3. Nantucket, Massachusetts | Best Attractions, Dining, and Lodging

Here are Yankee Magazine‘s picks for the best places to stay, eat, and see for Nantucket, Massachusetts, ranked #3 Beach Town in New England.

Where to Stay in Nantucket, Massachusetts

Century House As if the cliffside location and long history as an inn (since the early 1870s) were not enough, Century House invites artists in residence to schmooze with the guests and leave behind enough examples of their work to make the inn seem like a small museum of island plein-air painting. centuryhouse.com

Where to Eat in Nantucket, Massachusetts

Ventuno If Nantucket were an Italian island, the food might taste something like what Ventuno serves every night. Cape Cod clams become spaghetti alla vongele with the addition of enough garlic. Wild halibut meets locally grown green spring veggies to become merluzzo alla vignarola. ventunorestaurant.com

Great Attraction in Nantucket, Massachusetts

The Historic District. Technically speaking, all of Nantucket is a historical district, recognized on the national registry since 1966. With more than 800 buildings built before 1850, history surrounds you in Nantucket, but the downtown area, replete with cobblestone streets and gaslights, will truly take you back in time. www.nha.org

Don’t Miss

The Nantucket Whaling Museum. The impressive collection of scrimshaw, housed in a former spermaceti candle factory, recalls the gritty days when Nantucket whalers roamed the world. www.nha.org/sitesMore information: www.nantucketchamber.orgSee recommendations for the other 24 best beach towns in New England.