Why Should Your Next Family Vacation Be On Nantucket?

Nantucket, MA, is a perfect spot to take your family and create unforgettable memories together.

Located 30 miles south of Cape Cod, the tiny island has everything you need to have a fun-filled family vacation and keep all family members happy.

It is a kid-friendly destination with numerous beaches, activities, venues, restaurants, and places to enjoy yourselves.

Here are some reasons to choose this charming New England island as your next family holiday destination.

It is easy to find accommodation for a small or a large family

While there are some superb hotels on the island, it is much more convenient and affordable to rent a house for your stay there, especially when traveling with children or extended family members.

You can choose from short-term rental residences of all types, sizes, and locations. Many of them include kid-friendly amenities, such as beach toys and surfing and watersports gear, bikes, kayaks, baby cribs, and more, so you can find the perfect rental for your needs.

You can book a cute little cottage, a beach house, or a historic home for your vacation. There are upscale mansions and properties with up to 12 rooms, indoor and outdoor pools, playgrounds, piers, and other amenities which are suitable for large families too.

You can save money by sharing the rental costs with friendly families or others and by preparing your own snacks and meals at your place instead of eating out all the time.

And last but not least, you will have the chance to experience the feeling of living as a local on this magical island.

Entertainment for children

There are various places, venues, and events which offer entertainment for children of all ages, especially during the summer season in Nantucket.

Some of the best things to do with your little ones while vacationing there include:

Dip your hands into the touch tanks at the Aquarium

The Maria Mitchell Aquarium is located on the waterfront of the Harbor. It is a perfect spot to introduce your kids to the fantastic local creatures and sea life around Nantucket.

It has several aquarium rooms with some stunning fish and sea animals and large outdoor tanks where the children can watch some baby sharks and horseshoe crabs from up close.

Your kids can enjoy petting and touching the cute shrimps, crabs, and other friendly critters at the Aquarium’s Touch Tank too.

Join the fun at the Discovery playground at Hinsdale Park

This is a relatively new playground located at Hinsdale Park, which the local Land Bank and the Maria Mitchell Association founded.

It is a great place to relax while the children enjoy learning new crafts, creating art, meeting new friends, and playing with others.

The Discovery playground has a sensory wall, a cozy dome, a fun-filled ZipKrooz, a Netplex Structure, and a ramped structure, plus numerous musical instruments to keep kids of all ages entertained for hours.

Watch a Nanpuppets show

Lizza Obermski has created these cute puppets and offers regular performances at venues such as the Nantucket Atheneum and others, as well as private performances for kids’ birthday parties and other events.

Your children will fall in love with the adorable hand puppets named Clarence the Clam, Wanda the Whale, Larry the Lobster, Seymour the Seal, Millie the Mermaid, Obadiah the Old Salt, Shamona the Shark, Moom the Moon Jelly, Simon the Seagull, Snoof the Sea Monster and Bonnie the Bunny. 

Variety of beaches suitable for kids

Nantucket is known for its sandy, wide, and clean beaches and stunning ocean views.

There are more than 20 beaches on all shores of the island, so there is a beach in Nantucket suitable for every taste.

Some of them are especially suitable for families with children, including Children’s Beach, Jetties, and Dionis. All three of them are at a walking distance from town and are on the north coast, on the shore of the Nantucket Sound, which has much safer, shallower, and warmer water than that of the open Atlantic Ocean on the other coasts.

These beaches have playgrounds, restrooms, lifeguards, playgrounds, snack bars, and all amenities to keep the kids happy throughout the day.

Older kids can learn how to surf at one of the two local surf schools on the south coast beaches of Nobadeer and Cisco. 

Interesting historical places to explore together

Many kids don’t seem interested in visiting historic landmarks, but Nantucket has some historical sites which even the fussiest children will find intriguing and fun.

The island, which used to be one of the biggest whaling hubs in the world, is home to the famous Whaling Museum.

You and the children can see some unique exhibits, including a 46-foot long real sperm whale skeleton, lighthouse Fresnel lens, various artifacts, artwork, and documents from the glorious whaling years, and the ships and captains that inspired Herman Melville to write “Moby-Dick.”

Another fun place for kids is the Shipwreck and Lifesaving Museum of Nantucket, where there are models of ships, boats, and other vessels, as well as actual artifacts from the hundreds of shipwrecks that happened around the island.

The museum also celebrates the brave work of the local lifesavers who have worked relentlessly to save and help the captains, crews, and their ships in those difficult times.

Last but not least, you can take your children to see the oldest windmill in the USA, which still works and grinds corn when the weather allows it.

Kid-friendly trails for families who love to stay active

While most kids will start complaining as soon as they set foot on a walking trail, Nantucket has some superb child-friendly and easy ones which they may actually enjoy.

Plus, over half of the island’s land and nature are conserved, so you and your family can explore the untouched nature and spot some unique local birds, seals, and other wildlife on the way, along with the beautiful coastal trees, flowers, and plants.

Because the island is so small and has few hills and elevations, most walking trails are relatively short and easy, even for the youngest children.

The shortest but picturesque Tupancy Links Trail will take you only 18 minutes to complete. And others, such as the Head of the Plains Loop and the Linda Loring Nature Foundation Loop trail, will each take only up to 20 minutes to complete.

Some of the longer and even more exciting trails to explore include the Coskata-Coatue Wildlife Refuge, the Miacomet Pond and the Sanford Farm, Ram Pasture, and the Woods trails.

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