View of the Port at Nantucket Island - Massachusetts

Nantucket

One need not be a millionaire to visit Nantucket, but it couldn't hurt. This compact island, 30 miles south of Cape Cod, grew rich from whaling in the 19th century. In recent decades it's experienced a rebirth as a summer getaway for CEOs, society types and other well-heeled visitors from Boston and New York.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

  • Nantucket Whaling Museum

    Nantucket Whaling Museum

    Nantucket

    One of the island's highlights, this evocative museum occupies an 1847 spermaceti (whale oil) candle factory and the excellent exhibits relive Nantucket's…

  • Nantucket Atheneum

    Nantucket Atheneum

    Nantucket

    More than just the public library, this stately Greek Revival edifice is a sight in itself. The 2nd-floor Great Hall has hosted such notables as Ralph…

  • Brant Point Light

    Brant Point Light

    Nantucket

    Welcoming ferries into Nantucket Harbor, this lighthouse was established in 1746 and is still in operation. It's quite tiny (only 26ft), but impossibly…

  • First Congregational Church

    First Congregational Church

    Nantucket

    Everyone comes to this church, which traces its roots to the early 1700s, for the eagle-eye view from the top of the steeple. It's well worth the 94-step…

  • Jethro Coffin House

    Jethro Coffin House

    Nantucket

    Built in 1686, the Jethro Coffin House is the town’s oldest building still on its original foundation. It’s in a traditional ‘salt box’ style, with south…

  • Hadwen House

    Hadwen House

    Nantucket

    A walk through the Nantucket Historical Association’s Hadwen House, a Greek Revival home built in 1845 by a whaling merchant, provides testimony to just…

  • Sankaty Head Light

    Sankaty Head Light

    Nantucket

    About 1.5 miles north of the village, the 1850 Sankaty Head Light stands photogenically in its new position since 2007, having been relocated due to…

  • Old Gaol

    Old Gaol

    Nantucket

    To see where drunken sailors used to spend the night, visit the Old Gaol, the c 1806 jail that served Nantucket for 125 years. It was constructed using…

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Articles

Latest stories from Nantucket

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Gingerbread houses on Martha's Vineyard or Nantucket's Great point lighthouse

Beaches

Martha's Vineyard vs Nantucket: which dreamy Massachusetts island is better?

Jun 4, 2024 • 7 min read

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