Nantucket’s Main Street can be a zoo, and the traffic around the rotaries (yes, plural as of spring 07) is enough to make you crazier than a camel stuck in Cincinnati. The best solution is to get out of town. Nantucket’s beauty resides in its nearly 50 miles of beaches and the rolling hills of the middle moors. There are many peaceful spots; you just have to know where to find them. Don’t avoid town altogether, just visit before 9 am while the streets are still quiet, or after 8 pm when they’re lamp-lit and charming.

Here are some hints to make the crowds disappear…our favorite places to:

get coffee and the paper: Head to the airport where papers arrive first, as early as 7 am (depending on the fog). In town go to The Hub on Main Street.

buy sandwiches for the beach: The sandwich kings – Something Natural, Henry’s Jr. and Provisions – are worthy of the buzz they get, but don’t miss a trip to Claudette’s in Sconset.

spend a day at the beach: You can’t go wrong with any beach along the south shore, though we love to go where the sandbar collects between Nodabeer and Madequecham.

have a romantic dinner: Back deck at Straight Wharf Restaurant and 21 Federal still take the cake.

escape: Great Point… when the piping plovers allow. You definitely need 4WD for the 6 mile drive through extremely soft sand. You’ll also have to stop at the Great Point station and buy a beach pass, and let air out of your tires. Pack a cooler and make the trek for sunset. Great Point is truly unlike any other place around – as good as it gets.

skinny-dip: Brant point. 1 AM.

Read more about summer getaways on Misstropolis, the new online magazine for modern women.