Hotels – Restaurants – Beaches – Shops – Taxi Service – Misc. – Lighthouses
Hotels
The White Elephant
Faraway Nantucket
Greydon House
Restaurants:
Juice Bar Ice Cream – in the evening, a true gathering spot! Try the flavor called “Crantucket”
Cisco Brewery – go in the late afternoon when there is live music and food trucks. Really fun even if you are not old enough to drink!
Bartlett Farm – deli sandwiches and “grab-n-go” salads here are delicious!
Surfside Beach snack shack and taco truck – the lobster roll at the snack shack is legendary!
Very fun beach with lots of teenagers, huge sandbars when the tide is out, pick up volleyball games, bathrooms and showers. Be sure to bring flips or slip ons… the sand path from the parking lot to the beach can get really hot on bare feet in the summer.
Something Natural – Near Steps Beach. Visit at sunset. Get a delicious sandwich on homemade bread and sit and eat outside at one of their picnic tables in a quiet setting.
Cru
Chanticleer
Ventuno
Sea Grille
Lemon Press: Breakfast
Lobster Trap: for lobster rolls
Beaches:
Jetties Beach / Children’s Beach
Jetties Beach and Children’s Beach are the closest to Town. They are family friendly beaches on the Nantucket Sound side of the island. They offer warm, calm waters for wading and swimming. There are lifeguards, public restrooms, a playground area and volleyball nets, a beach café and a parking lot near the beach (although parking can be a challenge in July and August as the lots fill up early in the day). There are also many scheduled activities at these beaches during the summer months such as yoga, children’s crafts, concerts, and sand castle contests. Be sure to pick up a free copy of “Yesterday’s Island” at the Stop & Shop or other stores around town for a current daily/weekly schedule of local activities during your visit.
Steps Beach
Steps Beach is off of Cliff Road and a lovely 30-40 minute walk from the house. It is “sandwiched” between Jetties and Dionis Beaches and aptly named for the long wooden staircase you descend from Lincoln Avenue to get to it. The beach offers warmer protected shores with gentle waves washing onto the sandy beach and some of the most spectacular sunsets on the island. Many a marriage proposal have been known to take place on this beach at sunset! And at night during August and September, bioluminescent creatures can be seen in the water. There are no lifeguards or bathroom facilities. There is parking along the circle on Lincoln Avenue, but you are best to walk or bike there because parking is very limited.
Dionis Beach
Dionis Beach is located on the northern shore of the island. It is about a 10 minute drive from Back Street out toward Eel Point. A wonderful beach if you like shell hunting or have small children and prefer calm, warm waters for them to wade and swim in. There is plenty of free parking, lifeguards, restrooms and showers. There is also a beautiful path from the parking lot to the beach – great for photos! Try to make time to go to this beach early one morning or late in the afternoon for a casual walk along the shore. You won’t regret it!
Cisco Beach
Cisco Beach is located on the south side of the island. This is a popular beach with the surfers. The “Ozone Classic” competition is held here and surf lessons are taught here daily throughout the summer. Heavy surf can be common and the beach is fairly narrow. There is a lifeguard and plenty of free parking, but not other services. Even if you are not a surfer per se, it can be really fun to go out to Cisco and just watch all of the surfers do their thing. And you can follow that up with a trip to nearby Cisco Brewers for live music, a bite to eat and a Shark Tracker or Pale Ale. Very casual and family friendly – go in your beach attire and flips! Sandy feet and all!
Surfside Beach
Surfside Beach is on the south shore of the island and an easy 10 minute drive or 20 minute bike ride from Back Street. Take a right from the driveway up Back Street to Sparks Avenue and turn right. Continue until you dead end into Surfside Road and turn left. Follow the road for a few miles until it comes to a dead end and you see the parking lot on the left. There is plenty of free parking and lots of bike racks too. There are also lifeguards, bathrooms, showers and a small shop to buy beach gear and sunscreen. Lots of food choices here with a terrific snack shack that serves burgers, sandwiches, salads, cold drinks and an absolutely delicious lobster roll! There is also a Taco Truck in the summer months. This is a vey popular beach and can get busy in July and August, but it is long and wide so there is plenty of room for spacing out and beach games. When the tide is out, treading out on the huge sandbars is really fun!
PRO TIP: Wear flipflops or sneakers to your umbrella spot…the sand along the beach path can get really hot at this beach during July and August!
