trip east - part one, nantucket

When given the chance, Ryan and I head East. The American East coast, the Canadian East coast - it doesn't really matter. Just East. We've tried the West coast, and while beautiful, it's just not our thing. We love being by the water. It's soothing to our souls. But we also love the small town feel and the rich history of the East. We love the architecture of the homes with their classic, timeless style. The way of life there seems to be much slower, and more relaxed. It's just where we love to be.

For the first time in our many trips to the coast, we decided to bring our children with us. We wanted to show them all the things we love. And while our boys are used to a fairly long drive to the cottage in the summer, the 21 hour drive to Nova Scotia was going to be a new adventure (for everyone).

The plan was to take two and a half days to get out to Nova Scotia, via the US. If you drove straight East from us, you'd end up near Boston. We'd then head North East through Vermont and Maine, and then back into Canada and through New Brunswick to Nova Scotia. At the last minute, we made a huge decision to spend one night on Nantucket. It seemed ridiculous at first, but honestly, I couldn't say no. Even for just one night. I'm going to highlight our time on the island first, as honestly, that's where I took the most photos (mainly because I had more time to wander about). Then I'll highlight the rest of our trip in another post.

Packing for a road trip for a family of six was a challenge! There were a couple things that made it easier. First, my husband invested in a rooftop carrier. This was huge as I wasn't limited to space, like when flying. Second, we made use of the hotel laundry machines halfway through. And third, we kept a large suitcase, but packed smaller weekend bags (one for us, one for the kids) with everything we needed for that night and next day. This was especially helpful for Nantucket as we wouldn't have our car and would need to carry our luggage on and off the ferry.

So, to optimize our time on the island, we drove to Sturbridge, MA the first evening. We literally arrived at 1:30 am and were checked out by 6:30 am the next morning. We booked an early departure on the high speed ferry. which meant we arrived on the island late morning. I find this to be a great time to go as a couple weeks later, and students arrive back home from school, and busy season starts which basically doubles the population. Sure, you miss the quintessential Hydrangeas and Roses in bloom, but it's still beautiful (and less expensive).

It was a perfectly grey ferry ride in - warm enough to sit outside, but cool enough to be thankful you threw in a sweatshirt and blanket. Our hair was windblown and our skin tasted salty by the time we docked, but the fog was lifting and the only evidence of the morning's down pour were the puddles in the cobblestone streets.

We made our way to the rental shop, where the boys rented a Jeep for the day - the perfect vehicle for making the most of the sandy back roads and beach drives. We didn't all fit in the Jeep, so George and I took the transit and we met them out in Sconset. They brought the luggage to the hotel (the scenic way, no doubt) while George and I walked about town.

We met for lunch at The Brotherhood of Thieves, where Ryan got to enjoy his favourite sandwich in the world - their Reuben.

I spent my time in town window shopping and admiring the well-kept homes.

I then grabbed an iced coffee from Handlebar Cafe, which is conveniently across from the transit waiting area, and waited for the bus to Sconset.

I got off at the rotary by Sconset Market, and found the boys waiting. They headed to the beach and the playground across from it and I walked up and down the lanes, looking at the cottages.

It's such an interesting place. These cottages are so old, some of them dating back to the mid-18th century, and yet, they're so meticulously kept. They are so charming. 

  

It has it's own smell - it's a mix of fresh ocean and sweet, floral from the beach roses.

We spent the remainder of the afternoon chasing waves and spotting seals.

We stayed by Surfside Beach, which isn't far from Sconset or town. We had takeout Lola Burger by the fire and walked the beach at sunset.

In the morning, I went back down to the beach and caught the end of the sunrise. The beaches are so beautiful. Our ferry would be leaving before noon as we had a long drive to the next destination, so I headed back into town for one more early walk around while the boys went back out in the Jeep.

It was so quiet in town, I felt like I had it all to myself. I picked up another iced coffee and morning bun and did some more window shopping as nothing was open. The brick sidewalks lulled George back to sleep.

Then I made my way down to the Wharf, quickly popping into the grocer to pick up some lunch supplies for the ferry ride home - namely buns and cold meet, some kettle chips, a pint of strawberries and chocolate chip cookies.

The old wharf is charming as well. It smells like the ocean with beautiful boats docked outside of tiny cottages for rent. And a few little shops to browse with souvenirs and gifts.

