Walked a hundred miles to get here…read more Ok, not really. But GREAT POINT LIGHTHOUSE is at the very tip of the peninsula and is in the midst of Nantucket Wildlife Refuge. To get there, first, you have to make sure you have a 4-wheel drive vehicle. Then you have to deflate your tires at a checkpoint before you enter the Nantucket Wildlife Refuge. At the same checkpoint, you have to pay $50 to the Massachusetts Trustees to get on the road leading to GREAT POINT LIGHTHOUSE. I'm not quite sure how they decide who to pull over or not. There were some people that had the same tags as our vehicles that got past the checkpoint without stopping and we saw them at the beach later on... Anyway... You drive on an unpaved road for a few miles. Then you drive on the beach for a couple of miles or so. Then you have to park on the beach and walk about a mile or so to reach GREAT POINT LIGHTHOUSE.

So there is no restaurant or professional entertainment. But you can chat with a seal up close or…read morejust watch the heard as they watch you and bark. An awesome very remote place. Saw no other people or cars or anything all day. Saw about 200 seals and double that many birds. The lighthouse is beautiful and the area is just a great natural haven. Highly recommended but make sure you know how to drive in sand.

Small little park on Bass River in Yarmouth. Behind the windmill is a set of stairs leading down…read moreto a tiny beach. The windmill is open for tours a few days a week, limited hours, summer only. Weather permitting. Free parking for maybe a dozen cars. The beach is really tiny. Maybe a dozen chairs would fit? Plus it's on the Bass River, so no waves. I like it as a spot to sit and eat some takeout, look at the boats in the harbor, sit in the grass and chill for an hour tops.

We visited this windmill in October and found only one other couple sitting at a picnic table…read moreenjoying the view upon our arrival. The windmill has been well maintained and is scenically located overlooking the Bass River. Their is a good size parking lot with easy access to a petite beach via a set of wooden stairs. We learned tours by volunteers are available on most Mondays - Thursdays during the summer months though dependent on both the weather conditions and volunteer availability. I highly recommend stopping by if in the area.

Monument by the ferry where my tour group had to meet. Has some water bowls/containers on the…read moresides, I guess for dogs. Well maintained, no pigeon dung on it like other statues and no noticeable erosion or wear on it. I'm not an overly philosophical person so the statue didn't affect me as much as it probably should've, but it's a nice welcome to the island, and a good spot for tours to gather as its easily identifiable.

Fun little stop if you are looking for something to do and it's FREE!! We rode our bikes here since…read moreit wasn't far from town. They have tour guides there that will take you on a quick tour of the house and tell you everything about it! It's unique and interesting to see how houses were built long ago. The grounds are super pretty as well! After a tour of the oldest house, There is a marsh land public park across the street called Lilly Pond Park. We walked over there and took a stroll on the board walk which was beautiful! We saw rabbits and lots of birds!

An easy walk from Town; just make sure you bring water, especially if it is a warmer or hot, sunny,…read moreday. The Nantucket Historical Association (NHA) does another a great job of preserving and keeping up their attractions. Very interesting place, but a little on par with the Adams' houses up in Quincy, Mass. not much in them. Then again, they did not have a whole lot back in the day. Must see when on the island. Enjoy the beauty of Nantucket!

Monetary self-sufficient library on Nantucket in town…read more We signed up for membership in '22 and frequent when we are on island. It's nice to belong, being a card carrying member, especially when the weather is rainy or wickedly cold. A great place to duck in from the elements, read a paper or grab a book, and use the bathrooms if needed. I always drop a sawbuck in the plexiglass box. It's a good cause, great team, clean environment, and a nice and consistent staple of the island.

For a small resort island, I love that they their own public library and it's larger than you'd…read moreexpect. It doubles as a cultural center and a mini museum. Located right in the middle of everything in the downtown district, this is a site not to be missed! Beautiful exterior architecture and a grand staircase. Two floors, with a range of books, a corner for free books for the taking, restrooms in the lower level, and friendly staff. They have events year round including lectures and special exhibits. I wish I had more time to explore!

A little red…read more library The Aquinnah Public Library is an extremely cool little library located in Aquinnah on Martha's Vineyard. Most people I know still call this area Gay Head but the name of the town was officially changed in 1998 to Aquinnah, the Wampanoag word meaning "high land". Many people pass the diminutive building on the way to the cliffs and great lighthouse at the tip of the island without even noticing it. I was looking for the building and ending up biking by it. One of those magical places that seems to blend in with the environment until you actually stop and take a good look. Only then you see how special this library is. It looks like the classical little red, one room New England schoolhouse and that is indeed what it was. Built in around 1844 and then moved to it's present location several decades later it served as the town's school for a long time. The first library in town was first founded in 1901 but like many small towns didn't really have a place to store the books. They were just sort of shoved into the town hall and it seemed the poor books were always in the way and moved from one location to another. Finally when the little school was closed in the 1960's someone had the brilliant idea of using the old schoolhouse as the library. A short time later the town finally had a real library of it's own. The old schoolhouse roots are still very obvious both from the outside and in. Very few changes have been made to the building and even the old chalkboards are still visible as well as the hooks on a wall where the kids use to hang their coats. Fascinating stuff. The library makes the most of it's space and is a very warm, friendly and inviting atmosphere. Certainly not a large library by any measure but I have seen smaller ones, this library managers to incorporate modern computers, wi-fi and efficiency without losing one bit of it's cool, small town character and history. Just looking a the old school house is fun but what really makes this library so special are the great librarians. Friendly, knowledgeable, and proud of their library, they realize fully that the job of a local library is a lot more than just to give out books. Their warm hospitality lit up and made the small library come alive. Certainly not the easiest library to find but definitely worth the effort.

cute small town library, a solid selection and a dedicated staff…read more Located in downtown Aquinnah.

By itself, I'm not sure I would recommend Hadwen House to shorter term visitors to Nantucket. There…read moreare a lot of wonderful things to do with your time on the island, and the exhibits re: scrimshaw, basketmaking, and historical chairs and china are probably not a huge draw for those without a pre-existing interest. But.... if you are a regular on the island, I do strongly recommend a visit to this Greek revival home-turned-museum commissioned by William Hadwen, one of the owners of the candle and whale oil company that now houses the Whaling Museum. And in particular, you must go when Anne is serving as the docent on premises. This retired Nantucket High School English teacher is worth her weight in gold, a true fountain of knowledge and enthusiasm when it comes to Nantucket history! You can glean some interesting information by reading the exhibit plaques; you can glean so very much more by chatting with Anne: Stories about the Hadwen and Starbuck family, how the family reconciled great wealth with their Quaker values, how the Great Fire of 1846 somehow spared the house, how the house changed over time as whaling became less important to the town and smells from the harbor became less pungent. The Hadwen House is included on tickets to the Whaling Museum and worth an hour or two of your time if Anne is there to breathe life into its history!

Great little spot a little away from the main downtown district but easily walkable in the shade as…read morelong as you watch out for the ground, which is uneven, has jagged steps and concrete elevated by massive tree trunk roots, and loose brick. Their garden is beautiful with climbing roses. They were under construction at the main entrance but access to the building is in the side and back. The staff were friendly and informative. You learn a lot about basket making and see some interesting artifacts. There's even an on-site basket weaver to give demos and a tutorial. Worth stopping by for about 30-45 minutes.

Another fine Nantucket Historical Association (NHA) attraction on the island and an easy walk from…read moreTown! Right on Fair Street and just right around the corner from Murray's Toggery. Good staff who are chock full of good information too! Clean bathrooms. Benches to relax on too.