Salt Air and Whaling Tales – A Timeless Summer Escape.
For summer traveling, Nantucket has treats for visitors of all ages. Frequent ferries and air travel are available from Hyannis, Massachusetts, New York, Boston, and Washington, D.C. Located 30 miles south of Cape Cod, the indigenous Wampanoag tribe lived here for 3000 years before twelve English families arrived in 1659 to graze their sheep and find a quiet spot to raise their children.
Over the centuries, Nantucket transformed from a quiet agricultural outpost into one of the world’s leading whaling capitals, its fortunes rising and falling with the tides of the global whaling industry. The island’s saltbox cottages and cobblestone streets still whisper tales of sea captains, daring voyages, and fortunes lost and won on the open ocean. Today, Nantucket’s maritime legacy is visible in its meticulously preserved architecture and the rich collections of its museums.
The island’s windswept moors and pristine beaches beckon nature lovers and solitude seekers alike, while its lively harbor brims with sailboats and seafood shacks. The Daffodil Festival in spring paints the streets gold with floral beauty.
Brant Point Lighthouse
As the ferry rounds the harbor entry point, one of the three island light houses greets visitors, and often our children toss a penny overboard and make a wish as we enter. There are two more lighthouses worth visits located at the northern tip of the island called Great Point, and another near the small town of Sconset named after the Indian chief, Siasconset, who led his tribe in this part of the island.
Sankaty Light, Sconset
One summer visitor for the past few years is a massive sailboat called the Lynx which was used in the war of 1812 when the British tried to recapture the American colonies. It sails to the island for three months from Annapolis, Maryland and is open for daily sails for people of all ages.
The Lynx
Two of my favorite things to visit on the island are the Whaling Museum and the Life Saving Museum. Each contains wonderful relics of island history including a skeleton of a huge whale, a group of harpoons used to kill same, a map of all the shipwrecks around the island, and bird decoys used by island hunters to catch their local specimens.
Whale Skeleton and Harpoons
Decoy Collection
Historic houses and wonderful restaurants are open to the public to enjoy all summer. A visitor can get a sense of what Nantucket was like in the 19th century when it was really the oil capital of the United States until oil and gas were discovered underground. A Harvard case study says that a boat returning full of whale oil in about 1820 has the present value of $20 million dollars today. Nantucket was the OPEC of the 19th century in America.
124 Main Street
In addition to summer festivals about books and film, there are art classes for all ages sponsored by the Artists Association whose members also have their own artwork for sale. These two are my favorites this summer.
Greg Hill
Anne Marie Bratton
For those interested in the history of the island, local author Nathaniel Philbrick is a noted specialist in the ins and outs of many island subjects. My favorite of his works is In the Heart of the Sea, about the whaling expedition in the South Pacific where the ship Essex was struck by a white whale, tossing the crew into lifeboats to find rescue or death.
Nathaniel Philbrick
Summer rentals are available on the island as well as gracious hotels and inns. The months of July and August are the busiest, but June and September are wonderful times to plan a visit. The year-round population has grown to about 15,000 people who provide all the infrastructure that you can ever need. More information is available on the webpage: nantucketchamber.org. Nantucket sunsets are also a wonderful part of this island and its seaside geography.
Nantucket sunsets
Sources consulted:
- Nantucket Historical Association archives.
- Artists Association data.
- Nantucket Chamber of Commerce.
- Nantucket Shipwreck and Life Saving Museum.
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