Active Pursuits

Beaches

In distinct contrast to Martha's Vineyard, virtually all of Nantucket's 110-mile coastline is free and open to the public. Though the pressure to keep people out is sometimes intense (especially when four-wheel-drivers insist on their right to go anywhere, anytime), islanders are proud that they've managed to keep the shoreline in the public domain.

Each of the following areas tends to attract a different crowd.

• Children's Beach: This small beach is a protected cove just west of busy Steamship Wharf. Appealing to families, it has a park, a playground, restrooms, lifeguards, a snack bar (the beloved Downy Flake, famous for its homemade doughnuts), and even a bandstand for free weekend concerts.
• Cisco Beach: About 4 miles from town, in the southwestern quadrant of the island (from Main St., turn onto Milk St., which becomes Hummock Pond Rd.), Cisco enjoys vigorous waves -- great for the surfers who flock here, not so great for the waterfront homeowners. Restrooms are available and lifeguards are on duty.
• Coatue: This fishhook-shaped barrier beach, on the northeastern side of the island at Wauwinet, is Nantucket's outback, accessible only by four-wheel-drive vehicles, watercraft, or the very strong-legged. Swimming is strongly discouraged because of fierce tides.
• Dionis Beach: About 3 miles out of town (take the Madaket bike path to Eel Point Rd.) is Dionis, which enjoys the gentle sound surf and steep, picturesque bluffs. It's a great spot for swimming, picnicking, and shelling, and you'll find fewer children than at Jetties or Children's beaches. Stick to the established paths to prevent further erosion. Lifeguards patrol here, and restrooms are available.
• Jetties Beach: Located about a half-mile west of Children's Beach on North Beach Street, Jetties is about a 20-minute walk, or an even shorter bike ride, shuttle bus ride, or drive, from town (there's a large parking lot, but it fills up early on summer weekends). It's another family favorite, for its mild waves, lifeguards, bathhouse, and restrooms. Facilities include the town tennis courts, volleyball nets, a skate park, and a playground; watersports equipment and chairs are also available to rent. There is also The Jetties, an upscale concession stand complete with bar, serving lunch and dinner. The Fourth of July fireworks are held here. Every August, Jetties hosts an intense sand-castle competition.
• Madaket Beach: Accessible by Madaket Road, the 6-mile bike path that runs parallel to it, and by shuttle bus, this westerly beach is narrow and subject to pounding surf and sometimes serious crosscurrents. Unless it's a fairly tame day, you might content yourself with wading. It's the best spot on the island for admiring the sunset. Facilities include restrooms, lifeguards, and mobile food service.
• Siasconset ('Sconset) Beach: The eastern coast of 'Sconset is as pretty as the town itself and rarely, if ever, crowded, perhaps because of the water's strong sideways tow. You can reach it by car, by shuttle bus, or by a less scenic and somewhat hilly (at least for Nantucket) 7-mile bike path. Lifeguards are usually on duty, but the closest facilities (restrooms, grocery store, and cafe) are back in the center of the village.
• Surfside Beach: Three miles south of town via a popular bike/skate path, broad Surfside -- equipped with lifeguards, restrooms, and a surprisingly accomplished little snack bar -- is appropriately named and commensurately popular. It draws thousands of visitors a day in high season, from college students to families, but the free parking lot can fit only about 60 cars -- you do the math, or better yet, ride your bike or take the shuttle bus.

Bicycling

Several lovely, paved bike paths radiate from the center of town to outlying beaches. The bike paths run about 6 1/4 miles west to Madaket, 3 1/2 miles south to Surfside, and 8 1/4 miles east to Siasconset. To avoid backtracking from Siasconset, continue north through the charming village and return on the Polpis Road bike path. Strong riders could do a whole circuit of the island in a day. Picnic benches and water fountains stand at strategic points along all the paths.

