Travel for Food Hub The Food Blog for Travel Lovers
Last Updated on January 29, 2023
Nantucket combines the charm of one of the best preserved historic towns and a fashionable upscale second home and preppy New England vacation destination. This island is small-sized but is hugely popular. This is pretty apparent, especially when the summer approaches and Instagram becomes literally flooded with beautiful photos of lighthouses, rose-covered cottages, sunsets over the ocean, exotic cocktails and lobster dishes, century-old mansions, and other sites on this island. We will tell you what are the best places to take photos in Nantucket.
If you want to take some stunning vacation photos in Nantucket, you don’t need to worry too much because the beautiful sights and spectacular views are literally everywhere. Your friends and followers will be amazed, and you will have some perfect pictures to remember your trip to this dreamy island.
Still, if you want to pre-plan your photo sessions, here are some suggestions for the best places to take photos in Nantucket.
They are located all over the island, and if you are lucky, you may even be able to book lodging there to stay for your trip.
Sconset Bluff Walk
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The walking path through the quaint fishing village of Siasconset will take you by some of the loveliest old cottages, with weathered cedar shakes, white picket fences, blooming hydrangeas, and trellises with crawling roses that reach their rooftops.
The gardens are postcard-like, and the walking path is Insta-worthy from the first step to its end. One of the top-Instagrammed spots is the rose-covered cottage on Mitchell Street.
You can go to the bluffs to enjoy the view of the ocean. Or turn towards Sconset Beach and the historic Sankaty Head Lighthouse for some perfect romantic vacation photos.
Sankaty Head Lighthouse
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This is one of the most iconic and recognizable of all three lighthouses in Nantucket. It was built in 1850 and has been restored and even moved a few times through the years.
The historic lighthouse has a red and white striped tower and is located on the island’s eastern coast. It is next to the village of Siasconset and the beach of the same name.
While the lighthouse itself is rarely open to the public, you can explore the grounds around it. There you can take some beautiful photos of the tower, the beach, the lush green golf courses, and the ocean.
It is especially spectacular in the morning when the sun rises over the Atlantic.
Brant Point Lighthouse
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Brant Point Lighthouse is smaller than the other two lighthouses on the island. But it is the first thing that people arriving by ferry will see.
The first tower was built back in 1746, and since then has been rebuilt ten times.
The tenth tower today is from 1901 and is the second oldest fully-functional lighthouse in the country!
Brant Point Lighthouse is a perfect spot for photos of the island, the Harbor, and the Nantucket Sound, as well as the ferries, boats, and super yachts in the bay.
It is especially striking during the spring Daffodil Festival when the locals adorn it with a large daffodil wreath.
If you visit Nantucket for the traditional Christmas stroll, you can take photos by the lighthouse and its giant Christmas wreath.
Around the 4th of July, Brant Point Lighthouse is covered with an American flag.
But even without the wreaths and flags, it is still one of the prettiest places to take some fantastic photos when in Nantucket.
Main Street’s Compass Rose
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The beautiful mural is on Gardiner’s Corner, which today is Polo Ralph Lauren’s store. The Nantucket Compass Rose is a drawing point for tourists who want to explore all of the hidden gems of the historic downtown and its cobblestone streets and century-old buildings.
It can be found at the corner of Main Street and Washington Street. The mural was originally commissioned as an advertising attraction for what used to be an art shop and photo-developing studio owned by Marshall Gardiner in 1936.
It displays a nautical-inspired compass with directions to cities and ports, many of which are thousands of miles away from the island. It shows the faraway lands and seas where the local whaling ships went on their whaling expeditions centuries ago.
You can take some great photos with the compass, which points to the exact directions to Buenos Ayres, Moscow, Berlin, Hong Kong, Calcutta, and other cities on all continents.
Steps Beach Nantucket
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This beach is hidden in between the famous north shore beaches Dionis and Jetties. Steps Beach is one of the best places to go for panoramic photos of the Nantucket Sound, the Great Point Lighthouse, and the lush green flora, along with elegant waterfront mansions.
The beach itself is located at the bottom of a steep set of steps. The photo-op place to pick is from the cliff at the top of these stairs.
If you feel like walking down the steps and getting to the beach itself, you won’t be sorry, because it is gorgeous too.
The water is calmer, warmer, and shallower than that on the beaches on the other coasts of the island. There is a sandbar that appears when the tide is low.
In late summer, if you wait until the sun sets, you may be lucky enough to see and take photos of the bright bioluminescent sea creatures which come close to the shore.
