5 Beaches You Should Visit In Nantucket

Have you been gawking at the numerous postcard-like photos hashtagged #Nantucket or #ACK on your Instagram feed? Or are you already planning to cross off this dreamy vacation destination from your travel bucket list?

It is just 30 miles south of Cape Cod on mainland Massachusetts in the USA. It is in close proximity to another preppy New England coastal resort and island Martha’s Vineyard and relatively easy to access from big cities such as Boston and New York City.

The island is world-famous for its whaling industry from centuries ago. Those were the years when brave captains and crews from Nantucket went on whaling trips to faraway lands and seas. They spent months hunting for whales and the precious whale oil used for lighting in those years.

In fact, one of these whaling captains and ships inspired the writing of the novel Moby-Dick by Herman Melville.

The evidence of those glorious and prosperous years is still pretty much intact in Nantucket. It is the town and county with the highest concentration of perfectly restored and preserved historic buildings, lighthouses, and streets in the entire USA.

Luckily, visitors and vacationers can enjoy a first-hand experience of life on this island from centuries ago. You can do this by renting in one of the many available houses, cottages, mansions, and other residences.

Still, one of the main reasons the small island of Nantucket becomes flooded with summer vacationers and tourists every year is its endless and dreamy beaches. There are more than 30 beaches spread across all coasts of the island, over 80 miles long. Each one is absolutely free to access and enjoy.

Here is a quick guide to the best beaches to visit when you go to Nantucket.

Sconset Beach

Sconset Beach is on the island’s east coast, next to the picture-perfect historic village of Siasconset, called Sconset for short. 

The village is home to the iconic rose-covered cottages with gray cedar shakes, white picket fences, and perfectly trimmed blossoming gardens.

The beach is easy to reach via the picturesque one-mile-long Sconset Bluff Walk. Sconset Beach is wide, with soft white sand and grassy dunes, and is not as crowded as some of the more popular beaches on the island. You can take leisurely strolls there, enjoy a stunning view of the Atlantic and the sunrise, and also of the picturesque historic red and white striped Sankaty Head Lighthouse.

Jetties Beach

This beach is only 10 minutes from downtown Nantucket, so you can easily get there by foot or bike and pop back and forth to town if you need something.

It is on the north coast of the island on the Nantucket Sound shore. This is an enclosed part of the Atlantic Ocean between mainland Massachusetts, Martha’s Vineyard, and Nantucket. As such, the water is much calmer, shallower, and warmer than on the other beaches on the open Atlantic shores.

This makes Jetties especially popular among families with small children and people who like to enjoy safe swimming. The beach has various amenities. They include restrooms, lifeguards, a restaurant, a pavilion, a playground, a skate park, beach volleyball nets, and even a tennis court.

You can enjoy lounging on the beach, watching the super yachts and boats passing by. Or you can spend time sipping on an exotic cocktail and eating delicious lobster rolls and fresh oysters on one of the tables of the restaurant set up on the beach.

Nobadeer Beach

Nobadeer Beach is very popular among surfers and youngsters on the island’s south coast. There you can find the ACK Surf School, which is best known for renting surfing gear and wetsuits or signing up for some private or group surfing lessons.

The beach is on the coast of the open Atlantic Ocean, so the waters are perfect for beginners and advanced surfers alike. It is also suitable for kite flying, surfcasting and other watersports. There are lifeguards as well as food trucks on site. Plus, it is close to the Nantucket Memorial Airport, so it is perfect for plane spotting.

Brant Point Beach

This is a smaller and less popular beach located in town, right by the Nantucket Harbor.

Despite the pretty heavy ferry and boat traffic, the water there is very calm and warm, perfect for advanced swimmers and kayakers. The beach is wide and sandy and is an excellent place to enjoy a picnic or watch the ferries and yachts departing and arriving at the island.

It is also close to the Brant Point Lighthouse, one of the three historic lighthouses on the island. The iconic lighthouse was built in 1746 and was last rebuilt in 1901. Today, it is the second oldest still functioning lighthouse in the entire USA.

Steps beach

Steps Beach is the place to go if you want to take some Instagram-worth photos of your vacation in Nantucket to share with your friends or to keep as memories from your trip. It is a beach that is hidden amongst the more popular Jetties and Dionis beaches on the north shore of Nantucket.

What makes it so unique is the amazing view from the top of the steep steps which lead to the beach. When you stand on the top, you can enjoy a panoramic view of the Nantucket Sound, the Nantucket Harbor, the Brant Point Lighthouse, the super yachts, ships, and boats, as well as the lush, untouched nature and the few majestic waterfront mansions around it. The beach is more challenging to reach due to the set of stairs, making it less crowded than other beaches in the area.

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