Just got great airfare to Boston on Airtran 378$ rt for 2 people!.
We have never been to either place. It will be from Aug3-10.
Everyone I know that has been to Nantucket, has loved it.
We are arriving in Boston around 3.
I was looking at Chatham for the Cape.
How should we do this? Go to Nantucket first?

Will you have a car? Trips to Nantucket from the Cape... on ferries... are shorter. Otherwise you'd probably go to Woods Hole and that takes about 2 hours. Haven't been to Nantucket in years, but we used to take short flights from Boston. If you do have a car you most likely won't get it on a ferry because reservations sell out in the winter.

Thanks Gwendolyn for the info. Yes, we will have a car.
We won't need a car on Nantucket, right?

You have to consider the logistics of getting to Nantucket. You can go either by ferry (leave from the Cape) or by air.
http://www.nantucketchamber.org/visitor/gethere.html

I assume you'd need a car for the Cape Cod part?

One option is to fly directly from Logan Airport (on your arrival day) to Nantucket on Cape Air. Flights are not cheap but will get you there quickly. After returning to Boston Logan, you can then pick up a car for the Cape.

The other option would be pick up a car at Boston Logan, drive down to the Cape, stay a few nights, then take the ferry to Nantucket. Going by ferry is obviously cheaper, but you have to consider the added cost of parking the rental car at the ferry lot, plus the extra days of car rental.

Thanks yk, did not think about the parking and the rental.
I have to figure that one out. ;-)

After doing some major research, found that Nantucket is just a bit more than I want to spend...sooooo, it it will be a long day trip to Nantucket.
Probably will stay in Hyannis and do day trips...with 2 days in Newport.

I assume you are picking Hyannis for ferry access? If you go back to your original idea of staying in Chatham, you can take a fast ferry from Harwichport to Nantucket for your day trip. Hyannis is much more developed and "urban" than other Cape towns.

Okay.

Some confused ideas here.

You can fly directly from Logan to Nantucket. Expensive but very quick. You won't need a car while you are here.

You can also take a bus from Logan to Hyannis (~2 hours) and a fast ferry to Nantucket (1 hour). The Steamship Authority has a van from the bus station to the ferry landing.

You can take the fast ferry back to Hyannis and rent a car there for use on the Cape. Budget, Hertz, Avis, and others are available, and you can drop the car at Logan or leave it in Hyannis and take the bus to Logan (2.5> hours northbound) which saves a lot of hassle.

Your time is the height of the season, and you may run into a three night minimum booking in both Nantucket and the nicer parts of the Cape, but that would allow you to split your trip nicely.

You don't say where you are coming from. The weather that week is likely to seem warm and humid to us; if you are coming from Houston, you will want to bring sweaters for evening (or our merchants will be happy to sell you lots of cute ones!)

2 days in Newport is a good idea. I'd stay in Chatham rather than Hyannis though. So much nicer, by leaps and bounds really.

We are from ATL, so that will be fine with me, Ackis
Actually, I was getting sticker shock about room prices in Chatham and Nantucket. Wayyyy too dear for me. We are going to England in Sept, so we must practice economy.
The Seacoast Inn is about the only moderate place that I have liked...even the Days Innwas pricey.
This trip was a quick su mer filler, boosted by grat irtan rates.
BTW, I always wanted to see the mansions in Newport.

If you are looking for free things to do then head to the outer cape where the Cape Cod National Seashore offers a host of great free activities. Beaches on the outer cape are some of the best in the US and the National Seashore towns of Eastham, Wellfleet, Truro and Provincetown wall have more of a natural feeling..not nearly as commercial as Nantucket, Hyannis and Chatham.

Provincetown not commercial? Oh my....

Thanks yellowbyrd. We Will be driving around the outer cape. .
I got tkts for George Thorogood in the Melody tent. Sounds like a great vavction so far.
Staying 2 nights in Newport at the Attwood Villa...looks nice.

bookhall, hmmm well I see what you mean! In spite of the fact that 75% of Provincetown land has been preserved by the National Seashore in a natural non-developed state, most folks don't get much further than Commercial Street when they visit Provincetown! So, let me rephrase..." the National Seashore towns of Eastham, Wellfleet and Truro will have more of a natural feeling ..not nearly as commercial as Nantucket, Hyannis and Chatham . Even Provincetown maintains that "end-of-the-earth" feeling away form Commercial Street in the National Seashore Provincelands.
Better?