Your Nantucket CME conference.

Nantucket after your study day

Study days finish at 2:00 PM Nantucket time. For an easy afternoon, choose one outing near your study setting: the Whaling Museum downtown, the Maria Mitchell Association’s museum and aquarium, or a walk on the conservation trails west of town. Leave time for the cobblestones, because the Chamber of Commerce says they lead from the wharves into the historic town and that the island is small and extremely walkable.

Travel, accommodation and any museum or ferry arrangements are made separately. Your conference is built around your specialty and interests; the island is the setting you choose for it.

Museums and the harbor

The Nantucket Historical Association’s Whaling Museum is in the heart of downtown. The main hall holds a 46-foot sperm whale skeleton, and the museum connects to the Hadwen and Barney Oil and Candle Factory, an exposed-brick space from 1847. Its outdoor deck, Tucker’s Roofwalk, overlooks the harbor and the historic district. The museum lists Monday through Saturday opening and asks visitors to reserve tickets online, so check its current schedule against your 2:00 PM finish.

The association’s smaller historic sites, such as the Oldest House and the Old Mill, can be closed for the season, so check which are open on your dates. The Maria Mitchell Association calls itself Nantucket’s science center. It runs the Maria Mitchell Aquarium at 32 Washington Street, the Hinchman House Natural Science Museum at 7 Milk Street, and Loines Observatory, which hosts stargazing and open nights and has a historic Alvan Clark telescope and a research telescope. Its seasonal facilities typically open in early June, with weekend openings in spring.

Moorland walks and bike paths

The Nantucket Conservation Foundation owns and protects over 9,000 acres. At Sanford Farm, Ram Pasture and Head of the Plains, the foundation describes a 6-mile Ocean Walk from the parking area to the southern shoreline and back, a 3.1-mile Barn Walk that turns around at the historic barn, and a 1.7-mile Northern Loop. The Sanford Farm lot is on Madaket Road about 1.5 miles west of town and has no restrooms.

The Head of the Plains section of the same property has views across Clark’s Cove and shoreline sunsets. The foundation also protects Coatue, Milestone Cranberry Bog, Windswept Bog and the Middle Moors. Choose a shorter loop if you want to be back early, and read the foundation’s hunting page for which trails are safe to walk in hunting season. The Chamber of Commerce lists twelve designated bike trails covering over 32 miles, mostly on smooth terrain, with local shops renting bikes suited to the island, along with maps and helmets. The chamber also lists walking and driving tours that highlight the island’s beaches, cliffs and history. The Wave shuttle serves many island routes, including Jetties and Surfside beaches, and carries two bikes per trip on a first-come basis.

When to visit Nantucket

Summer is the main season. Hy-Line runs an inter-island ferry to Martha’s Vineyard from late May to early October, and several flights and fast ferries are seasonal: Freedom Cruise Line does not run from October through April, and JetBlue does not fly to the island in those months. Seasonal fast ferries also run from the mainland.

The Chamber of Commerce also lists the Daffodil Festival and the Nantucket Noel holiday season among its sponsored events, which includes the Christmas Stroll. The chamber’s annual guidebook is also available for planning a visit. Check dates for any event you plan around, and use the local forecast when you plan outdoor time.

Getting to Nantucket and your study setting

Nantucket Memorial Airport is the arrival point shown in this guide. The Chamber of Commerce says the airport is the second-busiest commercial airport in Massachusetts, even though the island is 30 miles out to sea. Year-round flights operate from Boston, Hyannis and Martha’s Vineyard, and airlines including JetBlue, Delta, American and United fly seasonally from New York-area airports, Washington, DC and Charlotte.

Hy-Line Cruises and the Steamship Authority run year-round fast passenger catamarans that take about an hour, and the Steamship Authority also runs a car-and-passenger ferry that takes about two and a half hours. The chamber says both main ferry terminals have secure on-site parking. Freedom Cruise Line sails from Harwich Port and Seastreak from New Bedford, both seasonally. The Hyannis Transportation Center is two blocks from the harbor and connects to the ferries, and commuter buses and a train serve it. Plymouth & Brockton runs buses from Boston’s South Station and Logan Airport, and the seasonal CapeFLYER train runs weekends from Boston to Hyannis. The Nantucket Ferries site lists schedules for several ferry options in one place. Taxis and rental cars are available year-round in town and at the airport.

The map shows straight-line distances from Shift’s designated center. These are orientation distances, not driving distances or travel-time estimates. Check your exact address against the conference’s check-in area before booking.