Explore the island’s history with the NHA’s Group Tours: a perfect option for tour groups, business retreats, family reunions, and many more to discover historic Nantucket!
We welcome groups at reduced rates for parties of 10 or more. Guided and self-guided experiences at our museum and historic properties are available.
Learn more and book a tour by contacting [email protected]
Group Offerings:
Whaling Museum Tour
Join a Museum Guide on a private tour of the NHA’s collection in the Whaling Museum. The Nantucket Historical Association’s collection includes artifacts representing whaling, transportation, the domestic and community life, fine and decorative arts, agriculture, commerce, and architecture.
Gallery Tours
Join us for a guided tour of a gallery of your choice. The galleries focus on a range of different subjects, from Island People to Scrimshaw and Whaling. This tour will allow you to focus on a specific theme within Nantucket’s history. A Museum Guide will highlight artifacts in that gallery that are indicative of themes of the gallery and discuss the history of the subject matter within the broader context of Nantucket history.
Historic Sites Tour
Visit one of the Nantucket Historical Association’s historic sites for a guided tour. Each site offers deeper insight into the bigger themes of Nantucket history through their own histories. Museum Guides at the site will walk you through the property and highlight specific features of the building, bringing them to life with stories of previous visitors or occupants. Our historic sites include the Oldest House, Greater Light, the Old Mill, and the Old Jail.
Historic Downtown Walking Tour
The NHA’s Historic Downtown Walking tour transports visitors on a journey through Nantucket’s past. It tells the story of the rise and fall of whaling, the rise of tourism, and the impacts the island’s economy had on the social and racial development on Nantucket. The tour is approximately 1 hour long, starting at the NHA’s Whaling Museum and concluding at the Friends Meeting House on Fair Street. Pricing includes the services of our tour guide and mobile walking tour audio systems.
Historic Homes and Architecture Walking Tour
The Historic Homes and Architecture walking tour highlights the construction of the rich history of Nantucket through the lens of architecture. Visitors will learn about the island’s two key historic industries, whaling and tourism, which shaped the Nantucket of today. This tour provides visitors with insight and illumination into the expansive history of Nantucket’s architecture, society and domestic life through the centuries. The tour is approximately 1 hour long, starting at the NHA’s Whaling Museum and concluding at the NHA’s historic Hadwen House; a whaling era mansion on upper Main Street. Pricing includes the services of our tour guide and mobile walking tour audio systems.
Historic Bike Tour
Rent a discounted bike from our partners at Young’s Bicycle Shop or bring a bike from home, and strap on your helmet to enjoy the newest addition to the NHA’s guided tours. The Historic Nantucket Bike Tour gets your group on the road and out of the bustle and noise of downtown Nantucket to explore the beautiful historic locations on the periphery of town that you otherwise might miss. Tracing a story of historic land use, our guides will lead you pedaling through a history of people and place that often gets overlooked. The tour is approximately 2 hours, starting and concluding at the NHA’s Whaling Museum.