nantucket and the cape- day three

Our third and final day on Nantucket was really just a morning while we waited for our noon ferry to arrive. We still had our rental car until just before we departed, so we decided to try to squeeze in a few more things we had wanted to do.

Our first stop, coffee and these delicious "morning buns" at Petticoat Row Bakery, which was steps from our hotel. 

Then I popped around the corner to one of my favourite shops, Flowers on Chestnut. I had spotted a little blue transferware piece that I really loved, but left behind the day before. I decided to go back and get it for myself as a little souvenir, and I'm really so happy I did. It's the sweetest shop with fresh flowers on the main floor, and beautiful home decor on the second floor with some great books and antiques scattered about. Maybe in a separate post, I'll share a few photos of it with you. 

We then drove around town for a bit, looking at the store fronts. I had to laugh because some of the cobblestone streets felt bumpy enough to send me into labour! We joked we'd be able to extend our stay for a bit, and who wouldn't want a little Nantucket baby?

We made our way down to Old South Wharf again, this time to see it in the daylight.

I popped into this sweet souvenir shop to pick up a couple little things for the boys - a little wooden 'Sconset train for Jude, a geode for Hudson (he asked for the coolest rock ever - this one you smash open and hopefully find some crystals inside), a knot bracelet for Willen and sharks tooth fossils for both.

We had wanted to try the famous Turkey Terrific sandwich from Provisions, so we grabbed sandwiches and packed them for on the ferry ride.

Still finding ourselves with about an hour before needing to be back, Ryan decided we would take a quick drive out towards Tom Nevers, a part of the island we hadn't been to yet. The beautiful sunny weather was starting to give way to the grey fog the island is known for, and rain was on it's way. It didn't stop us from meandering through the sandy back roads though, all the way to the coast where we got out and enjoyed a few last minutes of the beach.

After dropping our car off, we checked our final stop off our list - the Juice Bar for their famous ice cream and homemade waffle cones. So worth the stop.

We caught our ferry and departed just as it started raining. As we rounded the harbor we knew we'd found a special little place we'd be returning to again.

Once back in Hyannis, we made our way up the Cape, towards Provincetown by way of Chatham and Orleans - two beautiful towns off the highway. Unfortunately it was teaming rain, so we didn't spend much time walking around. I did however bookmark two stops, one an antique map shop and another antique shop.

We spent our last night camping in Provincetown, but to be honest, we were a little disappointed. First, at the campsite you weren't allowed any fires, but that's pretty much what we do in the evening when camping - sit around a nice fire. No problem, we'd drive into town and walk up and down, and spend more time there. We picked up boxes of Salt Water Taffy for the boys and the most delicious chocolate peanut butter cups and turtles for us. 

Ready to eat, we then sadly discovered that on Wednesdays during the off season, many restaurants are closed! This included the few choices we had wanted to try. We ended up settling on the Lobster Pot, which was pretty good food wise, but with a beautiful view of the wharf. We ate as the sun set and then made our way back to the campsite where we attempted to play cards by the dimmest lantern ever. Fortunately we were tired and decided to call it a night so we could be on our way early the next morning. We had a nine hour drive ahead of us, and we wanted to be home in time to spend some time with the boys before bed.

I wanted to share our camping side of our trip. We camped the first and last nights, and stayed at our hotel while on Nantucket. Originally we had planned to both just sleep in the back of our van, but the only mattress that would fit was a single. And while we love each other dearly, sharing a single bed was a little too close for comfort. I ended up sleeping in the van, and Ryan happily unearthed all his camping gear from his bachelor days and camped beside me. 

Fun fact - on our honeymoon, from New York City to the East Coast, we camped every other night as well, in this same tent! Even then it made me a little claustrophobic, and we had to sleep opposite ways to fit. It was still romantic. 

Ten years later, I was quite happy to let him enjoy the tent while I enjoyed "glamping" in our van. And yes, I brought white linens. When sleeping on a bed, might as well make it comfortable.

Here are my two souvenirs I brought back. I don't have many pieces of  blue transferware, and have been looking for some for a while now. The top piece will go by my night table, and the bottom one, on the wall in the family room.

Hopefully you enjoyed our tour! We had an amazing time. It's one of our favourite places we've been together, and honestly, we can't wait to return, because return we shall.