Nantucket

"Once upon a time, there was a man from Nantucket..." Go ahead and finish the rest of the limerick in your head before getting that laugh out of your system. Because, despite its reputation for rhyming obscenities (many of which can be found on souvenirs around town), Nantucket is better known as a refined vacation destination. And it's getting posher by the year. This tiny island, located about 30 miles south of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, relishes its isolation, enticing upper-crust prepsters and Northeastern bluebloods looking for a summer escape.

Other visitors are welcome to Nantucket as well, as long as they are willing to splurge. Room rates and dinner plates are quite expensive, but some of the most popular island activities are reasonably priced. After all, a proper Nantucket visit entails riding your rental bike through the cobblestone streets or lazing on the beach with a beach-time read. So grab your swimsuit and leave your car at the ferry terminals: it's time to leave the mainland.