Is Martha’s vineyard worth the cost & effort? Nantucket?

No campground on Nantucket

45years ago we spent our honeymoon on marthas had a great time we too don,t shop much ,lighthouse and walking the side streets were great , waiting for a taxi a lady asked us where we were from said ohio. she took us for a tour of the whole island. did you know the movie jaws was filmed there?

Define "worth it". What's worth it to you might not be the same as to someone else. Went to Martha's Vineyard many moons ago and it was beautiful. Have not been to Nantucket.

My parents moved to Nantucket in 1979 and my brother lives in the house now. I enjoy visits - great beaches, interesting museums, and there are still parts of the island that are beautiful. I'm not impressed with the restaurants, and the downtown areas are pretty touristy, but get out to Sconcet and other areas away from downtown & it is worth the trip. Taking your vehicle is expensive - over $500.00 round trip, so plan on walking around the town or biking (lots of bike paths) if you want to get out of town.

Some journals of some of my visits: Nantucket Trips

We are year-round Nantucket residents and it is a wonderful place, which is why after many years of being part-timers, we drifted into full-time 6 years ago and sold our other home. We choose our beach based on the wind direction and, with over half the island locked in Open Space Public Access, we have miles of dog walking areas. We have little to do with the shops and restaurants, the rents they have to pay make the prices they charge nuts.

All of that said, there are no campgrounds and even though residents pay much less for car transport, our Sprinter is $500 round-trip because when we travel it’s for over 30 days. To truly “get” Nantucket you need to have a car and drive the Island. Four wheel drive that can cross 20” deep “puddles” is best :b.

Regarding The Vineyard, when we were liveaboard boaters 10 years ago Martha’s Vineyard was always a couple day stopover. Again you need a car to really see it but I prefer Nantucket:w.

Dave

To me, the private whaling museum on Nantucket is better than the National Parks one in New Bedford. And you can rent bicycles right in town. We never stayed overnight, just day tripped from Cape Cod.

We visited Martha's Vineyard Sept. 22 to Sept 26 2019. We stayed at the Martha's Vineyard Family Campground. Great Campground and very nice/helpful new owners. We took our Thor 22C class c no tow there and the ferry cost was $320 round trip. We chose these dates on the advise of the owners of the RV park. They said it is considered off season. Less people and less traffic on the Island and a cheaper ferry rate. Also on the advise of the campground owners, because of very close clearances on the downtown streets, we parked outside of the towns and bicycled in. Cars are OK but RV's need a shoe horn to get through the downtown streets. Plenty of parking outside of the downtown areas. In this case a towd would be very handy, but that also increases the ferry cost. We had a great time and enjoyed the sights. Be a while though before we return though. As far as I know there aren't any RV campgrounds on Nantucket Island.

Thanks all for your comments so far! We would leave the truck & RV behind & be foot passengers. It is interesting to see how many say you really need a vehicle... It is pricey, since it would involve 3 night hotel (estimate), hence my question about whether it is worth it! Thanks!

We did the Vineyard 3 years ago with our truck and camper. Was a great week. The kids loved the whole experience including taking the truck and trailer on the ferry, amazing beaches, good food. Certainly not a place to go if you're trying to save money but a great experience.