Style influencers Katie and Ashley Hess might seem to be everywhere, from the sidelines of Patriots’ games (thanks to their mom Linda Holliday’s partner, Bill Belichick) to the beaches of Florida and beyond, but the duo always come back to Nantucket. We asked the pair (and Island regulars) about their go-to spots for summer in Nantucket.
Cisco Brewery The island's sanctum. With three separate bars spilling out onto one patio, you’ll be surrounded by live music, a livelier crowd, and locally-brewed libations. Come salty and sandy, thirsty and hungry. Leave still salty and sandy, but full and feeling good, with at least four new contacts in your phone and four different plans to meet up with them all later. You can try, but we’re willing to bet you’ll never be able to go for “just one drink.” 7 Bartlett Farm Road, Nantucket, 508-325-5629
Chicken Box If you try to go anywhere else, you’re only kidding yourself. The long line outside might try to curb your enthusiasm, the fight to the dance floor might cost you a spilled drink, and the battle to the crowded bar might make you a few enemies, but if those aren’t all signs of a good time, we don’t know what is. Though rock and reggae tend to be the rule, the exception comes on Monday nights when Jack Wills brings in DJ’s to bump current bops. Think more Travis Scott and less Travis Barker. 12 Dave St., Nantucket, 508-228-9717
Nautilus This is where we ACK Nauti, indulging in plates on plates of small plates. Our favorites include: the Hawaiian pok?, charred Spanish octopus, and blistered shishito peppers. Have Clinton, the mixologist there, whip you up a cocktail you never knew existed. Tell him your choice liquor and your favorite flavors and he’ll be sure to make your wildest drink come true. 12 Cambridge St., Nantucket, 508-228-0301
Salt Online shopping is great for most things. For swimwear, it is not. Instead of doing that fun and very annoying thing where you order five bikinis and keep none, check out Salt in town. With lines like Tularosa, Onia, and For Love and Lemons, we can almost guarantee you’ll find something you’ll want be "sea-n" in. 4 S Water St., Nantucket, 508-228-1128
The Green The Green is OG, serving raw and sprouted organic foods before it was a prerequisite to brag about eating them in an over-filtered Instagram post. Having intentionally become chemical-conscious and unintentionally become quasi-vegetarians, this is our go-to stop on the way to the beach. If your sweet-tooth is getting the best of you, buy the carrot cake and don’t look back. 5 W Creek Road, Nantucket, 508-228-1100
Nantucket Surf Co. All the perks of having a stand-up paddle board or surfboard without the heavy lifting or maintenance of owning one. Call ahead, reserve a board, have it delivered to your beach of choice. Then get a tan and a work out, and thank us later. 28 Easy St., Nantucket, 508-325-2792