Cape Cod’s Nantucket & Martha’s Vineyard
Cape Cod was definitely a top bucket list destination on my East Coast road trip especially after a long period of following @KJP and @SarahKJP on Instagram. They are the epitome of what you would imagine a perfect New England lifestyle would be like. When thinking of these islands, I think of the Kennedy’s, Lilly Pulitzer, Vineyard Vines, and rich people. I thought I would make my preppy New England dreams come true by visiting both islands.
Nantucket is historically known as a whaling town and was even the inspiration for Herman Melville’s Moby Dick!
Getting There
While in the most ideal world, I would’ve loved to sail to these islands like a true, rich prepster, we settled for the ferry. We used the Steamship Authority for transportation between the islands since it is the largest and cheapest ferry service to the Islands of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket from Cape Cod. There is a traditional, high speed, and an option to bring your vehicle. A round trip traditional fare to Nantucket is $17 while a trip to Martha’s Vineyard will run $37.
Nantucket
Nantucket was the first Island we visited off of the cape. Upon arriving, we rented bicycles in order to get around the island efficiently. The ferry drops you off right by the center of town. As far as the town goes, there are plenty of cute little shops and cafes. The Cape Cod architecture is largely known for their wood shake siding. The grounds are all cobblestone in town so it makes for a very bumpy bicycle ride! Of course, I needed to snag an iconic Nantucket souvenir sweater during my visit! We just walked around the different shops and then proceeded to bike to Cisco Brewers to enjoy a couple of drinks. Cisco Brewers is the island’s only brewery and features an open-air beer garden.
Next, we biked to Cisco Beach where we could enjoy the beautiful Nantucket coastline. The beach features yellow sand and sandy cliffs worn by the wind and the waves. It was especially enjoyable since we were visiting in the off season so largely had the beach to ourselves.
Finally, we visited Brant Point Lighthouse. Established in 1746, Brant Point was the second lighthouse established in colonial America. The lighthouse sets the record for the most times a lighthouse has been moved and rebuilt. The current one that stands is the ninth lighthouse established at Brant Point. Regardless, it is still a beautiful spot on the island surrounded by tall grass and sandy path.
Martha’s Vineyard
The following day, we made plans to visit Martha’s Vineyard. We took the ferry again and similarly, the downtown is right by the dock. Upon approaching the island, we saw many sailboats docked which added more charm to the Cape Cod aesthetic. If you’ve ever heard of Vineyard Vines, then you would associate that brand with Martha’s Vineyard. However, at the time of our visit, Vineyard Vines was apparently closed! In addition, my friend and I were expecting to maybe drink some wine and still through an actual vineyard on our visit. However, there are NO VINEYARDS in Martha’s Vineyard. There was one wine-producing vineyard on the island at one point, but it closed in 2008.
We had brunch at the Black Dog. The Black Dog had built a brand for itself on the island as it serves as several entities: a cafe, a restaurant, a clothing brand, and a marina. It’s definitely an icon of Cape Cod.
Since Martha’s Vineyard is larger than Nantucket, it is better to take the bus on the island to get around. An all-day ride pass will cost you $10. We took the bus to Island Alpaca Company to mingle with some Alpacas. The farm has over 50 Alpacas!
Unfortunately, we didn’t make it all the way to the other side of the island and the bus would have taken a whole hour each way. To wrap up the day, we sat by the beach near the dock to admire the sailboats before taking the ferry back to the mainland.
