Nantucket Tours & Excursions

One of the things which Nantucket does particularly well is to play host to a wide variety, and a large number, of guided tours and excursions. It almost seems to suggest that the residents are so eager to try to persuade people that, small island it may be, it is packed with a tremendous number of interesting places to visit and things to do. If you are considering visiting Nantucket, you may be very well advised to consider a tour or excursion – either a fully planned trip to the island, or simply a tour once you’re there. There are several excellent operators and guided tours to consider, the following being a selection of some of the more popular ones.

Photo by Darius Kersulis

Ara’s Tours are guided tours provided by someone who has lived on the island for a lifetime. You will be escorted around the island in a van which will provide ample viewing space, and comfortable seating. The tour will include a number of interesting places to visit, and as befits such a long time resident, a number of entertaining stories and anecdotes about the island that you simply wouldn’t find anywhere else. A variety of tours and guides are provided, from bird watching trips to beach trips, excursions up to the village of Siasconset and others besides.

Another excellent range of tours are provided by Shearwater Excursions, but these take place on the water rather than the land. Powerboat trips out to sea for watching whales and seals are available, and will especially delight children. For a more relaxing trip, perhaps you might consider an evening excursion at a more gentle pace, with cocktails provided as the sun sets over the Atlantic.

While considering sea based excursions, you should also bear in mind the experiences offered by The Endeavour which is a large wooden ship which will take you for a tranquil ride around the island. This is no powerboat, and the ship seems to emphasise the way in which the island seems lost in time, and you cannot help but feel taken away and relaxed as you watch the island slowly drift by. Special trips for families and children are also provided, since the ship bears a striking resemblance to a pirate ship of old, and so pirate based theme trips are put on for this purpose!

For those interested in natural wildlife, and in the ways that the Nantucket conservation program is being run, there are tours run by the Trustees of Reservation, and these tours will take you in a four wheeled vehicle through a variety of areas, including beaches and rugged terrain arriving at the Great Point Lighthouse.