We are going to be in the area for 2-3 days at the end of Sept. Any help or suggestions for what to see and do at that time of year ?? Thanks in advance.

September is a nice month on Nantucket (provided there are no hurricanes of course!). The crowds are gone and the water is still warm enough to swim in. All shops and restaurants are open but without the lines and the attitude. Some nice shops: Bookworks, The Spectrum, Trillium, Bella, Nantucket Looms, Daisy Jane, Handblock....good restaurants: Le Languedoc, Fog Island, Even Keel, The Galley, Toppers....rent a bike and pedal around the island...visit the many art galleries...

If we can only go to one---which one Nantucket or MV ??

i am not all that familiar with the Vineyard. the times i've been there i've inevitably compared it with Nantucket, which isn't really fair. for two islands close together they do have some differences. due to it's size the Vineyard has always felt less like an island to me and more like an extension of Cape Cod. it is a lot less isolated from the Mainland, that's for sure. You can even see "America" from certain parts of the Vineyard.
both islands have the beaches, the restaurants and the shopping. there is just more to choose from on Martha's Vineyard.
sorry i can't be more helpful. since i'm partial to Nantucket i'd recommend Nantucket!
it's a hard one to call!!

ezron,
Martha's Vineyard is better choice if you own property or are visiting people that do.

Nanatucket is a great place to visit the end of September. We have done it twice. The weather is great, most places are open, it's still busy on week-ends but not crowded.

Biking is a great activity. There are miles and miles of paved bike paths and you can cover the whole island.

Good restaurants are The Ship's Inn, The Woodbox, Cioppino, Le Languedoc. The Chanticler is good but expensive. Jared Coffin House is great for breakfast and the bar is a decent place for lunch.

I can spend an hour sipping coffee sitting by the wharf. Avoid most restaurants near the dock however.

The Chestnut House is a reasonable choice for accomodations and the location can't be beat. We have also stayed at the Corner House which dates back to the 1790's.

All in all, extremely charming and romantic.

JoeG

Thanks Joe--anyone else ??

Here's another vote for Nantucket. As others have said, you can still enjoy the best of the Island in Sept., but without the crowds. Definitely rent bikes - the Island is fairly flat with a number of bikes paths that will take you all over. It's the best way to see and experience the Island. Check out www.nantucket.net to find out more about the Island, especially the many restaurants and B&Bs.

ezron,

I visited MV many times growing up;we always swore the "next time" we would go to Nantucket but never did because we loved the Vineyard. Last month my husband and I spent five days on MV--my first visit in 20 years and I'd forgotten how much I loved it. We didn't make it to Nantucket this time either!

I have always stayed in Edgartown. If this is a special ocassion, consider staying at the Charlotte Inn. It's as beatiful now as it was 20 years ago and its restaurant, L'Etoile, although we didn't eat there this time, it is said to be as good as it was 20 years ago. We stayed at the Point Way Inn which is in the center of things in Edgartown. At times the front desk was very helpful, at times not. It wasn't a big disadvantage because we have friends who own some shops there and shared lots of info.

A drive around the island's perimeter is a treat. You can drive into a fog near the beach where the temp drops 10 degrees and 10 minutes later you're back in the sunshine. We rented a convertible which a great way to get around!

There are beautiful lighthouses, (Gay Head is our favorite) churches, and lots of shopping in Edgartown, Vineyard Haven and Oak Bluffs.

As far as restaurants, our dinner at the Square Rigger (Edgartown) was good, not great; Chesca's (Edgartown)wasn't open yet but has been highly recommended; we liked Jimmy Seas (Oak Bluffs); the best seafood we had was at the Seafood Chanty (Edgartown and not a chanty at all!).

When we were planning our trip this website was particularly helpful: www.mvy.com for a good overview of the island. If you do a search here leaving out the punctuation, you'll find a lot of information about MV.

What's the easiest way to get to Nantucket Island? I am including flying from Texas ... which airport, etc.

It sounds like a nice honeymoon spot ...

sppunk - Easiest way is to fly to Providence, and connect to Cape Air to Nantucket.

Otherwise, you can fly to Providence or Boston, rent a car to get to Hyannis and take the ferry from there.

Nantucket's airport code is ACK. There are also some non-stop flights from EWR AND LGA in NY if that's a cheaper flight from TX than Boston. I did a quick check to find it's actually cheaper to fly from DFW to ACK than from NY!! (on the same dates!)

>What's the easiest way to get there/<

I've tried working this through every which way and it always ends up flying Cape Air. We have flown to Boston(Logan) and made our connection from there. It's about a 30 minute flight. There is also service out of New York. Too much time is wasted driving to and from the ferry locations and the ferry itself takes up time.

Plus you won't need or want a car on the island.

Nantucket is a great honeymoon spot!

JoeG

TTT

Thank you guys. I see that Continental also flights direct from Newark on a jet, much nicer than a prop plane.

I am seriously considering Nantucket for our honeymoon over NYC, but we'll be there in early May. Is the weather nice enough that time of year?

It's a bit cool in May sspunk. For sure you can't swim in the ocean yet. Here's a website that will give you historic temps http://www.wunderground.com/history/...lyHistory.html

It shows 55-66c temps with a record high of 77.

sppunk,

You are correct that jet service would be preferable to a prop.

The Cape Air puddle jumpers only seat about 8 or 9 passengers and one them sits next to the pilot. When weather conditions are good, it is a fun 30 minute flight. When conditions are rough, it can be an adventure.

JoeG