

Fly into Nantucket

Did you know Nantucket Island has their own little airport? So you can actually fly directly into Nantucket, instead of taking a ferry, if you want.

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How to Get Around Nantucket

Nantucket is easy to get around. If you are staying for a while, you can of course bring your car over on a ferry. But if you’re just coming for the day, it is easy to just walk around town. The three main ways to get around Nantucket are:

• Walk-the downtown area and main attractions are easily walkable.
• Rent a bike-There are several places to rent a bike right when you disembark from the ferry.
• The Wave Bus-Nantucket runs a free shuttle that will take you to other points of interest outside of downtown.

For our Nantucket day trip, we walked to all the places we wanted to see.

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(Gilmore Girls) Things to Do on a Nantucket Day Trip

There are so many things to do on a Nantucket day trip! I absolutely loved our visit to the island.

In this section I will list out things to do on Nantucket that are easily doable on a day trip, especially within walking distance of the ferry terminal. But if you want to stay longer, keep reading for even more ideas of what you can do on a magical visit to Nantucket Island.

Visit the Whaling Museum

The number one thing to do on Nantucket for absolutely everyone is a visit to the Whaling Museum!

This should be your first stop for so many reasons, not the least of which is because it is one of the very first buildings you see when you leave the ferry terminal.

• Good to Know: The Seastreak ferry terminal leads right to the Whaling Museum. If you arrive on Hy-Line or Freedom Cruises, you will be one block over.

It is also the place where Emily Gilmore “finds herself” and volunteers at the end of the Year in the Life mini series. The main lecture hall with the HUGE whale skeleton will be easily recognizable for fans of the show.

And of course, whaling is what made Nantucket. The history is absolutely fascinating, even if it is…gory…sad… and maybe just downright strange.

Definitely definitely make sure to stop at the Whaling Museum on your Nantucket day trip!!!

• Good to Know: You can book tickets for the museum ahead of time online, but you can also just walk in and buy tickets when you arrive. You do not need a timed entry.
• Your ticket for the Whaling Museum also includes entry to other historical sites on the island.

Get Coffee

Your next stop (or first, depending on how dependent you are) should be to get coffee. Because Gilmore Girls (and people in general) love coffee. There are several cute coffee shops to visit in Nantucket:

• Lemon Press-This is where we got coffee, and had lunch. It was a cute cafe highly recommended to us by locals!
• Handlebar Cafe-This super cute coffee shop was my first choice, before we were recommended to Lemon Press and went there instead.
• Island Coffee-Another coffee shop choice, right off of the Seastreak ferry terminal!

Go Shopping Downtown

There are so many unique little shops in the downtown area of Nantucket! Feel free to wander in and out of all of them, but as a Gilmore Girls fan, I am especially excited about the bookshops and the antique stores (actually, I don’t really care about the antique stores, but there are some on Nantucket, and they are very good if you are into that).

The bookshop we visited was especially magical, with two stories worth of well-curated books, and a little reading nook to relax in.

Visit an Art Gallery

There are plenty of art galleries to pop into as you’re walking around downtown Nantucket. We personally didn’t visit any (other than photographing the fun sculptures out front), but it’s definitely something you can do on a day trip to Nantucket.

Climb the Tower of First Congregational Church

We didn’t have time to do this, but one of the best (free) things to do in Nantucket is to climb the tower of the First Congregational Church. The tower is open Memorial Day weekend through mid-October, with tours Thursday-Saturday. You can get a spectacular view from the top of the church’s steeple over the picturesque island.

• Pro Tip: You can also get a bird’s eye view over the island from the top of the Whaling Museum, however, this view is not as good as the one from the church tower.

Walk to Brant Point Lighthouse

There are plenty of lighthouses around Nantucket (and all over Cape Cod, too!), but one of the most recognizable is Brant Point Lighthouse. You will see this lighthouse from the ferry as you come into Nantucket. It’s also only a 15-20 minute walk from downtown, so it’s easy to visit on a day trip to Nantucket.

Relax on the Beach

Personally, I didn’t come to Nantucket to visit the beach. There are plenty of beaches on Cape Cod, and with limited time on Nantucket, there are other things I’d rather see. Plus, the best beaches on Nantucket will require transportation outside of the main downtown area.

But if you do want to relax on the beach while you’re here, here are some of the easiest to get to on a day trip:

• Children’s Beach-This little beach is just a 10 minute walk from downtown.
• Brant Point Lighthouse-It’s not much, but there is a bit of a beach at Brant Point Lighthouse, an easy 15-20 minute walk from downtown.
• Learn more about all the beaches in Nantucket.

Get Something to Eat

Naturally food is a bit expensive on Nantucket Island. But there is a lot of good food to be had! They are known for their seafood, and there are plenty of restaurants to choose from (whether you like seafood or not).

We ate at Lemon Press, a cute cafe recommended by a local. We really enjoyed everything we got here.

Get Ice Cream!

