djkbooks, thanks for the additional information. I just made my reservations for both the ferry and the Cape Air flight. I also made reservations with Art's Dune Tours for a sunset tour in Provincetown. I'm sure that my husband will be able to take beautiful photos while on that tour (as long as the weather cooperates, of course).

Now, I just have to make dining reservations. I will only be on Nantucket for 3 nights so it is difficult to make a selection from all of the wonderful restaurants! Right now I am considering American Seasons, 21 Federal, the Summer House, Toppers, The Galley, and Company of the Cauldron -six seemingly wonderful restaurants for only 3 nights! It's going to be hard to narrow them down!

As I mentioned earlier, I have reservations for Chillingsworth. Should I request a specific room or table? I would like this to be an extra special dinner since we will be celebrating my husband's birthday.

Aesop's Tables or Sweet Seasons are supposed to be good in Wellfleet. However, after all of the fine dining on Nanatucket, maybe we'll just eat very lightly in Wellfleet. I am considering the Martin House, Chester, The Mews, Front Street, or the Dancing Lobster Cafe, in Provincetown. I'm not sure if we'll want to do fine dining, though, since we'll have had a very busy day and we'll only be in Provincetown for that one night. In Chatham, it'll probably be Vinings or The Impudent Oyster.

If you have any other suggestions or favorites, or, if you have any ideas about where to get a decent casual bite not too far from the Cape Cod Melody Tent in Hyannis, I would love to know about them.

Next, I have to find inexpensive lodging in New Bedford. Then I think that all of the advance preparations will be done!

By the way, are there any tours that you would reccommend on Nantucket? I know that there are a variety of tours offering different sites, with different modes of transportation, and with varying lengths of time. I am open to any suggestions. Are there any that shouldn't be missed or you would suggest to stay away from?

djkbooks, thanks again for sharing your wealth of knowledge

Happy2travel, I'm coming in on the end of this trip planning but a few brief ideas.

You mention you're starting mid-island. Are you aware of the ferries? There's a ferry from Port Jefferson to Bridgeport Conn., or you could take a ferry from Montauk to New London. Either option keeps you from back tracking to get on 95.

As to restaurants in Nantucket- there's a new one called Pearl that's supposed to be great. Also one called Orin Mor. Of the others you're considering, I'd say the best food is at Toppers at the Wauwinet (& it's a beautiful place to see). The best ambiance is at Summer House. I also like the beachy atmosphere of the Cliffside. Have a great trip.

When I reserved at Chillingsworth for my husband's birthday, they gave us a cozy table for two in front of the fireplace. We loved that spot. There's also a private dining room for two (we peeked inside - it's terrific).

We love the harborside places in Provincetown or dining on one of the lovely outdoor terraces. Best bet is to wander about, peruse the menus, and reserve.

One of our favorite spots in Chatham is Upstairs at Christians - on the deck in the nice weather. It turns into a piano lounge later. Wonderful Yankee comfort food.

A terrific spot in Hyannis is the Back Door Bistro at the Roadhouse Cafe (amazing spinach salad, for example). Fabulous live music weekend evenings.

Surprisingly, the best tours of Nantucket are the huge coaches that leave from near the docks. Commentary is excellent and amusing and they drive all over. I would NOT recommend Gail Nickerson's tour. We went with her one year. She spent most of the tour on her cell phone and chatting with the person next to her in the front seat. There was little commentary, but much sharing her personal travails with all of us. She skipped many spots normally included in the tour because it was late in the seaon and she was tired of going to all of them. Note that it's much easier getting off and on the coaches, as opposed to the 12-passenger vans.

Here's hoping you'll report back in detail on your return!

happy2travel, thought I'd post to let you know I spoke to my friend today who's just been to Nantucket (frequent visitor). He said it was packed! He ate at both Pearl & Orin Mor & said Orin Mor was great. He thought Pearl was too trendy & snooty. Enjoyed the Summerhouse as usual. Have a great trip!

mclaurie, it was so nice of you to post your friend's opinions of his dining experiences! Thank you! I still haven't been able to narrow down to just 3 restaurants. They all sound wonderful for different reasons.

I'm glad that you mentioned your friend's opinion of the Pearl -my husband really dislikes the snooty attitude at some of the upscale trendy restaurants at which we have dined. We much prefer upscale restaurants with gracious service that allow us to feel comfortable, and our patronage appreciated. Thanks again for the heads up!

Although the Summer House's food does not receive rave reviews, everyone seems to love it anyway. So, I think that will be at least one definite restaurant- and it will give us the opportunity to see another part of the island.

Thanks again! I'll let you know what I choose and how it all turns out!

Glad to help. Have you considered looking on Chowhound.com? They have a New England board & you could also research some of your other stops.

Hope you have a wonderful time.

Okay, I'm nominating DJKBooks as Nantuckets director of tourism!

I cant add much except I agree with DJK about Company of the Cauldron, its wonderful but does one or two entree's only. The Boarding House is nice too and so is American Seasons and the very informal Fog Island Cafe.
Have a great trip!

