Looking to relax and take life a little slower? Spend a little time romancing your partner? No worries – you’re on island time in Nantucket!

Nantucket is an island of pristine beauty 14 miles long and 3.5 miles wide,with something to offer everyone. Experience the hustle and bustle of downtown by enjoying a meal at any one of the numerous fine dining restaurants, lose yourself in the art galleries along the wharf, stroll through the museums and historic sites or pick up some island treasures at any of the many boutiques and shops in town.

Or, choose one of the beautiful bike paths and head off toward the beach. With over 80 miles of beaches, it should not be too hard to find your own private stretch of sand along Nantucket Sound or the Atlantic Ocean. Nantucket is one of the most beautiful places in the world.

There is an old adage which says -“Take only photographs - leave only footprints.” This is a saying that the islanders hope visitors will care to adhere to on the numerous beaches, across the island. Though Nantucket has many miles of beaches, little of the coastline is actually public property. Many property owners have generously allowed public access to their beachfront. In return for this privilege all visitors and residents treat all of Nantucket’s beaches with respect.

Nantucket has a long history of maritime pursuits and the three lighthouses that guard the island’s northern tip, eastern shoreline and harbour are reminders of a time when Nantucketers lived off the sea. They are symbolic of how the past and present coexist on the island and have stood through decades of history as Nantucket evolved from the whaling capital of the world to a premier vacation resort.

Museums show visitors that for nearly 100 years –from the mid-1700s to the late 1830s – the island was the whaling capital of the world, with as many as 150 ships making port in Nantucket during its peak.Through the years, as the whaling industry and population on the island burgeoned, so did the ethnic diversity of Nantucket’s inhabitants.

Infact the story of the Moby Dick written by Herman Melville was published in 1851 and was based on a legendary story about a sperm whale that sank a Nantucket ship called Essex in 1820.However the decades of whaling in Nantucket is just history today and really interesting history at that.

Today Nantucket is an ideal spot for a romantic vacation. And tourism is the principal source of income for island residents. In the last two decades Nantucket’s tourist season has extended from before Memorial Day to after Columbus Day. Increasingly, visitors are also attracted by the quiet beauty of the off-season, and can be assured of finding comfortable accommodation no matter what time of year.

So, what is Nantucket really like you ask? You have to go there to experience it and you will never regret the trip!