Nantucket itself is an awesome place to visit but the amount of stores and places to grab a bite to eat can be a bit overwhelming to someone who has never set foot on the island. We however found a lack of information to guide a family around the town of Nantucket. From books to great food to art, we have put together a list of our top ten fun family adventure spots around town.
Oath Craft Pizza
Interested in a quick gourmet and cheap bite to eat right on the water? Oath Craft Pizza is simply incredible. We tried a Muffled Trushroom pie, which consisted of truffle sauce, mozzarella, roasted 'shrooms, ricotta and parmigiano. We also tried the Bella, which was topped with mozzarella, roasted cherry tomato, roasted garlic, ricotta, balsamic drizzle, parmigiana and fresh basil. We were extremely impressed with the pies, and after a week of extremely over-priced mediocre meals on the island, Oath Craft Pizza truly hit the spot. For more info and to check out the menu visit OathCraftPizza.com.
Nantucket Boat Basin
Some people think that Fort Lauderdale or Miami are the pinnacle of yachting but those in the know, know that nantucket is end-all-be-all of yachting in the United States. With that said, the mecca of yachting in nantucket is the Nantucket Boat Basin. No trip to the island is complete without walking the lengths of the wharfs to check out all of the ridiculous yachts in port. If you're lucky you may even get a chance to see the famed Nantucket Lightship moored out in the harbor. The basin also features many shops, restaurants and hotels. For more info visit Nantucketboatbasin.com.
Pete's Fresh Fish Prints
One of our favorite shops in the Nantucket Boat Basin is Pete's Fresh Fish Prints. Pete was also featured in the Wall Street Journal for his awesome artwork, he definitely deserves the praise! We walked into his shop on a random tuesday to find Pete building frames for his prints from abandoned crab traps he found around shores of the island. He was kind enough to let us photograph him at work and then we bought an awesome print from him. We highly recommend stopping at Pete's, we think it may be the most unique shop in the basin. For more info visit PetesFreshFishPrints.com.
Hospital Thrift Shop
Oddly enough we found out about the Hospital Thrift Shop from a random article online about Drew Barrymore visiting Nantucket. Apparently she is a thrifter and loves stopping in at the hospital thrift shop to see what they have to offer. The store sells items donated from island residents and visitors from late May through Mid-October. The shop has been operating for 87 years and is jam-packed with awesome finds. We spent about two hours perusing the three-story building and came out with a killer find. Located just inside the doorway sat a limited-edition signed John Cowan titled "Getting' Well" which depicts two men fishing a wreck for redfish in the gulf coast off Texas. To this day, that print is one of the best finds we have ever had. For more info visit www.HospitalThriftShop.com.
Seconds Shop
Another excellent place to find some amazing donated items is the Seconds Shop just outside of town. Seconds doesn't have as large a selection as the Hospital Thrift Shop but there are definitely some good finds tucked away in here. We ended up finding a Nantucket blanker in excellent condition for $5, which sells new at the local shops for $75. For more info visit www.SecondsShop.com.
Black Eyed Susan's
Looking for a good place to get a big breakfast with the whole family in Nantucket? There is no better place than Black-Eyed Susan's. Just make sure to get there early because there is usually a wait. For larger groups there is an outdoor patio with a large table. The food was good and decently priced for the island. For more info visit www.BlackEyedSusans.com.
The Sunken Ship
There are plenty of awesome stores in the town of Nantucket, but the one we always come back to, is the Sunken Ship. More of a general store than a t-shirt shop, the store has everything from toys, books, souvenirs, t-shirts and basic survival tools. We love that they have a unique selection compared to other shops and the store itself is just really cool. It really has that old-timey Nantucket feel to it. For more info visit www.SunkenShip.com.
Brant Point Light
Brant Point Light is a must-see for anyone visiting Nantucket. The Point is probably one of the most iconic and photographed places on the island. The lighthouse was first put into place on the point in 1746, automated in 1965 and is still in operation to this day. The point itself is truly beautiful, being of course, that it is almost totally surrounded by water. The sand is extra soft here but we were easily able to push our B.O.B. stroller all over the beach. The lighthouse itself is very small, has a cool old boardwalk style entrance and is obviously perfect for photos. Jake had a blast playing here. Definitely worth a stop here if you ever visit Nantucket. Parking is plentiful only a block away and the point is easy bikeable from town. For more info visit www.BrantPointLight.com.
Mitchell's Book Corner
Mitchell's Book Corner on Main Street in Nantucket, is the place to find books about the island's history, as well as every fiction story ever written about Nantucket. Mitchell's has a special charm only found in the best and rarest of book stores, which makes the little corner store very attractive. The employees are super helpful and friendly, they helped us find several perfect books within minutes. For more info visit www.MitchellsBookCorner.com.
No list of anything on Nantucket would be complete without mentioning Provisions. This little sandwich has been featured in all sorts of news outlets and television shows, specifically for their famed Turkey Terrific. The ingredients here are as fresh as they come and as delicious as they come, we might add. We probably ate here at least four or five times during our week visit this past summer. Provisions definitely earns the rank of being our favorite place to grab a bite to eat on the entire island. For more info visit www.ProvisionsNantucket.com.
