Nantucket Ferry
Nantucket is an island and town located 30 mi (48 km) off the coast of Cape Cod and part of Massachusetts. The island offers quiet harbors, dramatic cliffs, sandy beaches, beautiful old mansions and gardens, interesting history – even a series of (sometimes bawdy) limericks about its residents.
Nantucket is a small island, 3.5 by 14 miles long. It is frequented by CEOs, executives, lawyers, bankers, surgeons, and megastars–or just average folks looking for a getaway. It gives them a chance, while enjoying a few Bloody Marys on the beach, an opportunity to get away from the intense city and work atmosphere with their families and friends. They are able to enjoy many of the fine and casual dining restaurants the island has to offer. Many people come to Nantucket because they know that it is a location where five star service is quite common. Tourists are treated to the finest seafood and other cuisines. Nantucket also has some of the most exclusive golf clubs, lodges, restaurants, beaches, and homes.
While most popular in the summer, the island can be visited at any time of the year. The summer population of 55,000 residents dwindles to 12,000 during the off-season, making for a quieter visit. Be aware that smaller crowds also mean fewer services available, including more limited ferry schedules.
The local government and people of Nantucket are very environmental friendly and green conscious. There is a wonderful recycling system intact that must be followed by all visitors and residents of the island. About thirty-six percent of the island is protected and maintained by the Nantucket Conservation Foundation. Protected lands include beaches, hardwood forests, dunes, shrublands, bogs, heathlands, marshes, grasslands, meadows, and ponds. The Nantucket Conservation Foundation also works to preserve the local wildlife of the island. To see the local sea life of the Island there is an aquarium, which is open to the public for a small admission fee. Whale, seal and bird watching are three very popular past times that many locals, vacationers and their families enjoy taking part in. In the olden days, Nantucket was a great whaling center. You will find many old whaling bars on the island as well as The Whaling Museum located in town.
One factor that attracts many families to Nantucket is that it is a safe place for children to wander around on their own. Kids can ride their bikes into town with friends and grab ice cream at The Juice Bar or a bite to eat at the local Pharmacy. A lot of the restaurants on Island accommodate small children, infants and large parties, so the whole family can sit down together and enjoy a nice meal as well as night out on the town. There is also a local strip with food vendors and gift shops, which is also a local hang out stop for all ages. A few of the popular tourist recreational activities include: biking, boating, fishing and water sports, boat charters, boat rentals, boating services and supplies, fishing charters, fishing supplies, mooring rentals, regattas, surfing, festivals, museums amd sites, spas and clubs, beauty, fitness, massage, tours, eco tours, kayaking tours, van tours, walking tours, and site tours.
Since Nantucket is a huge tourist destination during the summer season an influx of workers come to the island from all over the world to seek employment for the summer with intentions of returning home at the end of the season. Business is at its all time high and workers are needed to facilitate and administer stores, restaurants, clubs, and all other amenities on the Island that attract tourists. These workers are also tourist because while working they too are experiencing Nantucket for the first time and joy in on many tourist activities. A lot of these summer workers are international tralvers arriving from places like Belgaria, and Jamaica.
Part of the island’s appeal is its isolation; “Nantucket”, is a Native American word that translates into “faraway island” or “land far out to sea.” You can reach the island either by boat or plane. Nantucket’s location near Cape Cod and Martha’s Vineyard lets visitors take the ferry over and spend either the day or a few nights on the Island to enjoy the sights, food and shops.
Nantucket Sound is a roughly triangular area of the Atlantic Ocean offshore from the U.S. state of Massachusetts. It is enclosed by Cape Cod on the north, Nantucket on the south, and Martha’s Vineyard on the west; between Cape Cod and Martha’s Vineyard it is connected to the Vineyard Sound. Ports on Nantucket Sound include Nantucket and Hyannis, Massachusetts.
Nantucket Sound possesses significant marine habitat for a diversity of ecologically and economically important species. “The Sound” has particular significance for several federally protected species of wildlife and a variety of commercially and recreationally valuable fisheries.
The Sound is located at a confluence of the cold Labrador currents and the warm Gulf Stream. This creates a unique coastal habitat representing the southern range for Northern Atlantic species and the northern range for Mid-Atlantic species. Nantucket Sound has a lot of biological diversity and contains habitats that range from open sea to salt marshes, as well as warm-water beaches on the Cape and Islands coasts.
A proposal by Cape Wind to construct the first offshore wind farm in the United States has been met with controversy because of its location in Nantucket Sound.[1]
Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound — 501(c)(3) nonprofit environmental organization dedicated to the long-term preservation of Nantucket Sound
Cape Wind — Proposed Off-Shore Wind Project
The Steamship Authority — providing ferry service in the Sound
Wind Over Water — A documentary film about the wind farm proposed for Nantucket Sound.
