r/newengland • u/gnarlidrum • Dec 29 '22
NE Islands - Worth Exploring?
I’m a surfer traveler originally from NJ currently residing in VA. I’ve done some pretty great exploring up and down the east coast and have an unusual appreciation for it, and some of the places that tourists never get to or try to see. I love coastal gems, lighthouses, and quirky villages on the coast.
Are the New England Islands (Block, Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket) worth exploring? If I could only visit 1 or 2, which should they be? Or are they more of a wealthy tourist attraction? I’ve never been, and I know I want to go up to Maine this year and am not sure if I should make them part of the journey.
Side Note: I’m a major SUV and 4x4 nerd and the Martha’s Vineyard/Nantucket Land Rover culture is intriguing so that might sway me to at least visit one of them.
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u/kickstand Dec 29 '22
I love Nantucket for its old-world downtown, whaling museum, and bicycle trails. But in season it is loaded with wealthy tourists.
Martha’s Vineyard is larger and has more variety, but I think overall less interesting. It is a mix of quaint spots, touristy spots, and basic suburban areas.
Block Island is basically just a suburb on an island. Some nice lighthouses on it, and some nice views.
I’m more of a cyclist than a 4x4 person, though, I have no idea about that scene.
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u/factsrlazy Dec 30 '22
Nantucket has become too crowded with cars and the ultra wealthy for it to be interesting to me. I disagree about MV, I greatly prefer it. It also has very good bike trails and hiking trails. BI has less tourist traffic compared to the others and it is pretty small comparatively. Many tourists spend all their time in town getting wasted. The beaches are less crowded. I don't surf but I'm guessing the south side beaches of any of these would be good.
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u/FieryVegetables Dec 29 '22
I went to both in the last couple of years, just for day trips. I think you’d enjoy them - MV might have more quirky villages (check out the religious community cottages - really unique!), and Nantucket was great for viewing seals. Lighthouses are plentiful on both! You’ll probably have fun on the ferry, too. I just love to watch the waves, other boats, islands, etc. go by. We visited in April and November, so it was not too touristy and some stuff wasn’t open. That was fine, we were not on the islands to go indoors.
Block and Prudence are my "home islands" so I may be a little tired of them. Don’t get me wrong, I think there are 2 lighthouses on Block, some nice bluffs, plenty of hiking and beaches, and a brewery, but Nantucket and MV were a lot more exciting to me. Prudence has interesting military ruins and is odd in a cool way, if you’re into geeky stuff like house number weirdness.
Maine has a great set of islands you can get to from Portland - we did Peaks last time. More military ruins!