Siasconset Beach
Siasconset Beach is located at the eastern most tip of the island. “Sconset” can be reached by driving along Milestone Road until it dead ends into the rotary in the center of the little village of Sconset. The village (the first whaling village on the island) is absolutely charming and a must visit place during your stay. It will take approximately 15-20 minutes to drive there from Back Street. There is parking in the village or you can also park just below the village by the beach entrance. The surf at Sconset is often heavy and there can also be quite a bit of fine red seaweed in the water depending upon the tides, but it is a lovely beach to walk along. Enjoying a bottle of wine in the dunes as the sun is setting is also lovely. There is a lifeguard here, but no other services. However, Sconset Market in the village and Claudette’s Café next door to the market both make wonderful sandwiches and salads to go and there are plenty of picnic benches and tables to enjoy them at if you prefer to not take them to the beach. If you have time, be sure to stroll around the village to see all of the historic rose covered cottage. If you are an ice cream lover, a trip to Sconset Market in the evening for a scoop and a walk along the footbridge by the water is quite a treat. If you are lucky enough to find yourself there during a full moon evening, you will be in for a super duper treat as the moon reflects on the water. There are also some wonderful restaurants in Sconset including The Chanticleer, Sconset Café and The Summer House.
Madaket Beach
Madaket Beach is at the western most tip of the island and as a result, can be wonderful for viewing sunsets. It is about a 20 minute drive from Back Street
Shops
Taxi Services:
Taxi Companies
Phone Numbers and Services
Services: B = bikes, V = van, E = early calls • dial 508 before all numbers
A Cab Service – 774-236-1413
A Independent Taxi – 508-228-5035
A-1 Taxi – 508-228-3330 – BVE
AAA Cab – 508-902-1825
Aardvark Cab. Co. – 508-228-2223 BVE
ACK Taxi – 508-228-228-5105 – VE
ACK Veteran’s Taxi – 508-228-5105
All Point Taxi – 508-228-5779 – VE
Aloha Cab Kompany – 508-228-1044
Anne’s Taxi – 508-228-8936 – E
Argo 1 – 508-498-6120
Around Nantucket Taxi – 508-325-5508–V
At Sea Taxi – 508-2281-0223
Barrett’s Taxi – 508-228-0174
Beach Comber Cab – 508-360-1585
Bev’s Taxi – 508-228-7874 – BV
Breeze Taxi – 508-325-2170
Canty’s Cab – 508-228-2888/508-228-3638
Cathleen Fitzgerald – 508-228-8936
Charlie’s Taxi – 508-228-5105 – BVE
Chief’s Cab – 508-284-8497
Clyde’s Cab – 508-332-6200
Dave’s Taxi – 508-325-1673 – E
Day & Night Taxi 508-221-0263
Diane’s Taxi – 508-221-5399
East Creek Taxi & Tours – 508-901-0242
Ernie’s Taxi – 508-228-6610
Frog’s Taxi – 508-257-4394
Independent II – 508-228-4146/508-228-5035
Island Taxi – 508-228-5105
Jaxx Taxi – 508-648-6161
Jim’s Taxi – 508-228- 9168
John’s Taxi – 508-228-8936 – E
Judi’s Taxi – 228-7722–BVE
KCK Cab – 508-901-1686 BE*
Kingfish Taxi – 508-325-7763
Lisa’s Taxi – 508-228-2223 – BVE
Lynne S. Walton – 508-325-5514
Mike’s Taxi – 508-325-7147
Milestone Taxi – 508-325-5511 – BVE
Nantucket Red Taxi – 508-325-7700 – VE
Nantucket Taxi & Limo508- 228-8936
Pirates Taxi – 508-680-4895
Richard Hardy – 508-228-2717
Richie’s Taxi – 774-236-1413
Roger’s Taxi – 508-818-8294 – BVE
Rolling Stone Taxi – 508-325-5511
Shoreline Taxi – 508-325-4646
Skippy’s Taxi – 508-736-6963
Smitty’s Taxi – 508-228-5035/508–221-5011 – BE
Stackpole Taxi – 508-228-9223
Stacy’s Taxi – 508-228-8087
Suzie’s Taxi -508-228-8353
Tackzee – 617-823-0123
Tank’s Taxi – 508-228-5786 – VE
Taxi Service – 508-228-5105
Terrapin Taxi – 508-228-5035 – BE
TMS Taxi – 508-228-7874
TNT Taxi – 508-325-2397
Town Taxi of Nantucket – 508-325-3391
T’s Taxi – 508-228-5270
Tuck-Tuck Taxi –508-280-4936
Val’s Cab Service – 508-228-9410/508-221-0192 – BVE
Whaler Taxi – 508-228-5105 – BVE
Will’s Taxi – 508-332-0499
*Wheelchair Lift Equipped
Taxi Rates – Taxi Map
TACKzee: Nantucket’s Free Taxi Mobile App: https://www.tackzee.com/
Activities:
- Next Level Watersports – wakeboarding, tubing, kite surfing. https://nextlevelwatersports.com/
- Top Spin – fishing charters – catch striped bass, bluefish, fluke, etc. https://www.topspinfishing.com/
- Drive out and picnic/fish/relax on Great Point. Awesome! (see light houses information and you can rent poles at Nantucket Bait & Tackle near the Stop and Shop/Shell gas station)
- Surf Lessons – at Nobadeer or Cisco Beach. https://nantucketsurfing.com/ (Cisco) https://www.acksurfschool.com/ (Nobadeer)
- Force 5 – Cool surf shop downtown with a “secret” penny candy store at the back!
