City Guides: Things to do While Boating in Nantucket, Massachusetts

Known for its beach dunes, cedar-shingled structures, cobblestone streets and misty fog, Nantucket is just off the coast of Cape Cod and Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts.The Grey Lady, as it’s sometimes called, is near Newport, RI and east of Long Island on the mainland.

A terrific destination for boaters and fans of maritime history, the island is 14 miles long and 3.5 miles wide with 100 miles of shoreline circling the island. The town of Nantucket is an excellent example of a late 18th and early 19th-century New England seaport. It’s even a designated National Historic District Landmark.

Photo: Wikimedia

Check out New England architecture and Greek Revival homes, go sailing in Nantucket Sound or work on a tan at Madaket Beach, Surfside Beach or Siasconset Beach. The little seaside town is also well-known in popular culture. The 1986 comedy One Crazy Summer was set in Nantucket (though filmed on Cape Cod), and the ‘90s TV show Wings was set on Nantucket (but filmed in L.A.). Ishmael, of Herman Melville’s Moby Dick fame, started his voyage in Nantucket.

Whether you’re traversing the Atlantic Ocean in a trawler or motor yacht, fishing for seafood, scallops and big game fish or visiting a private boat dock for rent somewhere on the island, you’ll want to add some of these sites to your itinerary. Let’s get started!

The Whaling Museum

Photo: Nantucket Historical Association (Facebook)

Run by the Nantucket Historical Association, the Whaling Museum is one of our favorites to visit from a private boat slip rental. Exhibits include the Road from Abolition to Suffrage holographic exhibit, oil and candle production, the scrimshaw collection (engraved whale teeth), Neptune’s Grotto with a tusked walrus skull and a whale’s jaw and the real-life Essex sinking that inspired the tale of Moby Dick. Visit Tucker’s Rooftop for panoramic island views.

Lighthouses 

Photo: Sankaty Light (Wikimedia)

At 70 feet talk Sankaty Head Light is located on the east end of the island and is visible for 25 miles out to sea. It was built in 1850 and automated in 1965. Made of brick and granite, it’s one of the first Fresnel lens lighthouses in the U.S. It’s easily recognizable by the two white and one red horizontal stripe topped by a black lantern. Erosion caused it to move closer and closer to the edge of the bluff. When it got to 68 feet from the edge, it was moved back to 267 feet from the edge.

Great Point Light (or Nantucket Light) is at the northern end of the island in Coskata-Coatue Wildlife Refuge. First built in 1784, it was destroyed by fire in 1816, rebuilt out of stone and then toppled in 1984. A 60-foot replica of the original 1816 light was built in 1986. It’s a white stone tower with a black lantern. Even though it’s of fairly recent construction, it’s a popular one to visit.

Photo: Brant Point Light (Wikimedia)

Established in 1746, Brant Point Light is America’s second oldest lighthouse and is still in operation. It’s located at the northern end of the island and welcomes ferry riders to the island. Made of wood and stone, it has a white tower with a black lantern. It’s the tenth lighthouse structure to be built on that spot. Others were either destroyed by fire, toppled over or were condemned. One is still there unused.

Coskata-Coatue Wildlife Refuge

Photo: Great Point Light in Coskata-Coatue Wildlife Refuge (Wikimedia)

Coskata-Coatue Wildlife Refuge is one of our favorite spots to visit from a private boat slip rental in Nantucket. It has the largest red cedar woodland in all of New England. It’s home to deer, seals, osprey, great blue herons and other seabirds. Situated on 916 acres of barrier island beaches between Nantucket Harbor and the Sound, it’s only accessible by four-wheel-drive vehicles due to the soft sand. Adventurous visitors enjoy fly-fishing, clamming, swimming, hiking and visiting Great Point Lighthouse. 

Nantucket Shipwreck & Lifesaving Museum

Photo: Nantucket Shipwreck & Lifesaving Museum (Facebook)

An affiliate of the Egan Maritime Institute, the Nantucket Shipwreck & Lifesaving Museum was founded in 1968. Explore the history of shipwrecks, lifesaving and rescuers in and around Nantucket. It’s located at the edge of Folger’s Marsh and makes a great spot to visit from a private boat dock for rent. There are seasonal activities, guided tours and exhibits on lighthouses, the Andrea Doria ocean liner (which sank in 1956 off the coast of Nantucket), sea dogs and present day USCG rescue procedures.

Are you ready to pack your boat bags and motor (or sail) to a private boat lift rental in Nantucket? Consider us ready!