If you're curious about Atlantic beach destinations not on Long Island, get yourself to the southeast corner of Massachusetts, where summertime feels comfortably familiar and yet distinctly different from the Hamptons, the North Fork and Fire Island. Low-key Cape Cod is famous not for its celebrity sightings, but for its clam shacks. Visitors arrive on Nantucket without cars, and enjoy biking along traffic-free roads.

Martha’s Vineyard has a reputation for exclusivity, but has a history reaching back to the abolition of slavery as a haven for African American vacationers. Here's a guide to these quaint destinations and things to explore while you're there. Getting there It’s a 240-mile drive, about four hours, from New York City to Onset, Massachusetts, the gateway to Cape Cod.

Then you’ll have to take Bourne Bridge or Sagamore Bridge to get on to Cape Cod proper. Route 6, also known as the Mid Cape Highway, links 12 of Cape Cod’s 15 towns. Route 28 passes through the remaining three — Falmouth, Barnstable, and Chatham.

As on Long Island, the summer traffic among towns can be brutal, especially on weekends, so plan accordingly. To get to Martha’s Vineyard or Nantucket by car, drive to Woods Hole on Cape Cod (250 miles from New York City and 262 miles from Long Island) and take the Steamship Authority ferry ( steamshipauthority.com ) to Vineyard Haven, Oak Bluffs or the Nantucket terminal in Nantucket town.

Alternatively, fly JetBlue or Delta direct from John F. Ke.