Book your ticket to ACK ASAP. Just because summer is officially over doesn’t mean that weekend getaways to Nantucket have to end, too. As far as we’re concerned, the most magical time to visit the preppy paradise is right this very second. The crowds have dispersed, the leaves are changing and the local restaurants are wheeling out the off-season deals.
Here’s our guide to an autumnal Nantucket.
WHERE TO STAY
The Nantucket is the only resort on the island open year-round. Built in 1891, it has all the old-Nantucket charm with all the luxe amenities that come with a 2012 renovation, including an airy fitness and spa facility, two pools (the adult swimming zone boasts Miami-esque cabana areas), and gluten-free banana pancakes at the hotel’s excellent restaurant, Breeze.
The 42-room hotel, which is set in the heart of town, is a short stroll to the beach — but why walk when you can take a spin on their Porsche bikes? (Be forewarned, there are only two fancy-pants bikes, though the generous staff may offer you their own wheels to borrow.)
While the Nantucket’s spruced up digs make for an ideal romantic getaway, the hotel also caters to families. Tea time includes lemonade and chocolate-chip cookies, and the rubber whales in the bedrooms’ baths are meant for the taking! And, they have a vintage 1930s firetruck and bus to shuttle guests around.
This fall, the Nantucket is offering an all-adult “Art of Cabin Fever” package where guests can hunker down with massages, meditation classes and fondue by the outdoor fire pits. Off-season rooms start at $175.
WHAT TO DO
It may not be bikini weather, but there are still loads of fall-friendly activities on the island, and at a fraction of the summer cost. Start your morning off lobstering at The Wauwinet (you have to be a hotel guest to partake) and keep your eyes peeled for the oyster farms on the way, before heading over to the stunning Miacomet Golf Course, the island’s only public 18-hole course, for a round (green fees through Wednesday are $125; after that, $50.).
Cisco Brewers, the always-crowded local brewery, has a jam-packed schedule through the new year complete with live music and a rotation of local food trucks.
And, of course, there is the annual Christmas Stroll (known simply as “Stroll” to locals), when the cobblestone streets are closed to traffic and Santa arrives via a Coast Guard vessel.
If you’re heading down this weekend, check out the Cranberry Festival at the Milestone cranberry bog, where guests can watch the berries being harvested and learn about the history of cranberry farming.
HOW TO GET THERE
Wheels up, darling! Nantucket may be gorgeous, but the traffic can be killer from NYC, any time of year.
Thankfully, Blade, the Uber for helicopters, has gotten into the ACK spirit and for the first time ever, they are offering chartered flights throughout the fall and winter and scheduled flights for Thanksgiving and Christmas Stroll at $575 per seat.
Passengers are taken via helicopter from the city to the Westchester County Airport. From there, you board a Pilatus PC-12 (and get a refill on your rosé sippy cup). Total trip time? 90 minutes. Not sitting in your car for five hours? Priceless.