Martha's Vineyard vs. Nantucket
 

I have heard that Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket attract different kinds of people. My wife and I are planning a trip in May. Could someone point out the main differences to help us choose which one to pick for our vacation? Thanks, Soundar.

Start with this: Martha's Vineyard (MV) is larger, has several towns, mostly navigated by car, so accessible to a wide ranger and larger number of people. <BR> <BR>Nantucket is smaller, more quaint, caters to pedestrians and cyclists over autos, and it costs you a fortune to ferry your car there. <BR> <BR>Result: people who are well-heeled and want a quieter, slightly more "authentic" place end up on Nantucket. This may mean the average age is a shade older. People who are almost as well-heeled but perhaps seeking a "livelier" scene in one or another of the towns end up in MV, so perhaps a shade younger. There are also -- I'm sorry to say (snff!) -- a lot of celebs on MV, so there are a few star-chasers around, though not many. <BR> <BR>These are generalizations. Others may disagree.

I've only spent one week in Nantucket, but I wouldn't go back. Way too prissy, <BR>rich-looking, conservative crowd. It's a beautiful place, but everything is <BR>incredibly expensive, and I felt like a fish out of water. <BR> <BR>Martha's Vineyard is not exactly a budget vacation, but it feels much less snobby as a place. Since it's larger than Nantucket, there's a much wider range of people and styles, including plenty of artsy and laid-back types. I <BR>don't think you can go wrong here! <BR> <BR>It's easy enough to have a vacation on MV and take a day trip to Nantucket <BR>(or vice versa, for that matter). <BR> <BR>I'll look forward to reading other opinions here. <BR> <BR>Have fun!

Nantucket is one of my favorite places on earth. It is a small, beautiful island that seems to have remained untouched by time, tourism, and decay. It's also one of the few places in this country where the average price of a home is higher than that in the Hamptons, and Nantucket reflects that: pretty much everything is expensive. So, of course, it attracts a well heeled type of visitor. I'd argue, though, that two things in the above posts miss the mark: 1) average age of Nantucket visitors being older (my friends and I love the place, and we're in our mid twenties) and 2) prissy or conservative people - no one I've met on Nantucket has been offensive, conservative, snobby, or prissy at all. <BR> <BR>You can ride your bike all over Nantucket, visit remote beaches where even during the last week of September you'll be the only person, go out for a fantastic dinner, hit a bar or wander the streets looking at the beautiful old houses, sit at Medakat and watch the sunset, go shopping at great little unique shops... paradise. <BR> <BR>Nantucket is small, remote, and untouched. Martha's Vineyard is not half as secluded or charming, but certainly has its fans. <BR> <BR>Keep in mind that May is not high tourist season for either place, which is in your favor wherever you go!