blh

Winkz40 - I'm trying to put into words why Nantucket was our favorite - I'm not sure I can explain it. We love small villages - and Nantucket is small, quaint, and charming. There are great stores, wonderful restaurants, many historical sites, cobblestone streets, and flowers everywhere you look. The wharf is very picturesque - just loved walking around and looking at all the beautiful boats. Also, enjoyed walking the streets and admiring the old houses and buildings - just had a great time overall - perfect weather, wonderful food, and a very nice room at the Jared Coffin House.

BuffaloGirl

I didn't read all the replies, so forgive me if I'm repeating something that's already been said.

I took the high speed ferry to Martha's Vineyard last year and it skimmed over the water like glass. It was, however, a clear day. I'm not boat crazy, but this was such a relaxing ride.

The whale watching boats can be a bit rough. Especially when everyone on the boats runs to one side all at the same time to view a whale! You might want the non-drowsy Dramamine for that ride. But it's definitely worth it!

Stop at an out of the way National Seashore beach (like Marconi). You will be amazed at the size of the sand dunes. The National Seashore is amazing.

Have fun!

Winkz40

Thanks again, everyone! You have all been very kind and forthcoming with your time and FABULOUS advise/suggestions.

I'm in the process of creating a checklist [of sorts] so that I won't forget anything you all have mentioned.

I'm going to try and convince my hubby to stay in Newport overnight as well as going to Nantucket as opposed to Salem.

Many, many thanks!
;-)

SugarPlum

We rode the ferry from Woods Hole to MV last October. It was raining that day, and the water was quite rough. I'm very prone to seasickness, but didn't have any antidotes with me. I didn't have any problem on the ferry ride (45 minutes or so), and I think that it had something to do with the fact that you can see land the whole trip -- maybe this 'grounds' me or something. Didn't do a whale watching trip, but I probably would have had trouble if the ocean was as rough as it was during our visit and I didn't have any Bonine or Dramamine.

I've had some luck with the pressure wristbands for seasickness -- you can buy them in the drugstore where they sell Dramamine. I would not recommend getting the prescription patch -- for me, it causes blurry vision and dry mouth.

I have long hair, lots of it, and it was wild after the ferry ride in the rain. I ended up digging in my luggage for a big claw clip to secure my hair so that I would be presentable enough for lunch when we arrived in Oak Bluff.

Have a great trip -- the Cape and MV are beautiful in October!

Winkz40

Thanks, SugarPlum. Living in FL I know the seas can change on a dime during the summertime and early fall. We use to have a house in the Keys, and I would gauge the seas by how much the Palm Trees were swaying! Worked like a charm every time. Guess I'll use that method and my instincts on the Cape (minus the palm tree).

From what everyone has mentioned, the ferry ride to MV isn't bad. It's the whale watching and Nantucket trips that I'll need to use judgment.

Thanks, again!

Kathysa

We spent this past weekend on Martha's Vineyard (Oct 8,9) and there was no fall foliage (and I don't think they typically have much). It's a beautiful island and definitely worth visiting, but you'll need to get into the mainland to see the colors. My parents visited Nantucket last October and also said there is no color change like we have in the rest of Massachusetts. The ferry rides have always been very smooth, but that will be weather-dependant. We went whale-watching out of Boston Harbor 2 weekends ago and almost everyone on the boat, including myself, was seasick. I've been whale-watching out of the harbor before and it was fine, but we happened to hit an extremely rough day with large swells. I'd definitely ask on the day of the whale-watching about the swells, since it was pretty miserable and I think everyone would have been happy to turn around and come back another day. I'd take a scrunchy or clip to use for the ferry rides, just in case.
Right now around I-495 outside of Boston, the foliage is beautiful.

Winkz40

Thanks for the update, Kathy! Looks like whale watching in October isn't the best of ideas!

I'll definately ask about the swells before purchasing my tickets.

Two more questions... How good is the whale watching in October? I've heard it's spectacular in July and August (due to the warmer waters).

Since the seas may be rough in October, is there anywhere on land where we might be able to whale watch on the Cape?

Kathysa

I think October is okay for whale-watching, it just happened that we had a rough day. Someone with more whale expertise can probably correct me, but I think the whales start their southward migration toward the end of October or early November. We actually did see 3 whales, which are amazing. We went a few years ago on the same boat from Boston Harbor in mid-September, and saw many, many whales. We had 2 sets of relatives visit either last summer or the summer before, and they didn't see any whales. I know one was in early June and the other in late July. From my personal experience, I would ask 2 questions. 1. Are you seeing whales this month? 2. On the day you're scheduled to go out, ask if the waters are rough. I think it's really a day-by-day thing. You can also go whale-watching from the Cape, but all the boats go to the same area called Stellwagon bank. If you've never done it, it's awesome and worth doing.

schmerl

WE did whale wathcing out of Ptown this past July and saw 22 whales!! Even the "experts" in charge were thrilled. They said this past summer was a great year for whale watching.

gomiki

My friends went whale watching out of Provincetown last week. They said the water was as smooth as glass and they saw about 20 whales including calves. If you can, play it by ear and pick a day with better weather.

Winkz40

20+ whales, wow!

Would excited...and probably scared to death at the sight of just one.

Thanks again for your wonderful imput!

;-)

GBelle

I'll second what gomiki said -- bring warm clothes. We went whale watching several years ago in August. It was a sweltering 95 to 100 degrees in Boston that day and we were carrying heavy sweaters. The temp at sea with the headwind was between 60 and 70 degrees. Big difference!

Our whale watching expedition was wonderful! There was a naturalist on board from the aquarium who spoke about the whales, types, regulars to the area, etc. The captain was in contact with other boats who saw whales in the area. We cut the engines when we saw one in the distance -- a small cabin cruiser with two huge heads sticking up in the water on either side of it. We drifted closer and all of a sudden, saw one huge tail, then another surrounding the cabin cruiser. Within a minute, the two whales were swimming next to our boat. No more than 15 feet away! How exciting! It was as if those two giants said to each other -- "Look, company. Let's go say hello."