Nantucket, Martha’s Vineyard or Cape Cod: which getaway is for you?
By Diane Bair & Pamela Wright
Heading south, with Boston in your rear-view mirror, you’re ready for a beach getaway. Should you hop a ferry to Nantucket or Martha’s Vineyard, or skip the boat ride and find a cozy inn by the sea in fabled Cape Cod? Trying to decide between these tempting Massachusetts playgrounds is like trying to choose between the chocolate-raspberry torte and the tiramisu: It’s a happy dilemma!
They’re definitely different. Martha’s Vineyard has a funky, family-friendly, country-chic vibe. (Think fishing derbies and chili cook-offs.) Nantucket has a posh-preppy appeal, attracting summer visitors in whale-print pants and designer frocks who make the scene at gallery openings and high-end restaurants. Cape Cod is tougher to pigeonhole. It isn’t just one place, but a collection of towns, both historic and honky-tonk, with one thing in common: the wave-tossed Atlantic, ringed with tawny sand and a fringe of sea oats. How to choose? Read on, and see which destination suits your personal style.
Nantucket
BEST FOR: Couples; history buffs
SIGNATURE STYLE: Nantucket reds (cotton canvas clothing) from Murray’s Toggery
WHERE TO BE SEEN: Nantucket Film Festival (June 19-22)
CLASSIC ATTRACTION: Whaling Museum
One glimpse at the mega-yachts tied up on Straight Wharf, and you’ll realize that Nantucket is no sleepy fishing village. About 30 miles south of Cape Cod, Nantucket has evolved from a seafaring island outpost to an upscale resort. The island has kept an air of exclusivity despite the throngs who show up at the pristine beaches during the summer, so its true charms remain intact. It’s a carefully preserved and, yes, preppy haven, but you don’t have to own a yacht to have a wonderful time on this 14-mile-long triangle of sand. In fact, you can get off the ferry without even a glance at those big boats and head to Toy Boat, a quaint shop where kids can get marbles out of a vending machine.
If you’re a history buff, this is the island for you. All of Nantucket is a historic district, with 800 buildings that predate the Civil War. Between the 1740s and the 1830s, it was the world’s preeminent whaling port and the island is still awash in the spoils of those boom times. The cobblestones underfoot were used as weight to balance whaling ships, and sea captains built the handsome homes that still stand along Main Street. The island is also dotted with cottages featuring gabled roofs and white cedar shingles weathered to silvery gray.
While you’re in town, check out the shops and galleries along Main Street, and wander over to the Whaling Museum on Broad Street, where you’ll encounter the 46-foot long skeleton of a sperm whale dangling overhead. Climb up to the rooftop observation deck for great views.
Rent a bike and pedal out of town along one of the paved bike paths, and a different kind of beauty emerges. This is the Nantucket of salt marshes, cranberry bogs, freshwater ponds and dunes dappled with fragrant rosa rugosa, not to mention more than 80 miles of sandy beaches. The bike paths will get you to the sweetest spots, including Siasconset (“Sconset”), a rose-be-decked cottage colony, and Madaket Beach on the western end of the island. Madaket is a primo spot for sunset-watching. Bring a picnic and watch the sky turn the color of a raspberry smoothie over the frothy surf.
WHERE TO STAY AND EAT: Among the island’s numerous inns, Seven Sea Street gets rave reviews. Set on a quiet side street just a short walk from the ferry dock, this post-and-beam-style B&B offers creature comforts like HDTVs and a hot tub spa room available for private reservations. The circa-1850 Wauwinet is a classic upscale beach resort with sailing, croquet, two private beaches and one of Nantucket’s most acclaimed restaurants, TOPPER’S. Plain-Jane Black-Eyed Susan’s looks like a luncheonette, but wows diners with a killer breakfast (until 1 p.m.) and an ever-changing dinner menu. Every island worth its sea salt has at least one killer clam shack. Here, it’s Sayle’s Seafood, where they offer amazing fried fish plates and a real-deal clambake with steamer clams, mussels, lobster, the works.
Martha’s Vineyard
BEST FOR: Families; young, active types
SIGNATURE STYLE: Black Dog T-shirt
WHERE TO BE SEEN: l’étoile
CLASSIC ATTRACTION: Flying Horses Carousel
When Bartholomew Gosnold landed on this island in 1602, he noticed a bounty of wild grapes growing and named the place in honor of one of his daughters, Martha. Kids still rule here, and compared to Nantucket, the Vineyard is more flip-flops than Topsiders. Family-friendly eateries abound and diversions are low-key: fairs and farmer’s markets, a nature walk at the wildlife sanctuary and shopping for wampum jewelry made of quahog shells. Some say that Martha’s Vine-yard—located five miles off the coast of Cape Cod—is like the Cape used to be: a rustic getaway devoted to sun and sea, best savored at a slow pace.
Like Nantucket, Martha’s Vineyard gets wildly busy in high summer, and fall is no longer considered “off-season,” either. Visitors are spread around a bit more, too. The Up-Island towns of West Tisbury, Aquinnah and Chilmark give the western end of the Vineyard a rural, laidback feel. A perfect day on this side would include a pop-in to Alley’s General Store for snacks, followed by a hike along the wooded trails and headlands of Cedar Tree Neck Wildlife Sanctuary. From the summit, you’ll see views of Aquinnah, formerly known as Gay Head. The multihued Aquinnah Cliffs are definitely worth a look. Moshup Beach, nestled at the base of the cliffs, is also a great viewing spot.
