Family of 6 w/ teenagers and 5+3 yr old.what is there to do?

A friend offered her Naushop house for a week this summer. We have 4 kids, and the teenagers 16 and 14 will need things to do, otherwise they%26#39;ll stay holed up in the house. We also have a 5 and 3 year old and they keep us busy, always need things to do. Since we are a big family, and it is pretty pricey to bring over our SUV, how do we get around the island, and will we be stressed just figuring out how to keep all ages happy?

vacations are supposed to be relaxing!!! ( I know, I kmow, I should leave the kids home...and even my husband and go alone...thats the only way I%26#39;d relax!!)

But, after a day I%26#39;d miss them!!!

Thanks for any suggestions!

Til

Family of 6 w/ teenagers and 5+3 yr old.what is there to do?

You%26#39;re going to be on island - the beach seems like the most obvious response to your question. How far from the beach is the house? Are there bikes? How about sea kayaking? (I know, I know that is probably horrifying to the teens but really, it ain%26#39;t Disneyland)

Family of 6 w/ teenagers and 5+3 yr old.what is there to do?

One word. BIKES.

It is really not the kind of place you go to do stuff. You stroll, ride bikes, READ, poke around shops. Kick the kids out side and let them enjoy the fresh air. Buy a kite and find a beach, build a sand empire. Encourage the teens to buy a nice big book and read it. They will thank you when they are 30.

You could send the teens to surf school for the week.

http://www.nantucketsurfing.com/

http://www.nantucketchamber.org

nantucketchamber.org/directory/…RecAqua

Bikes are great, but don%26#39;t forget the Nantucket shuttle - http://www.shuttlenantucket.com/index.html. The airport route stops on Old South Road near the entrance to Naushop and can bring you into town. From there you will be able to use other shuttle routes to get around the island.

There are lots of quaint shops and little restaurants but...it%26#39;s not Disneyworld. The book suggestion, kite suggestion, etc. all very good. Beaches, bikes and books! Frisbees and football too maybe... bring toys!

I don%26#39;t normally recommend this but ...bring the car... and load it up with everything you can think of. With children that small it comes in very handy when organizing beach activities not to mention all the equipment needed to travel with little ones.

The older kids should get in touch with Nantucket Community Sailing and join their learn to sail program. It gets them out on the water with others their age and tires them out so they sleep well at night. Not to mention learning a valuable skill.

Take your friend up on her offer she is saving you nearly $3000. very generous of her I%26#39;d say. Leave it clean so she is inclined to offer it to you again next year.

One more thing: Vacations with children are rarely relaxing. They are out of their element away from the comforts and familiarity of home. Most parents feel the need to keep their children%26#39;s days busy with activities to keep them from getting bored. In my opinion this is a mistake. One or two activities a day is enough. Then kick them out of the house and let them use their imaginations to entertain themselves....while you and your husband recharge your batteries with that all elusive ';quiet time';.

The beach, the beach, the beach. The island shuttle will take you anywhere for very little $$$. The bike path is right outside that development, I believe, so the biking suggestion is a good one. Make an adventure out of trying a different beach a day. Surfside is good for the little ones, as well as Children%26#39;s beach in town. The older teens, depending on their interests, will like the surfing at Cisco. The teens also will like town, and the shopping. The bike suggestion is a good one, but it all depends on your family%26#39;s fitness level. Try a day sail. The sloop Endeavor was fun a couple of years ago. All ages will enjoy that...

Enjoy!

The nice thing about Nantucket for teenagers is that being a small island, they can be left pretty much on their own. Let them go to the beach by themselves. Let them go into the town after dinner. If they%26#39;re sociable, they%26#39;ll meet kids their own age, and subject to reasonable limits you set, they can find their own things to do. The only problem is that Naushop is a bit out of the town and will need at least a bicycle to get to the town and beaches. But even $10-$15 for a taxi will be cheaper than bringing a car.

We have a shared family house on Naushop and teenagers so I can give some perspective. Naushop itself has a community pool, tennis courts and a playground for the younger kids - occasionally there are movies in the clubhouse in the early evening.

People already mentioned the shuttle - there is a stop right outside of Naushop on Old South Road that will take you into town (which is a nightmare to drive in and part if you have a big SUV.) My kids have taken the shuttle themselves. You can also take that shuttle to the beach in Sconset or transfer to the shuttle to the surfside beach. You can also walk the 3 miles to the beach or easier yet, ride your bikes. (There are bike rentals at Island Bikes on Old South Road near Naushop.) They recently put a bike path on Old South Road so you now have bikepaths direct to Surfside where there are restrooms, bike racks and a concession stand with chair rentals. The younger kids may like Children%26#39;s Beach with less surf.

For the younger kids, there are interesting classes at the Maria Mitchell Observatory and the Nantucket Historical Society and sometimes. I think someone already mentioned adventure classes for the teens at STrongwinds - http://www.strongwings.org/.

Make sure you bring board games, books, etc for the cooler, foggy and rainy days you may encounter.