Museums & Parks

Nantucket Whaling Museum

(508) 228-1894

The Nantucket Historical Association operates the Nantucket Whaling Museum among other historically significant properties on the island and offers historic tours.

(508) 228-1031

The Maria Mitchell Association was founded in 1902 to “preserve the legacy of Nantucket native astronomer, naturalist, librarian, and, above all, educator, Maria Mitchell”.  The MMA now includes a science museum, an aquarium and 2 observatories – all open to the public and each offering incredible opportunities to learn about the world around us and the universe beyond.

(508) 228-2884

Almost half of Nantucket island is preserved.  The Nantucket Conservation Foundation (NCF) is a non-profit conservation land trust which owns and maintains the preserved lands as protected, undeveloped, natural habitat.  Their mission is “protecting, preserving, understanding, managing, and maintaining Nantucket’s unique open spaces and the rare resources that they contain.”  Rather than taking a hand-off approach, the NCF encourages visitors to hike these natural habitats and provides on-line resources for self-guided tours including a complete listing of NCF properties with trail and facilities maps, as well as the history and description of the wildlife you might encounter.