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Below are common questions from visitors to Nantucket Island and answers as of 2023.
If you do not see your question on this FAQ page, please send an email to us at info@nantucket.net –> PLEASE NOTE: questions on where to find housing on Nantucket will NOT be answered by our staff. If you are looking for short-term accommodations (2-weeks or less), please visit our LODGING PAGES. If you are looking for long-term housing (longer than 2 weeks), we suggest you contact one of the real estate offices on Nantucket.
This FAQ page was last updated on JANUARY 2023.
As of 2023, wearing of face-coverings is being left up to the passengers. Any passengers who deem it prudent to wear face-coverings while riding the ferries to Nantucket must bring their own, as the ferry lines do not supply them to passengers.
Two of the three ships in the Boston Tea Party were Nantucket ships. In the 1700s & 1800s, Nantucket was the whaling capitol of the world. In the 1900s, Nantucket became a famous summer resort. Now Nantucket Island is famous for Daffodil Festival, Nantucket Wine & Food Festival, Nantucket Film Festival, Nantucket Comedy Festival, Cranberry Festival, and Christmas Stroll.
Yes, car rental agencies are currently offering rentals. Book in advance online because some currently have limited inventory. Car rental agencies
Yes, Nantucket bike shops are open for rentals. Advance reservations are recommended. You’ll find a list here and there is a map of island bike paths here
Yes, the Nantucket Regional Transit Authority (NRTA) buses operate year-round, but their schedules do change depending on the season. Their website: NRTAWave.com has the most up-to-date information. Taxi service and ride share services are also available on Nantucket.
Surfcasting is currently permitted, and beach stickers for vehicles on Town beaches are being sold online https://www.paybill.com/nantucketpolice/BeachVehiclePermit/default1.asp
Yes, lifeguards are posted on Nantucket Town beaches to safeguard the public enjoying the waters around our island. Visit the Insiders Guide to Nantucket for daily beach conditions.
Click here for more beach guidance from the Town of Nantucket.
There are no fees to access island beaches by foot, nearly all of Nantucket’s 110-mile coastline is free and open to the public. Some beaches are part of private property, and there is a fee to drive onto beaches. Beach permits for cars are purchased from the Town of Nantucket and permits to drive onto the Coskata-Coatue Wildlife Refuge are available from the Trustees of Reservations
Yes, there are several options for public bathrooms in downtown Nantucket. Visitors Services at 25 Federal Street has men’s and women’s bathrooms (access around back of the Visitor Center) that are open every day from 9 am. And, if you have traveled to the island aboard a Steamship Authority vessel, there are bathrooms in their terminal on Steamboat Wharf. The airport (mid-island) also has bathrooms.
Yes, Nantucket Cottage Hospital is an affiliate of Massachusetts General Hospital and a member of Partners Healthcare.
Since 1911, Nantucket Cottage Hospital has cared for island residents and visitors with compassion and integrity. In February 2019, the new medical facility opened on-island. Our new hospital enhances access, safety and privacy for patients, allowing us to better serve the island community with a broad range of medical services. We are proud that Nantucket sets a national standard for small community hospitals by offering expanded outpatient services with capacity for inpatient care and surgery, giving patients a central location for all their healthcare needs, including primary, emergency, and specialty care, as well as diagnostic testing.
Nantucket is a place of natural beauty, and during the pandemic restrictions, outdoors is the perfect place to be. Rent a bike or a car and visit our island lighthouses, explore the village of Siasconset, take a walk at the Linda Loring Nature Foundation or on one of the many Nantucket Conservation Foundation Properties. Golf courses are open, fishing and sailing charters are accepting passengers, and guides are offering walking tours. Children’s playgrounds are open, with some restrictions and cautionary notes.
Camping is not permitted on Nantucket Island unless you are on private property with the permission of the homeowner or a member of the Scouts of America participating in an organized trip at Camp Richard.
Town bylaws state: No person shall, between the hours of 8:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m., set up on any property, public or private, without permission of the owner thereof, a camp or tent or sleep in the open or in a vehicle within the territorial limits of the Town of Nantucket. Any person violating this chapter shall be punished by a fine of not more than $200 for each offense.
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