For a free map of the island's bike paths (it also lists Nantucket's bicycle rules), stop by Young's Bicycle Shop, at Steamboat Wharf (tel. 508/228-1151). It's definitely the best place for bike rentals, from basic three-speeds to high-tech suspension models. In operation since 1931 -- check out the vintage vehicles on display -- they also deliver to your door.

Fishing

For shellfishing, you'll need a permit from the harbormaster's office at 34 Washington St. (tel. 508/228-7261), which costs $100 for nonresidents for the season. You'll see surf-casters all over the island (no permit is required); for a guided trip, try Mike Monte of Surf & Fly Fishing Trips (tel. 508/228-0529), who charges $140 per person for a 3-hour guided trip in the early fall. Deep-sea charters heading out of Straight Wharf include Capt. Bob DeCosta's The Albacore (tel. 508/228-5074), Capt. Josh Eldridge's Monomoy (tel. 508/228-6867), and Capt. David Martin's Absolute (tel. 508/325-4000). On the Monomoy and the Absolute, 5-hour trips for bass for up to 8 people cost $1,100.

Fitness

Nantucket Health Club at 10 Youngs Way (tel. 508/228-4750) offers all the usual equipment and classes. Nonmembers pay $25 a day.

Golf

Two pretty courses are open to the public: the 18-hole Miacomet Golf Club, 12 W. Miacomet Rd. (tel. 508/325-0333), and the 9-hole Siasconset Golf Club, off Milestone Road (tel. 508/257-6596). You'll pay $105 for 18 holes at Miacomet. At Siasconset, playing 9 holes costs $35.

Nature Trails

Through preservationist foresight, about one-third of Nantucket's 42 square miles are protected from development. Contact the Nantucket Conservation Foundation at 118 Cliff Rd. (tel. 508/228-2884) for a map of their holdings ($4), which include the 205-acre Windswept Cranberry Bog (off Polpis Rd.), where bogs are interspersed amid hardwood forests; and a portion of the 1,100-acre Coskata-Coatue Wildlife Refuge, comprising the barrier beaches beyond Wauwinet. The Maria Mitchell Association sponsors guided birding and wildflower walks in season.

Tennis

The town courts are located next to Jetties Beach, a short walk west of town; call the Nantucket Park and Recreation Commission (tel. 508/325-5334) for information. The town courts cost $20 an hour for singles and $25 an hour for doubles. Nine clay courts are available for rent nearby at the Nantucket Tennis and Swim Club, on North Beach Street (tel. 508/228-3700), for $46 an hour. Though it's not generally open to the public, the grand, turn-of-the-19th-century Siasconset Casino, New Street, Siasconset (tel. 508/257-6585), occasionally has courts available for rent for nonmembers from 1 to 3pm for $40 an hour.

Watersports

Nantucket Community Sailing manages the concession at Jetties Beach (tel. 508/228-5358), which offers lessons and rents out kayaks, sailboards, sailboats, and more. Rental rates for single kayaks are $20 to $25 per hour; windsurfers $20 to $25 per hour; and Sunfish $35 per hour. Sea Nantucket, on tiny Francis Street Beach off Washington Street (tel. 508/228-7499), also rents kayaks; it's a quick sprint across the harbor to beautiful Coatue. Single kayaks rent for $40 and tandems rent for $70 for 4 1/2 hours. Nantucket Island Community Sailing (tel. 508/228-6600) gives relatively low-cost private and group lessons from the Jetties pier for adults (16 and up) and children; a seasonal adult membership covering open-sail privileges costs $250 for 4 weeks. One 2-hour private lesson costs $125.

Gear for scuba-diving, fishing, and snorkeling is readily available at the souvenir shop Sunken Ship on South Water and Broad streets near Steamboat Wharf (tel. 508/228-9226). Fishing costs $30 per day, snorkeling gear costs $25 per day, and scuba-diving gear costs $50 to $70 per day. Scuba-diving lessons are $550.