Nantucket or Martha's Vineyard for teen Girl Scouts?

[american_mama]

My daughter's troop of 9th and 10th grade Girl Scouts is considering a trip to Nantucket or Martha's Vineyard for 4-7 days. Which one would be better? Are there any sights or activities in Cape Code or the immediate region that would be perfect for this age group to consider doing?

They are a group of 7-9 girls and 2 aduts, and will be driving from south of Washington DC, probably in 2 vehicles. They might break the drive up. They are a group that likes community service and cultural/arts opportunities, and overall togetherness. They are interested in biking and kayaking. Staying in a hostel or bunkhouse would be great - camping maybe less so. They would be going in spring 2018 or summer 2018. Their budget is probably $500-600 per person.

Also, has anyone done any public or youth program at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute? In looking at their website, they have an exhibit center and a docent walking tour, but I was hoping they might have something hands-on for a group of 10ish high schoolers.

From a map, it looks like Woods Hole to Martha's Vineyard is an easy and common ferry route, but the limited Nantucket info I've read implies Cape Cod-Nantucket is the more common ferry route there. I would think they would want to visit Woods Hole on the way to or from the ferry so as to not require an overnight on the mainland. Is it harder to make Woods Hole work if going to Nantucket?

[candaceb]

I think the first question is whether there is availability at the hostels on either island. With your budget, I don't think it's going to be feasible if you can't stay at a hostel. You have to be prepared for the fact that *everything* is more expensive on the islands.
Both Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket are accessible via ferry from Cape Cod - they just go out of different places because of geography. If you go to Nantucket, you do have to drive out of the way to get to Woods Hole.
We have done many day trips to Woods Hole because DS went through an underwater exploration and titanic phase. WHOI is about an hour visit and they don't do educational programming beyond tours.
We have done programs through the Mass Audubon sanctuaries on the Cape and have been really happy with them. Kayaking day trips, kids nature outings, and birding have all been good trips.
You may be better off on the Cape with your budget if you can't get a hostel - you might even be able to rent a house if you go in the shoulder season. Summer is late to arrive on the Cape - We usually go the last week in June and first week in July and often don't get a beach day the entire first week we are there. But it is great weather for biking and kayaking.

[sariana]

For availability and budget reasons, you may also want to look into Block Island. It's less well known and may be more accessible. There isn't much there in the way of culture and/or volunteer opportunities, but it's a gorgeous island. It's been a long time since I was there, so I don't have any specifics other than they there is a fairly well-known lighthouse and plenty of outdoor activities.

[SnuggleBuggles]

You should look at Wallop’s Island in VA too.


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[american_mama]

I think the first question is whether there is availability at the hostels on either island. With your budget, I don't think it's going to be feasible if you can't stay at a hostel. ...
We have done many day trips to Woods Hole because DS went through an underwater exploration and titanic phase. WHOI is about an hour visit and they don't do educational programming beyond tours.

Don't know about availability, but this is the Girl Scout listing that got them interested in this idea. The price is listed as $40-60 per person including breakfast.
http://forgirls.girlscouts.org/trave...le-and-peddle/

On your multiple visits to WOods Hole, have you just repeated the docent tour and/or visit to the exhibit center?

Lastly, what are the pros and cons of Nantucket vs. Martha's Vineyard? I know nothing about the two places, but thought Martha's VIneyard was more popular and well-known even though it seems like there is more to do on Nantucket (Whaling Museum, Maria Mitchell House).

[westwoodmom04]

I don’t think either would be ideal, they are both primarily expensive beach resorts(and by expensive, I mean very expensive).. I think you would be better off heading to the Cape.

Mvrequires a car and that means either bringing cars over on the ferry (expensive and requires reserving many months in advance) or renting a car (rates are about triple Nantucket is more compact, but also a much longer ferry ride to get too.

[candaceb]

Don't know about availability, but this is the Girl Scout listing that got them interested in this idea. The price is listed as $40-60 per person including breakfast.
http://forgirls.girlscouts.org/trave...le-and-peddle/

But don't you think lots of troops think this is a cool idea, and there are probably many who do it year after year? So until you've made sure there's availability I don't think you should put more time into researching it.

On your multiple visits to WOods Hole, have you just repeated the docent tour and/or visit to the exhibit center?

We have actually never done the docent tour - we have just done a self-guided tour at WHOI. Woods Hole is more than WHOI though. We also like the Science Aquarium, the Marine Biological Laboratory, and the Buzzards Bay Visitor Center. The last time we went, we did all of those things, plus walked around town and had a picnic lunch by the harbor in about 4 hours.

Lastly, what are the pros and cons of Nantucket vs. Martha's Vineyard? I know nothing about the two places, but thought Martha's VIneyard was more popular and well-known even though it seems like there is more to do on Nantucket (Whaling Museum, Maria Mitchell House).

Nantucket is smaller and more chi chi.
Martha's Vineyard is larger, the town of Oak Bluffs is more developed.
The only museum I've visited on either one was the whaling museum. I don't think there's that much to do in either place other than the beach and outdoor activities. The museums are so small that you can see the whole thing in an hour or less.

[Percycat]

American_Mama, are you on an GS facebook groups? There are several specifically for older girls -- "GS Cadette Leader Think Tank", "Girl Scout Cadette Sharing", "Girl Scout Leader Chat" and the "Outdoor Journey Idea Facebook Group" are a couple groups I follow. I expect someone in these groups will be able to provide you helpful suggestions or suggest you to another group that focuses specifically on GS travel.

[american_mama]

American_Mama, are you on an GS facebook groups? There are several specifically for older girls -- "GS Cadette Leader Think Tank", "Girl Scout Cadette Sharing", "Girl Scout Leader Chat" and the "Outdoor Journey Idea Facebook Group" are a couple groups I follow. I expect someone in these groups will be able to provide you helpful suggestions or suggest you to another group that focuses specifically on GS travel.

Thanks for these suggestions! I am on several Girl Scout Facebook groups, including two travel groups, but the ones you mentioned are new to me. From what I've seen, lots of Girl Scout travel FB groups are specific to a destination.

The main FB group I participate in is Girl Scout Gab. It is very active and far-reaching, which overwhelms some people, but I have gotten tons of value from it.

[westwoodmom04]

Looking at the website, it says limited availability in July and August. The weather in May and June can be cold and/or rainy in the islands. Could your group travel in September? It is still warm and you could avoid peak season pricing elsewhere on the island.