I just found out that I will be going to a wedding in Providence, RI the last week of July. My entire life I have wanted to see Martha's Vineyard, Cape Cod, Nantucket, etc. I will arrive in RI on Friday, go to the wedding on Saturday and then have Sunday and Monday to sightsee, needing to get back to the airport near Providence on Tuesday.

Do you think I would have time to see at least one of those places I mentioned? Which one do you think would be the easiest for me to get to? I realize that this is a very busy tourist time for this area, it may be too late for this I don't know. It seems like somewhere I read that you have to have reservations for some of the ferries WAY in advance. I'd appreciate any advice.

If your goal is simply to survey the islands and Cape, technically you could SEE all three on Monday-Tuesday, but, of course, you'd have no time to really get a feel for any of them.
Personally I think the islands are more unique than the Cape.
Nantucket and MV have very different flavors. Depends on your taste as to which you'd enjoy more.
I think they're both wonderful destinations and either (or both) would be well worth your effort.
If you'll be driving, consider passing through Newport on the way to drive past some of the mansions. Not as fast as going by I-195, and probably too much to cram in, but Newport provides a pretty significant visual impact for the time invested.

If that's what you want to do, go for it! You can see it all, if quickly, and at least have the opportunity to check a lot out for future reference. It's about an hour and a half driving from Providence to, say, Falmouth. Driving and accomodations should not be a problem on Sunday (toward the Cape) and Monday. From Falmouth, you can drive the entire Cape - to Chatham, Provincetown, Sandwich, and back to Falmouth in three to four hours with no stops. Though, you never know about traffic in July.

As for Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard, see the Hy-line Cruises and Steamship Authority websites for schedules. There used to be a one-day excursion leaving from Hyannis going to Nantucket, with a stop of several hours, then on to Martha's Vineyard, with a stop of several hours, then back to Hyannis during the summer months. Not sure if this is still available, but there is service between the islands.

You do not need ferry reservations unless you bring a car, which is not necessary for the day. There is plenty within walking distance of the ferry docks on both islands, and both have shuttles and taxis.

Thanks so much for the advice. I am definitely going to try to see Martha's Vineyard on this trip and maybe try to get to Nantucket too. I've done some research and it seems like a car isn't necessary. Again, thanks for the replies.

I don't think you would do justice to any of these three sites if you tried to see more than one of them in two days.

Cape Cod would be the easiest of your choices: you can drive there from Providence in just over an hour and then go to any of the fifteen towns on the Cape.

To get to either Martha's Vineyard or Nantucket you need to drive to the Cape first, then take a ferry to one of the islands. Travelling in July you will need to park your car offsite and wait for a shuttle bus to drive you to the ferry departure point.

My advice: Just drive to the Cape and explore it for your two days. Save your visits to MV Nantucket and Newport for some other time when you have more time to enjoy them.

You'll be happy just settling in somewhere mid-cape and then exploring from there, or just enjoying the cape.

Chatham Bars Inn is nice (high end), Lighthouse Inn in Dennis more moderate.

This is ironic because I'll be flying to Providence the 2nd week of July and then from there to Marthas Vineyard. You can fly to the Vineyard from Providence for $132.00 although it may be slightly higher now. The latter part of my trip will be in Newport which you could also do from Providence even easier than the islands.

I went to Nantucket last year and absolutely loved it; this year I'm doing the Vineyard. I highly endorse flying to MV or Nantucket, unless you arent comfortable on VERY small planes, because its so much quicker espesically to Nantucket. I wouldnt want to pay for a rental car only to park it at the dock because you'll never get a car reservation on the ferry this close to July. Now if they had a shuttle from Logan or T.F. Green airport to the ferry that would be nice, but I'm not aware of any? You may also want to consider my Newport suggestion because you can drive that in about 35 minutes from T.F. Green airport. While Newport is very crowded in July going during the week is better. A lot of the Newport B&B's have cheaper rates starting Sunday. Email me if you want to for more details. [email protected]

Gene

I think I agree with you. I've been researching this for a week and I believe it would be easier and more relaxing to just drive to the Cape from Providence. Since we will be there mid week hopefully the traffic won't be too bad.

The numbers of towns and accomodations on the Cape are overwhelming to me. I will check out Clarkgriswold's recommendations. We could drive all the way to Providence or we could stay mid Cape. I know this is such a broad questions but I would appreciate advice if you've got the time. Thank you.

Well, you could head for Chatham (check out the Chatham Tides) which is about an hour and forty-five minutes from Providence; one of the nicest and most scenic towns on the Cape, and a terrific "base point". Obviously, heading there Saturday night would give you extra time. You could explore a good deal of the Cape on Sunday (Provincetown is under an hour away), and take a day trip to Nantucket if you like (which I would highly recommend) on Monday. Nantucket is much smaller than Martha's Vineyard. You'd be able to wander all about Nantucket Town, have a leisurely lunch, poke around the shops and galleries, even take a full island tour (any number of which are available right from the ferry docks or the visitor's center), in one day. From Chatham, during the summer, you can get to Nantucket via the Freedom Cruise line (they have a website) from Harwich Port (a ten minute drive from Chatham).

However, Kate Grant's book, "Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard, and Nantucket: An Explorer's Guide" is incredibly comprehensive (lodging, dining, seeing & doing, scenic drives, the works...) would assist you enormously in determining where you would find most appealing for spending your time. And, this would be much more efficient than doing your research on the web.

Excellent idea djkbooks, I'm headed to the bookstore. And Chatham sounds like a good base.

Kath: The mid-Cape area along route 28 will be your best bet. This would include accommodations in Hyannis, South Yarmouth, West Dennis, Harwichport or Chatham.

Staying in one of these towns will allow you to explore other towns and sites such as Provincetown, Falmouth, Sandwich, National Seashore etc. from a central base.

The mid-Cape also puts you closest to Hyannis (MV ferry) and Harwich (Nantucket ferry).

The accommodations mentioned by others are all good and in the mid-CAPE. I'll add Red Jacket Beach Resort and Hyannis Harborview to your short list.