Day Trip to Nantucket, MA – Cape Cod

June 2024

Day Trip to Nantucket, MA – Cape Cod

For our weekend in Cape Cod, Kevin definitely wanted to explore one of the Cape Cod islands of Nantucket or Martha’s Vineyard. Since we only had a day trip to complete this excursion, Nantucket appeared to be the best option since it is more compact and you can see most things without a car. 

The drive to the Hyannis ferry port was 45 minutes and the ticket indicated you should arrive 45 minutes ahead of the departure time so we had to leave around 6AM for our 830AM departure. For the ferry, there are a few options for ports and companies you can utilize for these journeys. We selected the most popular option of the Hy-Line cruise out of Hyannis Port as it had the most frequent ferry departures and times though I wish we arranged to go out of Harwich Port with Freedom Cruise since it was so much closer to Wellfleet but they only had a few departures a day with times that were not as good for a day trip. Tickets for the cruises are best purchased online far in advance since they will sell out during peak seasons such as the summer. In addition, we also paid extra for parking on site so it was one less thing we had to worry about in the morning. The price difference between on and off site parking was only $10 so it really was not too much of an expense to guarantee parking. We arrived at the ferry port and followed the signs for the Hy-Line Cruises and we were given a pass to park right next to the ferry dock – very convenient.

The journey itself was easy but definitely allocate more than an hour to get to Nantucket as these ferries are not particularly punctual and no one seemed to be in a rush to get off the ferry. As we made our way off the ferry and to the downtown, we could not get over how colonial looking downtown Nantucket was – it reminded me of Boston and the cobblestone roads were certainly a surprise. 

Our first stop was breakfast at Lemon Press and as we approached, the mob outside definitely had me checking for other options. But when Kevin went to ask inside, they could seat us immediately. I was certainly puzzled but then a take-out counter revealed itself and it was clear that the mob of people were waiting for take out. So do not let the crowd dissuade you – make sure to ask! Since we had the donuts, we decided to share Perisan Breakfast of two eggs, duck confit hash, date chutney, feta, pickled onions, and pita, along with a side of fruit. And this side of fruit had better be some of the best fruit we had at $12.50! Kevin also ordered a cortado which he deemed his best coffee of the weekend. 

Everything was very delicious, including that fruit bowl. The Persian Breakfast had wonderful savory elements that really complimented each other. The duck confit hash was excellent and I want to see this more on breakfast menus. I love the sweetness the date chutney and feta brought to the dish as well. Absolutely recommend Lemon Press!

We were very excited to explore downtown but we were going to save that for the afternoon. For now, we headed to Nantucket Bike shop for bike rentals to make our way around Nantucket. Our ultimate destination was Siasconset / ‘Sconset on the east side of the island. ‘Sconset is known for pristine beaches, beautiful cottages that are often adorned with roses, and tight community.

Read about our bike ride and time in ‘Sconset here!

After returning the bikes, I was eager for a reward after all that work – ice cream. Juice Bar is the best rated ice cream shop on the island and the line outside definitely validated that. We jumped in line and it moved very fast. The flavors were listed but it was hard to tell what some of the flavors were without seeing them. But when we got inside the shop, there was no ability to see the flavors so it was a choice based on names alone. The most chocolate heavy flavor sounded like Triple Chocolate Mountain – sounds pretty dark chocolatey to me. So I was very surprised when the cone was handed to me looking very much like vanilla. And with my first bite, I was very unhappy. How can they call this bland flavor Triple Chocolate? It had mini chocolate chips which were the best part, and brownie pieces that were inedible – honestly I could not eat them. And Juice Bar is charging an insane amount of money – Salt and Straw level money – for their ice cream. It was $20 for two ice creams. Kevin was more pleased with his flavor of chocolate peanut butter cookie dough but it wasn’t anything outstanding. After all that bike riding to have disappointing ice cream? Rude, Juice Bar. It is clearly a very popular and well rated spot so maybe I just ordered wrong but it would be helpful if customers were able to see the flavors before committing. 

We were looking forward to wandering around downtown and exploring all the shops. Our favorites included Flowers On Chestnut, Mitchell’s Book Corner, Artists Association of Nantucket Gallery, among others. I was surprised how large the downtown area is and how much is stacked into these blocks. This is definitely a great place to have a scooter to get around and we spotted several along our walk. One thing we continued to see on clothing and various merchandise were the letters ACK. And while Nantucket does contain those letters, it did not feel like a good acronym. A quick google search indicated this was actually the airport code for the Nantucket – quite a status symbol to walk around with that on your striped sweater. We overheard many visitors question the letters so I was glad it wasn’t just us – so now you know! 

Ready for another snack, our timing was a bit off as it was after 2PM and many kitchens closed until dinner service at 5PM. I found this gap a bit strange as peak tourist season was beginning so it feels like some opportunity to cash in but keep this in mind. We did find Misogi Noodle Bar where we grabbed a drink, dashi edamame, and tuna poke (cured and sliced Ahi Tuna with marinated spinach, seaweed salad, rice, quinoa, basil, sweetened soy sauce, sesame seed, and crispy wonton) – all of which were great. 

One spot I really wanted us to have a meal was Or, the Whale but our schedule just was not going to allow it for this trip but we were able to do the next best thing – grab a drink. The interior of the restaurant was nicely appointed and had a long gold accented bar among a large dining room. But we went to the back where Or, the Whale features an outdoor paradise complete with multiple types of seating to fit your party and vibes, and an outdoor bar. We really enjoyed our time here and I was bummed we were not able to find out how the food here is due to the timing of the lunch and dinner service since it looked like a good time. 

With the count down to our departure nearby, our final area to explore was around the piers and docks. We could see the Brant Point Lighthouse, watch the various sizes of boats come in and out of the harbor, and enjoy looking at the various shops and restaurants. We noted the crowd forming by the Hy-Line Cruises dock so we made our way in line for our return journey to Hyannis Port.

What a fun day trip to Nantucket! I can easily tell how people spend a full weekend on the island – or even a full summer. I swear everyone on the island was going to, was at, or went to Cisco Brewery – we lost count of how many times we heard about it – so that is one thing we missed that seemed like the bopping spot. Overall, Nantucket is definitely worth a stop on your Cape Cod adventure and we look forward to visiting again.

Continue reading about our trip to the Cape Cod here!

Read all blog posts for Cape Cod here!

See our complete itinerary here!

Planning your own trip? Read the Perfect Itinerary for Cape Cod here!