There are few things I enjoy more in life than watching the sunset on Nantucket. My husband and I often make our dinner reservations on the island really early (read: 6pm!) so that we won’t miss a potential sunset. Then, if there is no sunset that night due to clouds, fog, or rain, we head to the bars and find live music (thanks to Club Car bar for our reliable entertainment)! Either way, we have a fantastic night! We have become true sunset chasers, and so I wanted to share our five favorite spots to enjoy the sunset on Nantucket with you!
1. Madaket Beach
Millie (our “baby” dog) is named after the restaurant in Madaket, where we love to grab takeout and bring it to the beach for a picnic (queso and grilled corn for both of us, Pocomo tacos for me and Bartlett Farm quesadilla for Greg!). It’s famous on the island for sunsets, and for good reasons. It never gets old and there’s always good seal watching too!
2. Smith’s Point – Bay Side
Around the corner from Madaket beach is the bay area at Smith’s Point. I used to spend weeks every summer here as a kid, right next to where Mr. Rogers lived! Take off your shoes, bring a blanket, and relax in the simplicity of this area and the soft ripples in the water. Once the sun goes down, there is no better place on the island to star-gaze.
3. Dinner at Galley Beach
For a livelier people-watching scene, make a dinner reservation at a restaurant called Galley Beach. Since COVID they started putting tables on the beach where you can enjoy a deliciously fresh feast (with an excellent wine list) while watching the sunset with your toes in the sand.
4. Step’s Beach with a Gimelle Pizza
My husband and I have a tradition that on our final evenings in Nantucket (when we have always booked the absolute last ferry back!), we grab pizza from Pizzeria Gemelle (y’all, they literally had their pizza oven delivered FROM ITALY and it’s suuuuuuch good pizza) and we head to Steps Beach, where our dog Millie can safely swim in the water and we admire the prettiest sunsets.
5. Great Point, Wauwinet
If you are lucky enough to have a beach-friendly Jeep and a pass to Great Point lighthouse, drive out to what feels like the end of the earth to enjoy the sunset. It’s a nature reserve with water on either side of you called Coatue Wildlife Reserve; you will certainly be able to bird watch in addition to sunset watch, and you may even spot a deer while there!
Where’s your favorite place in the world to watch the sunset? I am always searching for new spots!
