My friends and I took the ferry from NB for $60 each and spent the day on the island. Beautiful little town with some very friendly locals. I recommend checking out the town museum, small corner store, and tower hill, all within a 5 minute walk of one another. Barge Beach, right near the ferry dock, was beautiful and had great views of the Vineyard and the rest of the island too. Really a beautiful place to spend the day. Will absolutely return someday.
I spent so much time here growing up and it is so special to me, but the idea of day-tripping here is a bad one. Unless you can bring all your own provisions and aren't expecting hospitality, go to Martha's Vineyard.
Lots of fantastic views and sandy beaches, and the the top of Tower Hill is worth the walk. The island isn't very well set up for day-trippers, so bring what you will need. One woman (at the corner shop) was welcoming and helpful, but sadly, she was the exception.
A small Elisabethan Island located between Buzzards Bay and Marthas Vinyeard. It is known for cultivating sassafras, an ingredient of native american tea. Currently patrolled by the police officers riding in golf carts. A real New England treat to visit. Lots of fishing, boating and walking to be had. Supposedly there are only 80 year round residents living here, and 4 children are enrolled in an elementary school. The biggest expense is not bringing food on the island but instead it is shipping the trash off of Cuttyhunk.
I LOVE this place, but potential visitors do need to understand it.
There is no readily available "middle class" place to stay overnight. You need to be prepared to bring ALL your provisions with you. There is NO year round place to sit down and eat, and even during the Season options are limited. If you come "off season" even the limited services available during the summer disappear. The Island DOES have a doughty volunteer rescue team, but ALL medical care beyond immediate first aid happens off-island.
Mr. Lipinski has pointed out some of the disadvantages for day trippers, but he missed a few options. He's right that the West End Road is posted. But there is a lovely long walk on the MIDDLE Road, past the solar array, about where the West End road is posted - head to the RIGHT - North - down the dirt road into the woods. You'll emerge into the Coastal Scrub, and can walk past Fresh Pond (actually mildly brackish), and out to the beach/spit that separates Middle and West Ponds from Buzzards Bay. There is also an un-marked, but public trail West of the cemetery (look LEFT, South, just before the end of the public part of the West End Road) that allows access to the rocky southern shore of the Island. But for daytrippers, the Museum (check hours), the beaches (Barges, both the Pond and the Sound side, and Churchs), and site-seeing are the main draws.
If you plan a longer stay, bring a VERIZON cell phone - accept no substitutes - and consider paying for the local Wi-Fi, which has antennas that cover the village - unless you want to ENJOY being unplugged - Cuttyhunk offers a beautiful, transcendent place to do that, Right Over There, an hour from New Bedford.
Daytrippers, forget it: you can't explore this island. Had never been to Cuttyhunk before, but did some research online and it looked like this island was rich in history and had a network of roads all over it. Perfect! So I got a pair of same day round-trip tickets via the ferry for girlfriend and I hoping to head over, take a jog around the island, explore some interesting sights, and enjoy some seafood. The reality of it is that all the roads are posted. What looked like the perfect loop around the island included West End Rd, which is closed. Cemetary Rd, though it looks like a public road on the map, closed. Though I would have loved to enjoy some seafood, I didn't bother spending a dime, because it goes both ways guys...if I'm not welcome there, my money isn't either.
The Island of Cuttyhunk is a great place for kids to have fun and learn about interesting history (shipwrecks, legends, etc.). Cuttyhunk also has great food, views, activities, and places to be explored. Although their are some unfriendly people, Cuttyhunk is great place to bring a family for a vacation.