Jon Eric, I second the nomination for DJKbooks she's fabulous!

Mclaurie, funny enough, I had looked at chowhound.com just before reading your post. Suprisingly, there rally isn't that much info on Nantucket restaurants.

Okay, I know that I said that the Summer House would be a definite but my husband and I decided to go there for lunch instead -it seems to work better with our schedule. So, I have narrowed down to 4 choices: Oran Mor, American Seasons, Company of the Cauldron, and the Galley at Cliffside. I know that 21 Federal is supposed to be wonderful but I am not sure if my husband will want to do stuffy this time around. I eliminated Toppers for the same reason. Since this vacation is his birthday present, I want to make sure he'll be pleased. The only other restaurant I am unsure about is the Boarding House. I have read mixed reviews recently about this restaurant.

I know that I have been rediculously indecisive about choosing restaurants but there is nothing more disppointing than looking forward to a fabulous, upscale dining experience, and then being disappointed. I think that I am going to create a new post and see if anyone else has recently visited these restaurants. McLaurie, your friend's recent opinions certainly helped.

djkbooks, I noted all of your restaurant suggestions for the Cape, and also your recommendation for the coach tours on Nantucket. Thanks again for those suggestions.

I have been having a hard time finding a reservation for Friday night, though. Forget what I consider reasonable! There is nothing under $100, and that's rare. And most accommodations will not accept one night on a Friday, or they are already full.

Right now I am down to a very tiny B&B, called A Hill View, on the Cape side of the Sagamore Bridge overlooking the Cape Cod Canal. This room would be $135 with a continental breakfast. This is a bit high compared to some of the other B&Bs in the area. I am also considering the Atlantic Motel in East Wareham, for $109. The Hampton Inn in Fairhaven has a rate of $125, but is about a half hour away from the bridge as opposed to approx. 5 mins. I've tried a few places in Buzzard's Bay, Bourne, and Onset. This is much more difficult than I thought it would be! If anyone has any other suggestions I would appreciate them.

I can't believe we are leaving in only 3 days (or 4 depending on whetehr we get a room for Friday). My husband suggested leaving at 2:00AM Saturday morning so that we would probably get to the bridge at about 7:00AM. I'm really not crazy about driving through the night though. It always seems to take a couple of days to catch up on that night's sleep, and I hate to begin a vacation already exhausted. I guess we'll have to wait and see what happens.

Thanks to everyone again!!!

happy2travel, I'm not sure I would bother to go to the Summer House for lunch. As you've read, it's the ambiance more than the food. In the evening there's a live pianist (people sometimes sing along) & candles. I think I've been there for lunch & it was a bit empty.

I have no personal experience with the place, but a one night stay 8/22 was available at the Days Inn New Bedford for $80 at the website.

djkbooks, I will check into the Days Inn. The only reason I did not check it already is that I once had a bad experience at a Days Inn and I have pretty much stayed away from them ever since.

I have called a few of the Chambers of Commerce in the area. One is the Onset Bay Area Chamber. The other was the Cape Cod Canal Area Chamber. Most of the leads I got, as I said earlier, did not pan out. Today I spoke with Stan at the Falmouth Visitor (a local newspaper). I dialed the wrong number by mistake (I was trying to contact the Falmouth Chamber), and Stan was very helpful.

Stan suggested a few small inns and B&Bs in Woods Hole. He said that, since we will be crossing the bridge late at night, there won't be much traffic at that time, so we might as well drive all the way to Woods Hole on Friday night. This way, we will already be near Nobska Light on Saturday. And he felt that there might be less traffic late on Friday rather than early on Saturday. What do you think of this idea? Is this making our Friday night drive too long? And how much of the beautiful scenic drive will we miss by driving to Woods Hole at night? Would we be better off stopping in Falmouth? Or should we just stick with the original plan and stop on the mainland side of the bridge on Friday night?

Thanks again djkbooks!

djkbooks, I did some research on the Days Inn and the only review I could find was on Trip Advisor. The review was dated last summer and was very negative. The complaints were similar to the last experience I had at a Days Inn. I truly wish I had found positive feedback because the location was okay and the price was certainly right.

I truly appreciate the time you put into trying to help me find a reasonable room, though. You have been so helpful. I can't thank you enough!!!!!

If you can book something in Woods Hole for Friday night at a price you find tolerable - all the better. Another half hour/hour driving from home will save you that the next morning.

I understand perfectly your potential aversion to any Days Inn having had similar experiences myself with this and that "chain" establishment. And, the only two reviews at Travelocity are rather dismal as well.

You may want to go with Stan's recommendations. He's probably correct about the traffic late Friday versus early Saturday.

The "beautiful scenic drive" pretty much begins at Woods Hole, so you wouldn't be "missing anything" by arriving at night.

Here's hoping you can book something in Woods Hole for Friday night, though, as many may have already have planned on this for catching the ferry to Martha's Vineyard early Saturday morning.

Surely you realize by now (as your intended long weekend has spiraled into a more than a week...) that it is HIGH season on Cape Cod and possibilities are pricey and limited.