A Nantucket Day Trip - Fall 2024

A trip to Nantucket has been high (really high) on my New England bucket list. I'm a New England Native in love with the area. I'm a Weekend Wanderer out to explore as much of the northeast as my schedule as a mom/wife/business owner allows.  I've been to Martha's Vineyard, and spent a lot of time on Block Island, but Nantucket was the last one left on my "New England Island Trifecta". Most ACK visitors spend at least the weekend to take advantage of the island and the time it takes to get there. The island is small relative to its Vineyard neighbor, which means lodging is limited and you can expect to book far in advance, and spend a lot to do it. 

Nantucket charm

I toyed around with the idea of visiting Nantucket on a day trip and when a work opportunity came my way, I decided to make it happen. It's a lot of travel for the day, but the small size of the island makes it doable in a day trip and not having to worry about lodging is a second win. 

The work portion of the trip would take about 30 minutes while the travel to get to Nantucket would be four hours between the drive and the ferry, each way. Nantucket is the farthest east of the islands and is the southeasternmost town in both Massachusetts and the New England. This meant that if I was going to Nantucket, I was going to make the day of it and do the highlight reel on a sunny September day. I was also going in the shoulder season, after Labor Day when the crowds die down but warm enough to enjoy the sunshine and time outside on the island and it felt like the perfect way to experience Massachusetts island. 

Before I get into the details let me say a few things. I thought Nantucket was going to be overrated, that the island was more trendy and a socialite destination more than anything else and wouldn't be worth the expense and time required to travel there, especially for the day. Let me tell you no one was more pleasantly surprised than me. It took a little bit but I got the hype of the island, the vibe of Nantucket, and I can understand how special of a place it is, and why people head to this beautiful New England island in every single season. 

A Day Trip to Burlington, Vermont

Burlington, Vermont is just about everything you could want from a city in the Green Mountain State. It's Vermont's biggest city and it's full of good food, famous breweries, bike paths, eccentric shops, and the crown jewel of them all, Lake Champlain. Burlington is also a college town (home to the University of Vermont) which certainly helps to keep the area up and coming and trendy. 

You can find a dozen reasons to visit Burlington in the summertime. For me, it's the dog-friendly atmosphere, craft breweries, amazing bike path, and access to the lake. When the sun is out and the green mountain states takes on its namesake, it's the perfect place to spend the day - tag along. 

A Day Trip to Block Island

Block Island is a popular getaway well known by New England natives.  The island is shaped like a pork chop and is 7 miles long and 3 miles wide.  Rhode Island claims the land that sits in Block Island Sound, nine miles off its coast in the Atlantic Ocean.  Like the Cape, the Hamptons, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket, Block was formed from glacial deposits as the glaciers receded during the last ice age.  

If you are looking to get away from home, if you are looking to feel far away without the hassle or a plane ride, Block Island is it.  A one hour jaunt on the high-speed ferries from several New England ports transports you to a charming Island that feels a lot like Bermuda.  

I've spent a week on the island, I've gone out for a weekend (here is a weekend guide), and I've gone over just for the day.  Today we are talking about the latter, Block Island in a Day - a guide to seeing the highlights with a round trip same day ferry ticket.  It is perfect for anyone short on time or someone who wants to see Block on a budget because lodging on the island can be pretty pricey.   

To make the most of the day, you need to take the first ferry out and plan to take one of the last ferries back.  We caught the 9am ferry out of Point Judith and we were on the island by 10am.  We decided on the 5pm ferry back, arriving in Point Judith by 6pm in time to wind down and make dinner before ending the day. 

A Day Trip to Martha's Vineyard

Towards the end of a cold New England winter, and about the time I met Adam, I started putting together a New England summer "sorta bucket list".  It's a list of all the things and places I wanted to see in the near future. My list was places suggested by a friend or gems I found online that I quickly jotted down in a spreadsheet before it was lost in my brain, drifting somewhere between the never-ending To Do List and much-needed Grocery List. But because this is 2019 and I almost always have a computer in front of me or a phone nearby, this list turned into one long google doc I can add to wherever whenever.