ISLANDS
1. Monhegan Island, ME
Every seagull, twig, and moss-covered rock on Monhegan must have been depicted in an artwork over the century or so since this fishing outpost off midcoast Maine became a summer art colony. Once the summer folk have gone, the fishermen return (for further details see Monhegan Island ).
A settlement on Monhegan Island
2. Nantucket Island, MA
Hyline Cruises • Ocean St Dock, Hyannis • 508 778 2600
•
www.hylinecruises.com
Thirty miles (48 km) off Cape Cod, Nantucket made its name through adventurous whaling and austere Quaker businessmen, who set the style with modest shingled homes. Pristine beaches, fascinating museums, and upscale shopping are among its present-day attractions.
3. Block Island, RI
Between Long Island and the Rhode Island coast, this tiny island looks like a tintype of a Victorian resort. Its beaches, nature reserves, and historic lighthouses are best explored on a bike (for further details see Block Island ).
4. Isles of Shoals, NH
Portsmouth Harbor Cruises, Ceres St Dock • 603 436 8084
• Jun–early Sep: Tue–Fri • adm •
www.portsmouthharbor.com
These nine unforested rocky islands stand so far offshore that they were first used by English, Basque, and Breton fishermen as camps to dry their catch in the summer sun.
5. Mount Desert Island, ME
Shaped like a baseball mitt, this big island is home to the summer resort town of Bar Harbor and the unspoiled paradise of Acadia National Park.
6. Isle au Haut, ME
Isle au Haut Boat Services • Seabreeze Ave, Stonington • 207 367 5193
•
www.isleauhaut.com
With primeval quaking bogs along the forested park trails and wild, wave-pounded bluffs, this craggy rock a few miles from Stonington offers the attractions of Mount Desert Island without the crowds.
7. Thimble Islands, CT
Thimble Island Cruise • Stony Creek • 203 488 8905
• Jun–mid-Oct •
www.thimbleislandcruise.com
Stories and legends abound about the Thimble Islands, a cluster of diminutive islets located just off the coast. On a narrated scenic cruise you’re very likely to hear a few of those tales, including the legend that the infamous pirate Captain Kidd buried treasure on Money Island. His gold hasn’t been found to this day.
Islet, Thimble Islands
8. Boston Harbor Islands, MA
617 223 8666
• May–mid-Oct •
www.bostonharborislands.org
The Boston Harbor Islands have sandy hiking and nature trails, lifeguard-protected beaches, and even a few old forts to explore. You can reach the islands by ferry from Boston’s Long Wharf.
9. Martha’s Vineyard, MA
Steamship Authority • Woods Hole Terminal • 508 477 8600
•
www.islandferry.com
Martha’s Vineyard has something for everyone, from proper Edgartown and the gingerbread architecture of Oak Bluffs to the sacred multicolored clay cliffs revered by the Aquinnah Wampanoag tribe.
Oak Bluffs, Martha’s Vineyard
10. Burnt Island, ME
Balmy Days Cruises • Pier 8, Boothbay Harbor • 207 633 2284
• mid-Jul–Aug: 1:45pm Mon & Thu • adm •
www.balmydayscruises.com
Cruise to this tiny island just outside Boothbay Harbor for a unique program illuminating the life of the lightkeeper and his family, who lived here around 1950.
TOP 10 LIGHTHOUSES
1. Sheffield Island
Norwalk Harbor, CT
Handsome lighthouse built in 1868.
The Sheffield Island lighthouse
2. Stonington Harbor
7 Water St, Stonington, CT
Granite lighthouse, now a museum.
3. West Quoddy Head
Quoddy Head State Park, Lubec, ME
This iconic candy-striped light (1857) marks the easternmost point of the US.
4. Marshall Point
Marshall Point Rd, Port Clyde, ME
Offshore light connected by a walkway to the keeper’s house and museum.
5. Pemaquid Point
Off Rte 130, Bristol, ME
Built high on these dramatic ledges in 1835, Pemaquid Point remains an essential navigational aid.
6. Portsmouth Harbor
Off Rte 1B, New Castle, NH
Built in 1878, this is the latest of several built on New Castle island since 1771.
7. Beavertail
Beavertail State Park, Jamestown, RI
This is the third-oldest light on the eastern seaboard, built in 1783.
8. Highland
N Truro, MA
Set atop a bluff at the Cape Cod National Seashore, this is the highest light on the New England mainland.
9. Nobska Point
Falmouth, MA
Sitting on the Shining Sea Bike Path, Nobska is visible for 16 miles (26 km).
10. Great Point
Nantucket Island, MA
Rebuilt in 1986 as a historic replica in the Coskata-Coatue Wildlife Refuge.
