Nantucket with two boys 9 & 12
 

Planning a trip to Nantucket last week of June. Any thoughts from anyone on what to do there for a week with our two boys?
Do we need a car? Restaurant recommendations?

A little late to be getting a rental for week before 7/4. Before you make any plans that include a car, check out ferry situation - many/most weekend trips get booked far in advance - so I would start with ferry and work backwards from there.

We are going to drive, so will need the ferry to get over. How do I book that?

It isn't that easy. IF you can get a reservation for your car, it will cost you $165 each way ($330) for the car plus $14 per person each way ($112). Go to http://web2.steamshipauthority.com/ssa/
to find out if reservations are even available.

There is nowhere you will want to go on a first trip to Nantucket that you cannot get to by shuttle bus or bike for a lot less than $330.

But make sure you have a place to stay. Google "Nantucket" and pick one of the real estate agents or hotels whose ads appear on the right. Inpast years, you would have been out of luck, but the season doesn't really begin until 4th of July, and rentals have been a little slow for the past few years. Good luck!

The Whaling Museum is open again. They also have a room with kids' activities. Other than that, biking and beaching... (Bring a couple books and board games in case of rain.)

bock,
First thing, find a rental, call a few RE agents (Jordan real estate, Maury People, Nantucket Vacation REntals) for a start, and also look online at weneedavacation.com, vrbo.com and cyberrentals.com. Since that week is "shoulder season", you will still find rentals plus as a bonus, you'll save $$$ because rates are lower, they go up considerably the next week.

Once you get the house then you can figure our whether you need a car but if you're renting I would say yes, absolutely you need the car. Not all rentals are within walking distance to the bus route (unless you stay in town or in Sconset), plus, what about all your gear, groceries, etc.?

We've rented houses on Ack with our 2 boys for 20 years (we started before they were born), and I can't imagine doing it without a car. A long weekend just the 2 of you staying at an inn, no problem, no car required, but a family renting a house, cooking, buying groceries, shlepping bikes, boogie boards, sports gear, etc., gotta have a car.

You will have a very difficult time of it if you try to stay in an inn, any room on ACK that can comfortably accomodate 4 will be astronomical, the cost saved renting a house will more than pay for getting the car over on the ferry....

If you don't have ferry reservations don't worry, you can go standby, just drive to Hyannis the night before your rental starts if the ferry is full, put your car in the standby line and they will drive it over for you for $20. We've never had to wait more than half a day for the car to come over that way, and we've often gone the last week of June.

Coming back do the same thing, the day you want to leave, drive the car to the ferry EARLY and put it in the standby line. The Steamship Authority has a very good idea of when the car will go over, they can tell you how long the wait is.

You'll probably get the car over on the first try, we've only had to wait twice out of 40 trips.

Here are some rentals with availability that week. The first two you would not need a car, they're right in town.

http://www.weneedavacation.com/Cape/6984.htm
http://www.weneedavacation.com/Cape/11727.htm
http://www.weneedavacation.com/Cape/9404.htm