All public stuff at Surfside Beach - snack bar; rentals; restrooms public bus from town - pretty much close by mid-September. Only option is a $12 taxi ride (plus a small fee per addition person) from town. Have a phone with you so you can call for a return trip, as taxis don't wait around there (unless you have an appointment with a driver). A less costly option is Uber. They are said to be expanding to Nantucket, but as of this writing (Nov. 18, 2015), I don't know if they are there yet. Boston Business Journal and Uber claimed Uber would be on the islands by late May 2015, but I have no first-hand experience with that. I'm not a big fan of apps, but if Uber is on Nantucket in autumn 2015, I would use it to get to the more remote places on Cape Cod and the islands. No restaurants at Surfside Beach, this is a residential side of the island, but the snack bar is seasonally open and reasonably priced. The bus stops right there in season, with a short path to the beach. Unless you plan on taxis/Uber, etc., Nantucket can be difficult to navigate off-season without a bicycle. I would not take a personal vehicle on to the island unless a passenger has adaptive needs. Unless you child is an extremely strong swimmer (and unless you are, too), not a great swimming beach. But beautiful for hanging out and dipping your toes in.