The boys met me here with a little time before we departed. We walked the docks, checking out the boats and watched a tall ship leave. This photo made me smile.

We knew that it might not be what we were hoping, given all that could go wrong traveling as a family. But with some planning ahead, it worked. And surprisingly, despite how short of a stay it was, we were relaxed and enjoyed ourselves! And what's more, our kids fell in love with a place that we love. Next time though, we're renting a cottage and staying for a week.

nantucket - day two

         Our second day on Nantucket was devoted almost entirely to walking around 'Sconset.

Now at any other point, we would have rented bikes in town and enjoyed a bike ride out to this area - the island is perfectly suited for biking. But, given my current very pregnant condition, we rented a car for the day so I could walk around once there and enjoy the day comfortably. I'm so glad we did! We actually enjoyed so much more than we planned this day because we had the convenience of our own car.

Our morning started off with coffee and pastries in the courtyard of our hotel. Ryan would get up before me, stroll to get his coffee down the road and I'd find him later, reading here. Then I'd go get my coffee and we'd plan our day.

Breakfast at Black Eyed Susan's was our first stop. We both enjoyed a good, casual breakfast in a very bustling but cozy atmosphere.

 

Then we headed out to Siasconset - or 'Sconset as it's called. We parked and walked 'Sconset beach, looking for rocks and shells for the boys, enjoying the wind and warm sunny day.

If there's one thing we couldn't get over about this place, it's the sweet smell of wild roses growing all over and a fresh, saltiness of the ocean air. It's intoxicating.

Then we headed to Sankaty Head lighthouse before parking back in town and walking the 'Sconset Bluff Walk.

The walk is along this little footpath that wanders through the back yards of the homes overlooking the bluff. It's a beautiful walk with perfectly manicured yards of these meticulously kept homes on one side and this wild, heathland with breathtaking views of the coast on the other!

Nearing the end of the walk, I was starting to feel quite tired, so I ended up finding a shady spot to rest outside what became my favourite home we passed, while Ryan lovingly walked back into town to grab the car.

 

In town, we stopped again to walk around the older cottages - the ones that 'Sconset is famous for. These tiny, crooked, rose-covered cottages from the 18th century look like they're right out of a storybook! The roses were just starting to bloom and I can't imagine how much more gorgeous this area is once everything is in full bloom.

 

Can you just imagine this cottage in bloom?

 

I made Ryan stand beside one of them to show the boys the scale of just how tiny they are!

Before continuing on, we stopped at the 'Sconset Market and picked up some water and snacks before we made our way to another part of the island. The sign outside the market says "Fancy Groceries" and it made me laugh, until we walked in. It might as well have been a small corner store, but it was entirely stocked with every fine food and snack you could imagine! I couldn't get over it. I told Ryan I wished we had a little market like this... though it's probably best we didn't. It was the same with their playgrounds - these pretty little climbers that were white and shake and perfectly matching their surroundings.

Our next stop was Cisco Brewery for Ryan, where he enjoyed a flight of their island inspired beers in the garden while a live band played and food trucks sold raw oysters and frozen Rose - It's a thing there - frose. Too bad I was pregnant...

We then headed to Bartlett Farms where I picked up a peach and some cherries (I needed something healthy!) and then took a scenic drive back to our hotel.

As we had missed lunch, we decided to change and head out for an early dinner. We had planned to have burgers for lunch at Lola Burger, so we just made our way back there. Now, I know we were hungry, but these burgers and fries were something else. Seriously, one of the best burgers I've had. And these crispy little fries with garlic aioli? So delicious! We left stuffed.

We then drove out towards the Madaket Beach area, as we heard you can see the prettiest sunsets there. 

It didn't disappoint! It really was gorgeous. But it was also quite chilly and very windy, so we didn't stay long.

Ryan surprised me with stopping at Galley Beach for dessert - a restaurant I had wanted to try. We watched the sun sink from the comfort of a fire on the beach while we enjoyed drinks.

Then, once it was dark, we headed inside and had our dessert. It was a beautiful restaurant, but really, it's location couldn't be more perfect. We ended the evening on Old South Wharf, walking the docks by lamplight.

Because we were able to drive about, we were able to see so much more. It really was a near perfect day.