part of this pier is open to the public to stroll on and get views of the harbor. You can look at…read moreall the fancy yachts on one side and watch the ferry pull in from the main land on the other side.

Railroad runs through the park. Historical. Looking forward to see how the landscape evolves over…read morethe seasons.

The state forest is located right in the middle of the island, not close to any beaches or ponds to…read moreswim in, but it is a huge gift for bicyclists, roller bladers, bird watchers, walkers, runners and people who need to get away from island traffic. It's over 5,000 acres- if you look on a map of the island, it takes up a huge area right in the middle of the map. Set aside as a protected area to help the endangered heath hen, it failed with its original intent, as the heath hen is now extinct, but fortunately for us islanders, the space remains unspoiled. There are miles and miles of trails that meander from Edgartown to West Tisbury and in between. The trails in the forest connect to the bike path in other spots so you can probably save time on a busy day in August by biking instead of driving. There are maps available at the local bike shops or on line. Note that there is no camping here, but I have seen several tents set up over the years. Just watch out for the forest rangers. There are many ways to get into the state forest. Some are behind the high school. Others are in West Tisbury, along Barnes Road or near the airport. You'll see parking spots all along the perimeter. It's a great place to teach the kids how to use a two wheeler or to learn how to roller blade, as it is all essentially flat and the bike trails are paved. There are also many other trails that have not been paved. I have friends who look for arrowheads on the island, which is a popular hobby for people who love the outdoors. They tell me that they have found massive numbers of them here. You sometimes see cute kids selling lemonade or bottled water as many houses back up to the forest. And if you are out and about on a hot day in August, you may catch a glimpse of a certain presidential family or two. Bill Clinton used to go jogging here and the Obamas ride their bikes- with helmets. No matter what your politics may be, a little exercise can do you good.

Crowded beach but with plenty of free parking, including electric vehicle chargers and an on-site…read morerestaurant and bar with covered patio seating. This beach is within walking distance to the downtown district, but with the intense heat you might want to rent a car or take a Lyft/Uber. I found that Lyft was much less popular on the island and thus cheaper than Uber by 50-100%.

Our captain mentioned this beach before we arrived. We did find out a head of time there were…read morepublic showers. Didn't find a lot of info. I wish it was a little better marked. We asked a number of people before we found the public showers and the changing rooms. Im not used to having that many broken shells/shells on the beach when you walk up. It was a decent crowd on the beach, still plenty of room to spread our towels out and not feel we were on top of the people next to us.

Best beach on the island for waves!…read more There are quite a few surfers and swimmers enjoying the waves but they rarely get close because the waves on shore keep the swimmers busy! Make sure your in shape to swim because the waves beat down on you hard. Otherwise a great beach that's nice and close to the farmers market and cisco brewery. No beach permit required.

:: All in one breath:: The best beach in the entire world please don't go here because you have the…read morepotential to ruin this pristine beach. Erosion has changed this landscape but this beach will have my heart forever. *Rougher waters, you may not want to bring the little ones here.

SURFSIDE BEACH is amazing…read more First of all, it's beautiful. Look at all that sea grass! Second of all, it's free. Third of all, there is a large parking lot. Fourth of all, there is VERY large parking lot for the bicycles. Fifth and not the least, it has SURFSIDE BEACH SHACK. This beach is understandably busy; not to worry, they have a lifeguard on duty. How lucky are the houses whose backyards are right on this beach?!

Heaven on earth. Immaculate beach with chair rentals, restrooms and the surf shack (who knew a pb&j…read morewas $8.....definitely pack a lunch). Must see when on the island.

At the corners of Gay St and Center St and Broad St, this public park is rather small but lush,…read morebeautiful, and abundantly shaded. Benches provide plenty of seating. Bricks line the pathway. Definitely a spot for rest and relaxation among the otherwise busy hustle and hustle of the downtown district.

This is a FANTASTIC bike shop. It's a few doors down from the new* Nantucket Bake Shop (which we…read moreturned into first by happy accident and of course took advantage of our mistake) and the Nantucket Meat and Seafood Market -- so it's a little ways outside of town, about halfway between town and the airport. * OK, new as in it moved sometime in the past 20 years. Island time elongates. Perhaps the slightly out-of-the-way location explains why (1) prices are so reasonable; (2) there's such a great selection of bikes for rent and for sale; and (3) the owner, who was on site helping customers, and staff are so friendly and helpful. Bikes seem to be well maintained. Staff were hard at work tuning bikes on our visit. We are not "real" cyclists -- we can remain upright on two wheels and that's about it -- but we have many family members who are extremely hardcore about the sport. All our hardcore cyclists rent from Island Bike when they don't bring their own bikes across on the ferry, and stop there for supplies or parts. So glad we bought our little one a bike here rather than from the bike shop much closer to our house where the used bikes they tried to sell us were badly rusted with loose bike chains -- AND literally cost twice as much. Yeesh. As of June/July 2023, helmets are half off. Get there now, friends.

The service we received from Island Bike during our recent trip to Nantucket was top notch. Lia…read morefollowed up on our online reservation to ensure we would have everything necessary for our bike rentals. She and the team were also quick to respond when I hit a nail and had a flat. I highly recommend Island Bike for their service, bikes, price and convenience of the free delivery and pickup.