Top Row: The grounds of the White Elephant, the Whaling Museum, Bottom Row: The Atlantic Ocean, The White Elephant Hotel Residences

As is typical in many families during the end of the school year, we have all been exceptionally busy, and haven’t spent much time together later.  Our weekend getaway to Nantucket was exactly what we all needed to regroup and spend some time together.

While we initially considered taking our car over, it was highly recommended to us that we don’t.  It’s incredibly expensive, and there’s really very limited parking on the island.  So, we left our car in Hyannis, and boarded the high-speed Hy-Line ferry.  Once there, we were really glad that we didn’t have our car, because we definitely wouldn’t have used it.

Upon arrival, we were greeted by the White Elephant shuttle and driven directly to our hotel.  Since we’d arrived late, we decided to go to sleep and get ready for the morning.  But first, we explored our amazing hotel – with two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a kitchen with toaster oven and microwave.

First thing in the morning, we went to breakfast at the Fog Island Cafe, which offers delicious (albeit a bit expensive) pancakes, scrambles, and omelets.  Then, we headed out to the Whaling Museum, which my children loved.  The museum includes a discovery room for children, as well as a family guide, where the kids can follow cartoon Puritan children Obidiah and Rachel around the museum.  My kids especially loved the giant sperm whale skeleton, and couldn’t believe that it’s real.  We all enjoyed visiting the roof of the museum which offers a beautiful view of the island.

In part two, I’ll discuss our visit to Children’s Beach, the Nantucket Atheneum, and the Brotherhood of Thieves.

Photo credit: Jodi Grundig

Disclosure: The White Elephant Hotel Residences provided us with a complimentary two-night stay, as well as dinner at the Brant Point Grill (excluding alcohol). We were also given complimentary tickets to the Whaling Museum.