Gilmore Girl or not, you have to get ice cream at some point on your Nantucket day trip! Yes, it will probably be overly expensive, but (this is vacation!) and it is so worth it.

The best place to get ice cream is at The Juice Bar, just across from the Whaling Museum. We hit it at just the right time, when there was no line. But as we walked out with our cones, we saw a line all the way down the street!

It’s worth it though! I had a chocolate covered cranberry ice cream, and it was so good!

You can also get ice cream at the old fashioned soda fountain at Nantucket Pharmacy! They serve homemade ice cream from The Island Kitchen.

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If You Have More Time on Nantucket

Everything we did on our Nantucket day trip was in downtown, except for our stroll out to Brant Point Lighthouse. We had just enough time to do everything before our ferry back (about 5 hrs.).

If you have more time in Nantucket, there are plenty of other things to do on the island! Here are some ideas of other things to do, which you could also fit into a day trip, if you really wanted to:

• Maria Mitchell Aquarium, Museum, Observatory, & more!
• Dreamland Film Theater & Cultural Center
• Nantucket Shipwreck and Lifesaving Museum
• Museum of African American History locations
• Sconsett Bluffs walk
• Explore the Coskata Coatue Wildlife Refuge
• Visit other lighthouses & beaches
• Take a whaling history tour, or other boat cruise
• Day trip to Martha’s Vineyard

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Tips for Visiting Nantucket

Here are some tips and good things to know to help you plan a trip to Nantucket:

• Nantucket can get really foggy. It is nicknamed the “Grey Lady” because of all the fog.
• Occasionally the fog does hamper transportation to/from Nantucket.
• The ferry ride can be choppy, so you might want to bring some Dramamine.
• It gets cold and windy on Nantucket, so be sure to bring a sweater, even if it’s nice weather on the mainland.
• Stop at the Nantucket Visitor Center downtown for more tourist information.
• There are public bathrooms available at the visitor center, and several other places around the island.

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Other Things to Do on Cape Cod

If you’re taking a day trip to Nantucket, you’re probably also visiting Cape Cod. My cousins live just off of Cape Cod, so I spent some time with them, exploring Nantucket and the Cape (where they own an awesome escape room).

I’m working on several full guides to Cape Cod, but for now, here are some quick suggestions of other things to do on your trip:

• Upside Down Escape Games (the awesome escape room my cousins own!)
• Visit one of the many museums
• Relax on the beautiful beaches
• Bike the Cape Cod Rail Trail
• Take a whaling cruise
• Explore P-Town
• Go lighthouse chasing
• Tour a cranberry bog

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What to Read and Watch

I always get excited watching movies (and reading books) that take place somewhere before I travel there. And after I travel there and can recognize the scenery!

• Fun Fact: I actually got Moby Dick as a Gilmore Girls photo prop to take with me to Connecticut several years ago. I never attempted to read it until I got to the end of my TBR pile and it just happened to be the last book there. It also just happened to be right before I left for New England!

Moby Dick

You will see marketing for the classic book Moby Dick all over Nantucket! It begins in New Bedford, then Nantucket, before setting sail for the wide world in search of whales the White Whale.

I did read this book (as noted above). It took four full months to get through… But when I started it just before setting out for New England, I got so excited. And it was so much fun to tour the Whaling Museum while simultaneously reading Moby Dick. Then it got boring…

Honestly, the story itself is a good read. But it is hard not to get bogged down in all of the descriptions of the whaling techniques, and tangents on how scientifically accurate present-day (1840s) portraits of whales are. But other than that, it’s good!

Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life

You should probably watch all of the Gilmore Girls episodes, but especially the revival series A Year in the Life.

Now, I know the revival is not as good as the original show, but this is the series that really features Nantucket (though Martha’s Vineyard, and even the book Moby Dick are featured in the original series).

A Godwink Christmas

As a lover of Hallmark movies and small towns, Nantucket is the perfect destination for me! It is even the location of a Hallmark movie, which I only discovered because my sister got me this Hallmark holiday cookbook, and I decided to make the (delicious) cranberry orange scones and watch the movie (A Godwink Christmas) that went with it.

This movie is actually based on a true story, and takes place mainly in Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket.

The Perfect Couple

I haven’t seen this new Netflix show, but it came up when I was on Mitchell’s Book Corner website, so I had to look it up. It looks like something I may… or may not… like. But the scenes of Nantucket (where it’s filmed) looked magical and recognizable, so I got excited about it!

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Any more questions?

If you have any more questions about how to day trip to Nantucket, feel free to email me or comment below (or if you have any more suggestions of things to do or movies to watch)!

Planning a Nantucket day trip?

Save one of the pins below for future trip planning:

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You might also like:

• Gilmore Girls Towns to Visit in Connecticut
• 14 Real Life Hallmark Christmas Towns
• 12 Small Towns that Look Like Stars Hollow
• Things No One Tells You About Stowe, VT
• How to Visit New Haven Like a Gilmore Girl

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