Down-Island, the towns of Edgartown, Oak Bluffs and Vineyard Haven are always busy. The ferry lands in Vineyard Haven and Oak Bluffs, and most visitors can’t resist a visit to the Black Dog Tavern and Bakery, whose T-shirts have become a Vineyard icon.
The narrow streets of Edgartown are reminiscent of Nantucket Town. Pleasure boats dock here, and swells of well-dressed visitors wander in and out of shops, bars and restaurants. Elegant inns line the side streets.
The crowd is younger and more diverse in Oak Bluffs, where pizza and ice cream (try Ben & Bill’s Chocolate Emporium) are on the menu, along with Martha’s Vineyard’s sweetest attraction, the Flying Horses Carousel, the nation’s oldest operating platform carousel. Grab for the brass ring; it’ll get you a free spin. Another Oak Bluffs highlight is the gingerbread cottages, a colorful collection of ornate Victorian houses that date back to the 1850s, when they housed a Methodist encampment.
WHERE TO STAY AND EAT: The 11-room Beach Plum Inn offers great views of Menemsha Harbor, lush gardens and an inviting shabby-chic style. In Edgartown, the Charlotte Inn offers an elegant blend of European-style manor house-meets old New England. Nearby, French restaurant l’étoile is one of the island’s top tables with fresh-from-the-sea delicacies like lobster etuvée. The Newes from America pub is a more low-key dining spot, serving the Vineyard’s best burgers. Two other classic haunts are Linda Jean’s in Oak Bluffs and Vineyard Haven’s Art Cliff Diner, where you can sit on a counter stool and dig into green eggs and ham. Truly. And, yes, there’s a decent clam shack, the Net Result, where you can get a platter of bivalves or sushi.
Cape Cod
BEST FOR: Variety-seekers (if you’re willing to town-hop); beach-lovers
SIGNATURE STYLE: A “Cape Cod”-emblazoned hoodie, to ward off cool sea breezes
WHERE TO BE SEEN: Arnold’s, in Eastham
CLASSIC ATTRACTION: Cape Cod National Seashore
If Nantucket is a string of pearls and Martha’s Vineyard a wampum-shell necklace, then Cape Cod is a charm bracelet with lots of dangly bits: historic Sandwich; 1950s-funky Dennisport; charming little Chatham; Eastham, where the native Wampanoags first encountered the Mayflower; and Provincetown, a Key West-like outpost that attracts artsy types. With all of these options and then some, it’s no wonder the Cape is so popular.
If you’ve got the patience—and several days—see it all. If you’re more the “walk the beach, watch the sunset” type, your best bet is to head to the lower and outer sections of the Cape: Towns like Brewster, Chatham, Eastham, Wellfleet and Truro—with smaller crowds and bay, bog or beach vistas—offer the windswept Cape-scape that probably comes to mind when you think “Cape Cod.”
Base yourself in Chatham, at the elbow of the peninsula, and soak up the seaside ambience: Watch fishermen bring in their catch on Fish Pier, walk along the beach to Chatham Light and take a ferry to Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge to look at the seals. It’s worth a ride to Eastham to wander the magnificent Cape Cod National Seashore, where you can walk in the footsteps of Henry David Thoreau. Eat oysters in Wellfleet—it’s famous for ’em—and take in a flick at the Wellfleet Drive-In, a fun, retro night out. Of course, you’ll want to check out the action in Provincetown, where Commercial Street is chock-a-block with galleries, shops, you-name-it, and then escape the crowds on a buggy ride with Art’s Dune Tours. You’ll see the original Cape-style houses and more seabirds than people.
WHERE TO STAY AND EAT: The Chatham Bars Inn is a lovely grand hotel atop a bluff on the bay. Many of the 200-plus guest rooms and cottages overlook the ocean. Informal elegance rules at the Wequasset Inn on Pleasant Bay. Facilities include golf and tennis. Into camping? Reserve a space at Nickerson State Park, set along the 22-mile Cape Cod Rail Trail. Eating on the Cape doesn’t have to be a pricey proposition. Check out the specials at Chatham Squire in Chatham, or hop over to nearby Orleans to check out the Mediterranean-Thai fusion tastes at Abba. Clam shacks abound; including Captain Frosty’s in Dennis, and Arnold’s Lobster & Clam Bar in Eastham. Lastly, head to an outpost of Sundae School for ice cream made in small batches with fresh ingredients and real fruit. It’s a fantastic wrap to a perfect day at the beach.
YOUR GETAWAY GUIDE
CAPE COD
NANTUCKET
MARTHA’S VINEYARD
GETTING THERE & GETTING AROUND
You can get to Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard on Hy-Line Cruises (508-778-2602, hylinecruises. com) and the Steamship Authority (508-477-8600, www.steamshipauthority.com), which runs ferries from Hyannis to Nantucket year-round. The Plymouth & Brockton bus line (508-746-0378, www.p-b.com) offers bus service from Boston’s South Station and Logan International Airport to Hyannis. Bonanza Bus Lines (800-343-9999, www.peterpanbus.com) offers service from Boston to Woods Hole (on the Cape); from there, you can take a Steamship Authority ferry to Vineyard Haven or Oak Bluffs. You won’t need a car once you’re on-island—biking around is easy and rentals are available. Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard also have shuttle buses, generally from spring through fall. If you’re headed to the Cape, you’ll need a car, unless you’re headed to Provincetown and plan to stay there. Ferries from Boston will get you to P-Town in 90 minutes (the fast ferry) or three hours (the relaxing ride). Contact Bay State Cruise Co. (617-748-1428, www.baystatecruisecompany.com).
