Nantucket MA

Nantucket is an island 40 kms to the south of Cape Cod separated by the Nantucket sound. Muskeget channel separates Nantucket from Martha’s Vineyard. Originally a part of New York, it seceded in 1692 to Massachusetts and it was a popular whaling center. Nantucket is a town, county as well as an Island, the only place in the USA to have one name for three different geographical entities.

Cape Air operates flights from Providence, New Bedford and Boston to Nantucket. Flights from Hyannis and Provincetown in Cape Cod and Martha’s Vineyard are also there. A 20 minutes flight from Hyannis to Nantucket is operated daily by Island Airlines. Linear Air operates flights from Newark and New York to Martha’s Vineyard. Ocean wings planes can be chartered from Nantucket to any destination in the USA.

The Steamship Authority operates ferry service from Nantucket to Hyannis daily. There are also ferry services from other southern port towns of Cape Cod to Nantucket.

Nantucket is a favorite tourist spot of many tourists for its beaches, lighthouses and shipping tradition. The moment one-steps onto the island one gets the distinct feeling of being far removed from the present time and enters in to a timeless zone where nothing seems to be in a hurry.

Once in the Island you can hit the road with bicycles. That is the way to enjoy the picturesque landscape and unending stretches of beaches. Flowers like Russian olive, Winterbury, Hawthorne tree, Rosa rugosa, the Tupelo tree, Pink lady's slipper orchid, and Indian pipes adorn the land mass giving it a colorful look.

Whale watching trips are arranged by various cruises. The trips may mast from four hrs to an entire day and learned marine biologists narrate visitors about these gigantic sea mammals. Deep-sea fishing is another thing to do in Nantucket. Scallops, Bluefish and Striped Bass are the fishes that abound the surrounding waters of Nantucket.

Three lighthouses in Nantucket are a must see. The Great Pont Lighthouse on the northern most tip of Nantucket was built in 1785 for mariners to help navigate the passage between Great Pont on Nantucket and Monomoy Island in Cape Cod. Brand Point lighthouse was built in 1746 making it the second oldest lighthouse in the USA. Legend and folklore suggest that throwing of pennies round the corner ensures a seafarer’s return. Sankaty Head lighthouse stands on a bluff 90 feet above the sea level on the east side of Nantucket. It throws light up to 30 miles in to the sea.

An old wooden windmill built in 1745 using woods from shipwrecks can still grind corns. The guides demonstrate this to the tourists much to their amazement.

The Nantucket Life Saving Museum is dedicated to and stands as a tribute to the self less service rendered by intrepid Nantuckers against the relentless sea to save other’s life, risking their own lives. These fearless heroes did their service with one motto: You have to go out but you need not have to come back.

If reading interests you visiting the Nantucket Atheneum is a good option. This library maintains a collection of 40,000 volumes, houses a museum and a cultural center.

Every year Nantucket holds a film festival. Some 50 films are screened during this festival. A wine festival in third week of May makes Nantucket the wine capital of the country. The daffodil festival in Nantucket draws good crowds. With events all around the year, Nantucket provides ready entertainment to the visitors.

Before leaving pick something up from the shops in Nantucket that sell gift items and souvenirs. These exquisitely handcrafted pieces comprise of artwork of potters, painters and weavers that are worth taking home.