When I was researching our trip to Nantucket, I wanted to find kid-friendly activities for my three-year-old. We’re usually a go-with-the flow family and don’t do a ton of planning, but I knew Nantucket gets busy in the summer, so wanted to plan at least a few activities in advance. The one that I’m so glad we did was the Critter Cruise Nantucket. I’d recommend this to ANY family traveling to Nantucket (okay, maybe not the ones who get sea sick…). 

I booked Critter Cruise Nantucket tickets online in advance for just me and my son. My husband falls in that sea sickness camp so he stayed on land. It’s a one hour boat tour through the harbor, so despite all of my sea sickness jokes, the water is actually incredibly calm. 

Critter Cruise Nantucket overview

The tour is broken out into two sections. In the first, we set out a few salt water bins that would serve as touch tanks for the boat ride. Then, the boat goes to a few traps set out by the Critter Cruise and we got to see what was inside. On our cruise, there were tons of crabs, snails and even a lobster! We brought all of that on board and put the critters in the touch tanks so the kiddos could observe them. 

Want more planning tips for visiting Nantucket with kids? Check out my full travel guide for hotel, restaurant and activity recommendations!

During the second part of the ride, the kids get fishing poles to fish off the side of the boat. The crew does an incredible job helping the kids so that they can catch fish. My son was so proud of himself for catching one. And I won’t lie, I was actually excited when I caught one too!

Everything from the boat ride is catch and release. So after fishing, as we sailed back into the harbor, we released the critters from the touch tanks back into the sea. On our boat ride, the crew decided to take the lobster to the Maria Mitchell Association Aquarium. It’s a great small aquarium on the island, and is also catch and release with its creatures. (Check out my review of the aquarium here!). 

Overall, the Critter Cruise Nantucket was probably our favorite kids’ activity during our stay. We’d definitely recommend it to any other families who are visiting. Hopefully we’ll make it back to do it again one day!