{"id":930311,"date":"2017-11-21T20:20:05","date_gmt":"2017-11-21T17:20:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=930311"},"modified":"2017-11-21T20:20:05","modified_gmt":"2017-11-21T17:20:05","slug":"why-december-is-secretly-the-best-time-to-visit-nantucket","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=930311","title":{"rendered":"Why December Is Secretly the Best Time to Visit Nantucket"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Travel<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Why December Is Secretly the Best Time to Visit Nantucket<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n
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By <\/span>Carey Jones<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

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Nantucket, Massachusetts in the winter<\/span>Photo: Getty Images<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<\/div>\n
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Pastel shorts and boat shoes, ros\u00e9 by the ocean, meandering bike rides to deserted beaches . . . if this is your image of Nantucket, the faraway island might not be an obvious winter destination. But the first weekend of December is Nantucket at its finest. Known as Christmas Stroll, or just \u201cStroll\u201d to the locals, it\u2019s an explosion of seasonal cheer, a weekend-long celebration that marries Norman Rockwell\u2013caliber small-town charm with the energy of any truly excellent holiday party.<\/p>\n

From the moment your ferry passes Brant Point lighthouse, adorned with an oversize wreath, it\u2019s clear that the town has holiday spirit in spades. Picturesque cobblestoned Main Street becomes even more charming with a towering Christmas tree at the head of town, with dozens more lining the streets, each decorated by a local shop. Carolers in full Victorian-era garb serenade passersby. In the waters just off Easy Street, you\u2019ll spot a miniature Christmas tree bobbing on a dinghy. Santa Claus even makes a Saturday appearance\u2014in uniquely Nantucket manner, brought into the harbor on a Coast Guard vessel\u2014and leads a parade through town.<\/p>\n

But while there\u2019s cheer aplenty for families with kids, Stroll is better known as a weekend of more adult pleasures\u2014shopping, dining, mulled wine poured at noon. Dressing in theme is wholly acceptable, whether that means delightfully tacky flashing reindeer antlers, poinsettia crowns crafted from fresh flowers, or full-body Nutcracker suits.<\/p>\n

Stroll began more than 40 years ago as a town effort to keep locals from going off-island for their holiday shopping, as many storefronts close after the busy summer season. The first Stroll was a single afternoon of festivities, with many storefronts drawing in customers with hot cider and Christmas cookies. From there it has evolved into a destination event, both a tourism draw in its own right and a weekend where many summer residents reunite on the island.<\/p>\n

Marquee events this year (December 1\u20133) include the Festival of Trees\u2014for which the Whaling Museum is decked out with dozens of Christmas trees in spectacular trimmings\u2014and the Christmas Stroll Craft Show, with more than 40 local artists and craftspeople selling their wares, from David Lazarus\u2019s prints and watercolors to Sunny Wood\u2019s whales carved from reclaimed wood.<\/p>\n

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Nantucket’s snowy streets<\/span>Photo: Garth Grimmer \/ Courtesy of the Nantucket Island Chamber of Commerce<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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But the true pleasure of Stroll is just what the name suggests: meandering through the town\u2019s decked-out streets with no aim in mind other than celebrating the season. As you go, here are a few stops to make:<\/p>\n

Where to Shop<\/strong><\/p>\n

A winter\u2019s chill in the air makes the elegant knitwear of Isobel & Cleo even more alluring. Peek through the window and you\u2019ll often see proprietor Charlotte Hess at her loom. Passionate about traditional and increasingly rare knitting techniques, she uses yarns sourced from the States and abroad to produce unusual pieces with all kinds of texture. This is the kind of shop where you\u2019re compelled to run your hands over every piece.<\/p>\n

Everything at Nantucket Looms is utterly giftable. The cashmere throws, placemats, scarves, and more are all are woven on the second-floor looms, but the light-filled shop also sells a huge range of goods from artwork and pottery to jewelry (much of which is made on-island, with an aesthetic that\u2019s all modern Nantucket).<\/p>\n

Browse vintage clothing while wine-tasting on Friday and Saturday afternoons at Current Vintage, a clothing and bottle shop that manages to excel at both, or head to the equally compelling wine store \u00c9pernay Wine & Spirits for Friday Champagne tastings and Saturday spritz samples. (Champagne never disappoints as a gift.) And while it\u2019s hardly the season for Nantucket Reds shorts, at least not in New England, the iconic Murray\u2019s Toggery Shop is worth a visit nonetheless, as it defines the island\u2019s particular brand of classic prep with items like whale-patterned bow ties and monogrammed needlepoint belts.<\/p>\n

Where to Stay<\/strong><\/p>\n

The island\u2019s new boutique hotel Greydon House is particularly cozy in the winter, with its pine-paneled reception and snug sofas in the library. The Roman and Williams\u2013designed space also happens to house one of the island\u2019s best restaurants, run by chef Marcus Gleadow-Ware.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Warming up by the fire at Greydon House with a coffee cocktail<\/span>Photo: Tim Williams \/ Courtesy of Greydon House<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

Upscale standbys include the classically elegant White Elephant, Nantucket\u2019s go-to luxury property with views of the harbor, and the downtown boutiques 21 Broad and 76 Main, both with beautifully appointed rooms and situated right in the middle of the action.<\/p>\n

Where to Eat and Drink<\/strong><\/p>\n

Many of the town\u2019s better restaurants are open all day, the better to kick off the festivities as early as possible. Wear your ugliest holiday sweater to Sunday brunch at The Proprietors Bar & Table, and book a table at Greydon House for an elaborate dinner of prized Nantucket bay scallops with yuzu mignonette and a foie gras terrine with black truffle.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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How to Travel<\/strong><\/p>\n

Both Hy-Line Cruises and Steamship Authority run multiple daily fast ferries (1 hour) to Nantucket from the town of Hyannis on Cape Cod; Steamship Authority also runs slower car ferries (2 hours and 15 minutes). To fly, connect in Boston to Cape Air, operating a fleet of Cessnas that fly from Boston\u2019s Logan International Airport to Nantucket (about 40 minutes).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n

Source URL: https:\/\/www.vogue.com\/article\/nantucket-winter-december-where-to-eat-stay-shop<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Travel Why December Is Secretly the Best Time to Visit Nantucket By Carey Jones November 21, 2017 Nantucket, Massachusetts in the winterPhoto: Getty Images Pastel shorts and boat shoes, ros\u00e9 by the ocean, meandering bike rides to deserted beaches . . . if this is your image of Nantucket, the faraway island might not be […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":930312,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[50],"class_list":["post-930311","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics","tag-vogue-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/930311","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=930311"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/930311\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/930312"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=930311"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=930311"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=930311"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}