We had an amazing family vacation in Nantucket! I used to come here regularly when I was younger so it was great to be back 🙂 Nantucket is a special place with natural beauty, and it feels like the epitome of New England culture.
Getting To The Island:
Nantucket is a small island in Massachusetts so you can take a ferry to get there or you can fly like we did. It is a quick 40 minute flight from Westchester Airport. This was Liam’s first flight and our first flight with two children so we were a bit apprehensive! Thankfully our journey to Nantucket went perfectly. Chloe and Liam were both incredible, and we realized that if it goes like it did then we can do more flights/trips with them!
Eateries in Nantucket We Ate At:
We ate out at a bunch of local spots listed below. You can click on each restaurant to see their full gluten-free menu, photos of food I ate, and more info on the eateries. I go into more detail below as well. For groceries and snacks, we went daily to Stop & Shop and Bartlett’s Farm.
- Claudette’s Sandwich Shop
- Lemon Press
- Nantucket Tavern & Gazebo
- Surfside Taco Stand
- The Juice Bar
- The Charlie Noble
Where We Stayed:
We rented a house in mid-island, about a mile from town. Chloe called it “the grey house” and would ask to go back to “the grey house.” It had a few bedrooms so Chloe and Liam each slept in their own room which helped a lot with everyone’s sleep! The house was close to the bike path and the school playground so that was great for all of us. It also had a swimming pool and tennis courts in the association. Chloe was our ball girl when we played tennis one afternoon 🙂
Lunch at The Charlie Noble:
When we first arrived, we walked through town and explored some shops. We stopped for lunch at The Charlie Noble. They have a dedicated GF fryer so fries and wings are gluten-free upon request. I had to get the sweet potato fries! They also have gluten-free bread for sandwiches. I also ate the mixed green salad with cucumber, grains, edamame, citrus vinaigrette, radish (requested GF grains) and added salmon to it.
Breakfast at Lemon Press:
I heard that Lemon Press had gluten-free bagels so I was excited to eat here. When I went, they were out of gluten-free bagels but they did have gluten-free bread. I had the smoked salmon on GF bread with cream cheese, tomato ezme, pickled onion, capers, and radish. It was satisfying! No dedicated GF fryer here so avoid the fried items.
Lunch at Surfside Taco Stand:
We loved our lunch at Surfside Taco Stand! The portions are generous, and the food is fresh & flavorful. They serve GF corn tortillas if you want tacos. I ate the Buck Island salad with arugula, cherry tomatoes, corn, avocado, grilled summer squash, goat cheese, tomato balsamic vinaigrette and added blackened Mahi-Mahi to it. They have good kid’s meals here – Liam had the salmon, and Chloe had a quesadilla. They have soft serve ice cream here too.
Always Room for Ice Cream:
The Juice Bar is known for having the best ice cream, and I love coming here as a kid so we went multiple times this trip! I had peanut butter cup ice cream covered in hot fudge. So good! You can request a GF ice cream scooper, and they will wear new gloves if you tell them that you can’t have gluten.
Bike Ride Around The Island:
Nantucket has an extensive network of bike paths which makes it easy to bike around. The island is relatively flat, and the bike paths are well-maintained and often separated from vehicular traffic so it’s very enjoyable to bike here. We rented bikes, and then put Chloe and Liam in a trailer behind Brendan’s bike. This was our first time doing this, and everyone enjoyed it! We ended up biking 25.5 miles around the island from town along Polpis Road Path to Siasconset (or ‘Sconset) and then back towards town on the Milestone Road Path. Along this bike path, we saw scenic views of the oceans, meadows, marshlands, and the beach.
We stopped halfway in ‘Sconset for lunch. We grabbed sandwiches at Claudette’s Sandwich Shop. They make delicious sandwiches, and you can have them on gluten-free bread! I had the veggie sandwich with the works aka cheddar cheese, tomatoes, red onion, shredded carrot, and cucumber, plus lettuce and the House Sauce (mixture of mayo, spicy brown mustard and horseradish).
Brendan found Sconset Playground nearby which was great for Chloe and Liam to have time to move around. This playground is close to where we ate lunch, and it’s by the beach.
The last stop on our bike ride was Bartlett’s Farm. It’s Nantucket’s oldest and largest family-owned farm. We heard great things about it so knew we wanted to check it out! This farm has lots of fresh produce, prepared foods, and gourmet groceries. We grabbed some food for dinner at the house. I had the lobster salad, and it was delicious. Bartlett’s Farm has a playground here too so Chloe played on this playground while I fed Liam.
Also, I had amazing runs on these bike paths! I ran down to Surfside Beach and along Polpis Road Path as well.
Last Lunch at The Tavern:
On our last day, we walked into town and ate lunch at Nantucket Tavern & Gazebo. They have GF bread for sandwiches. I ate the super crunch salad with kale, romaine, red cabbage, cucumbers, quinoa, cilantro, mint, pickled carrots (requested without crispy wontons and asked for a GF dressing) and then added grilled chicken to it. They have seafood dishes and burgers too. I had a lot of delicious seafood this trip – lobster salad, smoked salmon, cooked salmon, and Mahi-Mahi 🙂
Playgrounds:
If you have children, then you know how important playgrounds are! We easily found playgrounds and went to them every day. We went to Children’s Beach Playground which is located near Nantucket Harbor in town. It has swings, slides, and climbing structures. There are a few different playgrounds at Nantucket Public Schools so we explored all of them. And then we went to the Sconset Playground and Bartlett’s Farm playground during our bike ride.
Next Trip:
We may need to make Nantucket an annual trip! We all really loved it – very family-friendly, great outdoor activities, and delicious food. Chloe keeps asking to go back to the gray house 🙂 Also, I highly recommend going in mid-September if you can. It wasn’t as busy since school started, and the weather was perfectly 70 degrees.
Two things we’ll do when we come back — go to Cisco Brewers for live music and food trucks, and bike out to Madaket.
Where to next?!