- Visit Steps Beach at sunset… beautiful! Approximately 30 minute walk from 7.5 Back Street through downtown and the Cliff neighborhood. Then get a delicious sandwich on homemade bread from Something Natural (50 Cliff Road, not far from Steps Beach) – you can sit and eat outside at one of their picnic tables in a quiet setting.
- Ride the bikes! Roll the kayak down to the harbor and cruise around!
- If you like to golf, Little Sconset is a pretty 9-hole walking course and you can rent clubs
- Whaling Museum – great for a cloudy or rainy day. A very interesting history of Nantucket.
Lighthouses:
Some of Nantucket’s most memorable places to visit are our three historic lighthouses. Nantucket is filled with rich history, and Brant Point, Sankaty, and Great Point Lighthouses are routed deep in Nantucket’s history of being one of the world’s most famous whaling ports. All three are beautiful in their own way. Try to carve out time to see all three on your visit!
Brant Point Lighthouse is extremely accessible for all visitors as it is just a short walk from the center of downtown. Walk down South Beach Street past the White Elephant Hotel to the end of Easton Street and you will find yourself ankle-deep in sand and right at the lighthouse. Brant Point Lighthouse is the one you pass as you enter and exit the harbor if you take the ferry from Hyannis to Nantucket. Many a Christmas card or wedding shoot have taken place at this famed lighthouse. You can also bring fishing poles and bait to fish off the beach and/or rocks at Brant Point Lighthouse. Scupp, Flounder, and Sea Robin are just a few of the things we have caught fishing here in seasons past.
Sankaty Head Lighthouse was built in 1850 and automated in 1965. The beautiful candy cane lighthouse sits on the easternmost point of the island in Sconset. The lighthouse’s name is derived from the language of the native Wampanoag Indians, which means highlands. The tower stands 70 feet tall overlooking the steep eroding bluff. In 2007, the Sconset Trust acquired the lighthouse and had it moved 400 feet inland to protect it from falling off into the ocean as land is stripped away by the harsh stormy winds. The lighthouse’s stomping ground is known for its breathtaking views of Sankaty Head Golf Club, Nantucket Golf Club and the ocean. Sankaty Head Lighthouse can be viewed from Polpis Road just past Sconset, either by car or the NRTA WAVE bus Polpis route goes right by as well!
Great Point Lighthouse was first constructed in 1769 and is located on the northernmost point of Nantucket. The lighthouse stands 70 feet tall and sits on a thin stretch of beach where the strong currents of both the Nantucket Sound and the Atlantic Ocean meet. After the first two versions of the lighthouse were destroyed by a fire and by a storm, the current version was built in 1986. The light is powered by solar energy and the lighthouse is covered in a thick concrete mat shell to protect it from the wind and erosion. The land surrounding Great Point Lighthouse is called the Coskata-Coatue Wildlife Refuge and is owned by The Trustees of the Reservation. The coastal conservation lands that make up this refuge spread out over 1,110 acres along two peninsulas. The Great Point lighthouse is still active and is vital in helping mariners navigate the shoal-filled waters and shallow rips. The white light flashing can be seen up to 14 nautical miles away on a clear day.
Getting to the lighthouse is an adventure that we encourage every island visitor to take! However, it is imperative that you have a 4×4 vehicle with an Oversand Vehicle Permit specifically for Great Point in order to make this trip. Note: Both of our Jeeps have the proper permit for visiting Great Point. If you brought your own car to the island and it is a 4×4 vehicle, you can also purchase a day pass at the Wauwinet Gatehouse (located at the entrance to the refuge).
To begin your trip to Great Point, take Milestone Road to Polpis Road and drive until you see the signs for Wauwinet Road on the left. Continue on Wauwinet Road until it deadends at the Wauwinet Gatehouse. There you will be given a map of the refuge and will also get out of your vehicle to deflate your tires to 15 PSI so that you can gain traction on the soft sand of the roads and beach. Driving on the beach is awesome! You will see many seals and seagulls out on Great Point. It is fun to pack beach chairs, towels, sunscreen and a cooler and hang out there. You can also fish on Great Point. However, we would not recommend swimming there because where the seals are plentiful, there are often many sharks…we have spotted Great White Sharks in the water when fishing in a boat off of Great Point! Once you have completed your visit to Great Point and are headed back out you must stop once again at the Wauwinet Gatehouse to put the air back into your tires. There are two pumps located on the righthand side of the road just past the gatehouse. There is no cost to use them!
If you have additional questions about visiting Great Point, you can contact the Coskata-Coatue Wildlife Refuge at (508) 228-6799.
Brant Point Lighthouse
Sankaty Head Lighthouse