Planning a trip to Nantucket? I got you covered, or at least Elin Hilderbrand and The Blue Book, do.
The Blue Book is a guide to all things Nantucket! Each chapter lays out where one should beach, eat, shop, rent bikes, and plan added activities.
I ordered a signed copy of The Blue Book from Nantucket Bookworks, prior to my move to Boston (I would say I manifested things), and it is easily one of my most prized possessions.
One year later after moving to Boston, we made the ACK trip happen, and visited this past Memorial Weekend (a great way to spend our one year anniversary of living in New England)! With the help of The Blue Book, this was our (my husband and I) planned out itinerary:
Day One
On day one, my husband and I drove from Boston to Hyannis, and took the Hy-Line ferry to Nantucket. We booked Captain’s View tickets, which gave us priority boarding and extended legroom. As a note, parking and ferry tickets, especially during the summer season, sale out fast, so it’s important that one secures tickets months in advance (I booked and gifted this trip as a Christmas present to Evan and I).
When we arrived to Nantucket, we walked to our hotel, 76 Main Ink Press Hotel, and were able to do an early check-in, allowing us to drop off our bags and re-fresh.
Of course, we were feeling pretty hungry after arriving to the island, so we hit up Walter’s Deli. Though expensive (like everything else on the island), it easily became my husband’s favorite food spot (he literally asked me if we could go back everyday while on vacation). We ordered the New Yorker and Chicken Bacon Ranch sandwiches, as well as a a homemade lemonade, but we also heard from several locals the Lobster Roll is fantastic (and pretty affordable as far as New England lobster rolls go).
We took our sandwiches (grab and go) to the beach, thereafter. We were planning to go to Steps Beach, but settled on Jetties Beach (which was still really nice, and a walk carrying my new Bogg Bag). Unfortunately, when we visited Nantucket, it was on the colder and cloudier end, so we sat and ate, and then boogied to Town.
In Town, we shopped at some local boutique stores including the new (opening day) Dairy Boy flagship store, Mitchell’s Book Corner (I bought an Elin Hilderbrand ornament, Nantucket postcards, and a new Elin Hilderbrand read, The Identicals), Blue Beetle, Milly & Grace, Murray’s Toggery (famous for their Nantucket reds), and a few other shops.
After we shopped until we dropped, we went back to our hotel and got ready for dinner, where we had reservations waiting for us at Oran Mor. Oran Mor was our favorite dinner spot on the island (I ordered the flaming daisy cocktail, and we shared the kale Caesar, black truffle bucatini, and coffee meets doughnut dessert).
Finally, we finished off with a nightcap at The Chicken Box. If you are an Elin Hilderbrand fan, then you know.
Day Two
On our full second day in Nantucket, we ate breakfast at our hotel, and then made our way over to Nantucket Bike Shop, where we rented out a couple of bikes (I got a beach cruiser for myself and Evan opted for a mountain bike). Once the bikes were secured, we rode over to Siasconset, taking the scenic route on Polpis Road (~10 miles). We, then, ate at Claudette’s, where we ordered the smoked turkey with house sauce. I love horseradish, so this sandwich was top notch for me!
After we ate our sandwiches, we went for a nice walk, taking the Sconset Bluff trail out to Sankaty Head Lighthouse. We enjoyed some spectacular views, but our feet/legs were definitely hurting. Still, we powered through and ended up riding our bikes back on Milestone Road (~8 miles, flat terrain).
Once back at the hotel, we took a little nap, then worked up an appetite for dinner. Our second night of dinner was spent at Sea Grille, which was super yummy (the oysters were nice and fresh), but came with some pretty high price tags.
Day Three
On our final day in Nantucket, albeit it was rainy, we took a stroll over to Wicked Island Bakery for the morning bun and almond croissant.
We were hoping to play Micomet Golf Course or check out Nantucket Disc Golf, but we took a rain check and walked over to the Whaling Museum instead. We did some final shopping around Town, walked by The Nantucket Hotel (Elin Hilderbrand’s novel “The Hotel Nantucket” is based around this famous landmark), and then took an Uber to Cisco Brewers. Cisco has many foods, wines, beers, and cocktails to choose from, but I went with a frozen margarita and ordered fish and chips from Nantucket Lobster Trap.
Of course, our trip wasn’t complete without some ice cream from The Juice Bar. We ordered the green monster and pistachio.
With the weather being less than sublime, we decided to take a break from the rain, and spent some time reading (me) and playing video games (Evan) in our hotel room. I even finished the last book (published), A Court of Silver Flames, from a Court of Thorns series.
To cap off the evening, we ate dinner at The Proprietors. Most of the food was shareable, but because we weren’t readily hungry, we just ordered two smalls: baked feta and fried broccoli, as well as some orange wine for moi, which really hit the spot!
In summary, we thoroughly enjoyed our time on Nantucket, and were sad to leave, but have every intention of returning in the future. Thanks for following along, and I hope this itinerary serves as inspo for your next big adventure!
