Nantucket is a place that many people only envision in books or movies.  They see it as a picturesque town holding all of the quintessential New England cliches. In our minds, its the stuff that only exists in the movies.  The thing that people don't realize is that all of that is absolutely real!  Nantucket is a place that is so perfectly what you imagine that it blows your mind.  

This makes it super removed from the mainland and also it feels real life.  When you step off the ferry, it feels like you enter another world.  A world of soft grey skies, high end restaurants, stunning beaches, world class shopping and it truly feels like a day dream.  There are a couple different ferry options so make sure you look at prices and times to make the trip work for your family.

The beaches on Nantucket are some of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen (and I have seen a lot).  These are not bright blue skies and clear water with palm trees kind of beaches.  They are soft.  They are surrounded by sea grass  blowing in the breeze.  Many of them you have to follow trails to get to.  The sands are not white, they are soft beige and often scattered with interesting rocks and seashells.  The skies are soft and greyish blue and this feels like heaven to me.  The grey skies give a softness to everything around you and seem to add to the daydream feel of the place.  Don't get me wrong, I love some palm trees, but something about these soft beaches have my heart.

World class chefs flock to Nantucket to have to opportunity to share their gift with the high society that own homes there.  You can find any type of food here, but all of it will be unique and generally the wait staff will inform you that much of it is local.  Nantucket prides themselves on growing as much of their produce as they can for the restaurants at the local farms on the island.  Of course, they have easy access to fresh seafood.  Each time we have been there, we have experienced some amazing culinary creations.  One thing I love about Nantucket is the lack of chains.  You will not find a Starbucks or a McDonalds on Nantucket.  They actually don't allow it.  Every food service place on the island is original and unique.  

When you depart your ferry and make your way to the main center of town, you will come upon cobblestone streets.  These are original to the town, which I find so lovely.  You do have to watch your step especially if you are wearing heals or wedges so keep that in mind!  Pictures taken here coming out looking so lovely when taken with the old architecture and the cobblestone streets in the background.

 I can name 8 off the top of my head.  We have thoroughly enjoyed the Whaling Museum.  Along with the Whaling Museum you can buy a pass to some of the other area museums so you can hit them all in one day.  The history of the island is fascinating.  You learn much of it from the Whaling Museum alone, but if you want to dig in further it is easy to do so on Nantucket.  This is one of the better museums we have visited.  There is so much information, talks about whaling, interactive areas and honestly it is also just a pretty place to walk around.

 I was surprised the first time on the island, by how many high end shops there were to peruse.  If anyone knows me, I love to shop.  I love finding interesting items from my adventures.  It is something that I love to do when traveling.  I feel sampling the islands shops gives you a feel for the culture of the island.  Here is the thing about Nantucket.  You can find some amazing high end clothing and jewelry stores, but also fun and interesting souvenirs.  There are specialty shops for those iconic Nantucket Reds, but also shops full of interesting oils.  Interesting items are easy to find on the island.  

 The original fisherman's village on the island is Sconset.  This little town is the definition of charming.  It is full of small little cottages which were once inhabited by the fishermen, and have been passed down, refurbished and renovated over the centuries.  There are adorable white picket fences and crushed seashell driveways and paths.  I absolutely fell in love with Sconset.  I could spend days walking through the little cobble streets and take in each and every little cottage.  There is also the Cliff Walk, as it is called by the locals.  It is simply a path that leads from the town which is oriented on a cliff above the beach down to the Siasconset beach.  Such a simple thing, but a hidden gem this beach is.  So beautiful looking out onto the open ocean. 

 We never take a car over on the ferry to Nantucket.  It is super easy (AND FUN) to rent bikes and peddle around the island.  There are trails everywhere that can get you to most places on the island.  There is also a public transportation system with cute little buses that you can use.  It is $2 -$3 per route depending on where you are going on the island.  Not bad!  You can also combine the two as we have done before.  Ride a bike out to a beach you wish to see, if you don't feel like riding back all of the buses are equipped with bike racks on the back so you just pay the fare back into town.  You can check that out HERE.