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Nantucket Nantucket's attractions run the gamut from beaches to history to architecture to art and antiques. Except for the beaches, almost everything the visitor needs or wants to do is right in Nantucket village, and easily reached on foot or by bicycle or moped. A number of pamphlets detail interesting walking tours. Twenty-five buildings and sites of special interest are maintained by the Nantucket Historical Association, which offers a combination pass to twelve for $15. Among them: The Whaling Museum, the largest complex and one most visitors pass just after they leave the ferry, is considered the nation's best after the New Bedford Whaling Museum. Originally a candle factory, it contains an original beam press still poised to render whale spermaceti into candles and oil. Rooms are devoted to scrimshaw, whaling equipment and objects brought home by seamen from the South Seas. A whale jaw with teeth, the skeleton of a 43-foot whale and whalecraft shops – a sail loft, cooperage, shipsmith and such – are among the attractions. Fair Street Museum and Quaker Meeting House. Nantucket's art museum records the lives of early citizens in portraits. An upstairs gallery houses more recent works and special exhibitions. The adjoining Meeting House was built in 1838. Farther from the center of town are the Oldest House (1686), the Old Mill (1746) and the Old Gaol (1805). Numerous other structures are under Historical Association auspices, but if you simply walk any of the streets fanning out from the center you'll stumble onto your own finds. Don't miss central Main Street, particularly the three handsome Georgian mansions known as The Three Bricks. Tours. The best of several is the 90-minute walking tour led by Dirk Gardiner Roggeveen, (508) 221-0075, a twelfth-generation Nantucketer and island historian. He goes “where the buses don’t,” through hidden alleys and byways, all the while spinning tales of Nantucket lore. Robert Pitman Grimes, (508) 228-9382, also a Nantucket native, entertains visitors with interesting tidbits about island history on a nearly two-hour tour of the island in a suburban van. Art Galleries and Antiques Shops. Besides beaches and good food, it's said that visitors are attracted to Nantucket by all the galleries and antiques shops. They certainly have a wide choice: one brochure is devoted to antiquing on Nantucket, and one of summer's big events is the annual antiques show in early August. Such Nantucket scenes as cobblestoned streets, deserted moors and rose-covered cottages in Siasconset appeal to artists, whose works hang in galleries all along the wharves. Shopping. Nantucket is a shopper's paradise and, were it not for the cobblestoned streets and salt air, you could as easily picture yourself in Newburyport or New Canaan. Specialty stores with names like Nobby Clothes, Beautiful People and The Cashmere Shop compete with the more traditional like Murray's Toggery Shop and Mitchell's Book Corner, all across the several square blocks of “downtown” Nantucket. We love the Lion's Paw, an exceptional gift shop full of cheerful pottery; check out the animal's tea party. Other standouts are Zero Main for suave women's clothing, Rosa Rugosa for painted furniture and household decorative items, the Forager House Collection of folk art and accessories and Nantucket Looms with beautiful, whimsical woven items and a sweater in the window for “only $750.” Majolica offers colorful hand-painted Italian ceramics. The Spectrum is good for arts and crafts. The Complete Kitchen is one of the better kitchenware stores we've seen. Claire Murray has fabulous hand-hooked rugs, and Lilly Pulitzer offers her trademark apparel. clothing. Nantucket Lightship Baskets. The lightships that protected boats from the treacherous shoal waters off the south and east end of the island in the mid-18th century spawned a cottage industry indigenous to Nantucket. The crews of the South Shoal Lightship turned to basket-weaving to while away their hours on duty. Their duty ended, the seamen continued to make baskets ashore – first primitive and heavy-duty types for carrying laundry or groceries, later more beautiful handbags appealing to visitors. The latter were inspired by the Sayle family, who continue the tradition at their shop at 112 Washington St. Today, Nantucket's famed baskets come in all shapes and sizes (including 14-karat gold miniatures) and seem to be ubiquitous in the shops and on tanned arms. The handbags have ivory carvings on top and carry hefty price tags. Material excerpted from Inn Spots & Special Places in New England, by Nancy and Richard Woodworth. Copyright 2004. Wood Pond Press E-mail feedback to: Home
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