Block Island

Block Island feels like the 1970s. There are no traffic lights, no chain restaurants, no chain stores, no Starbucks. About 40% of the island is protected conservation land. The main road doesn’t have lanes marked, just a polite understanding that two vehicles can pass each other if they’re patient. The ferry from Point Judith takes an hour, which is enough time to genuinely decompress, and when Old Harbor comes into view — the Victorian buildings of Spring House Hotel visible on the hill, the ferry dock below — it’s a genuine arrival at a place that has decided to be itself rather than what tourism demands.

I’ve been to Block Island in June, in August, and once in late September, and the island is consistently excellent in all three windows. The June visit was the best — nearly empty beaches, the island population at its most local, and Mohegan Bluffs almost to myself on a clear afternoon when the visibility was 30 miles and the surf was crashing 200 feet below. I ate at Eli’s on Corn Neck Road and walked back to the Spring House on empty roads in the dark with the lighthouse beam sweeping the coast. That is the Block Island experience at its purest.

Mohegan Bluffs are the island’s dramatic centerpiece — 200-foot clay cliffs on the southern shore with wooden staircases descending to a rocky beach and views that on a clear day extend to Montauk Point on Long Island. The Southeast Light, a brick Victorian lighthouse built in 1875 and moved 300 feet back from the cliff edge in 1993 (the bluffs were eroding), sits at the cliff top and is one of the most beautiful lighthouses in New England. Both are easily reached by bike from Old Harbor in about 20 minutes.

The Greenway trail system is Block Island’s secret asset for non-beach visitors. Roughly 28 miles of walking trails thread through the island’s protected conservation areas — past freshwater ponds, through heath and shrub, and over landscape that changes character dramatically over short distances. Spring runs and migrating shorebirds make Block Island a significant birding destination from late August through October. The Nature Conservancy has a local office and offers guided walks in season.

Why Block Island belongs on your New England itinerary

Block Island is the best-preserved example of what the New England islands looked like before mass tourism transformed them. The decision — made generations ago and maintained by community consensus — to keep development limited has produced an island where the landscape actually takes precedence over the commercial infrastructure built to serve visitors. That’s genuinely rare.

The National Resources Council declared Block Island one of the last great places in the Western Hemisphere in 1991, alongside places like the Amazon rainforest. The designation is based on the quality and extent of the island’s undeveloped land — 40% under conservation protection — and the biodiversity it supports. For a traveler, this translates to beaches that haven’t been degraded by development, Greenway trails through habitat that looks substantially as it did before European settlement, and an experience of ocean and land that’s increasingly unusual on the East Coast.

The bike culture here is exactly right. The island is 7 miles by 3.5 miles, and the combination of scenic roads and Greenway trails makes it perfectly suited to a day of cycling. Rent bikes at Old Harbor Bike Shop or one of several other outfitters (eBikes available), get a trail map from the Nature Conservancy kiosk, and set off with no particular plan. The island will organize itself around you.

What should you do in Block Island?

Mohegan Bluffs — Bike south from Old Harbor to the Southeast Light and the Mohegan Bluffs overlook. The 200-foot clay cliffs have stairs descending to the rocky beach below — worth the descent for the perspective. The view from the top stretches to Montauk on a clear day. Sunrise from the bluffs is extraordinary. Free, always accessible.

Southeast Lighthouse — The 1875 brick lighthouse at Mohegan Bluffs was moved 300 feet from the eroding cliff edge in 1993 — an engineering feat that’s still talked about on the island. Tours available in summer. The lighthouse grounds offer the best photography composition on the island — lighthouse, open ocean, and cliff edge in the same frame.

Crescent Beach — The long curved beach along the east side of the island is Block Island’s main swimming beach — 3 miles of sand with relatively calm water (compared to the exposed southern shore). Accessible by bike path from Old Harbor. Bathrooms and outdoor showers available. Free.

North Light & Settler’s Rock — Bike or drive to the northern tip of the island to North Light (1867 granite lighthouse) and Settler’s Rock (a boulder inscribed with the names of the first European settlers). The beach around North Light is nearly always empty and the boulder inscription is genuinely moving. The walk from the parking area to the lighthouse is about 15 minutes on sand.

Greenway Trails — The 28-mile trail system through the island’s conservation land is best explored with a map from the Nature Conservancy (free at the kiosk near the ferry dock). The Clay Head Nature Trail on the northeastern shore combines cliff-top walking with freshwater pond access. The Enchanted Forest section has an otherworldly quality that surprises visitors expecting typical New England woodland.

Old Harbor Village — The main settlement has the ferry dock, the Victorian commercial buildings, and the island’s restaurants and shops concentrated into a few blocks. The Block Island Historical Society museum in the old hotel building is worth 45 minutes. Ice cream from the various parlors, beer at the Yellow Kittens Tavern, and a kayak rental from Oceans & Ponds to explore the Great Salt Pond.

Great Salt Pond — The large sheltered pond on the western side of the island is the anchorage for the sailing fleet and the location of the New Harbor marina community. Kayaking the pond in the morning is excellent — calm water, shorebirds, and the chance to paddle among the anchored sailboats.

Where should you stay in Block Island?

Budget ($70–$120/night) — The cheapest reliable option is one of the small B&Bs in the village near Old Harbor. The Narragansett Inn is basic but functional at $80-$100/night in June. Camping is not permitted on Block Island.

Mid-Range ($130–$200/night) — The Blue Dory Inn is a charming Victorian B&B steps from the ferry dock at $140-$180/night. The National Hotel at Old Harbor is a classic summer hotel with good harbor views and a lively bar. The Atlantic Inn is beautifully positioned above Old Harbor with excellent views.

Luxury ($250+/night) — The Spring House Hotel, the island’s iconic Victorian resort on a hill above Old Harbor, has been operating continuously since 1852. The wraparound porch views are the best on the island. Rooms from $250-$400 in season. The Manisses Hotel on Spring Street is intimate and excellent.

Where should you eat in Block Island?

• Eli’s (Corn Neck Road) — The island’s best casual restaurant, with creative sandwiches, excellent cocktails, and a relaxed atmosphere that feels like Block Island itself. $25-$40 per person.
• Mahogany Shoals (New Harbor) — On the Great Salt Pond, with views of the sailing fleet. Excellent for lunch and live music in summer. $25-$40 per person.
• Dead Eye Dick’s (Payne’s Dock, New Harbor) — A Block Island institution for casual seafood and cold beer on the water. Under $30.
• Finn’s Seafood (Old Harbor) — The best chowder in Block Island, from a casual counter-service operation on the harbor. Under $20.
• The Beachhead (Corn Neck Road) — The most low-key and local bar on the island, with decent pub food and the kind of regulars who’ve been coming since before you were born. Under $25.
• Spring House Dining Room (Spring House Hotel) — The island’s most formal dining, with sunset views from the porch and a reliable American menu. $45-$65 per person.

When is the best time to visit Block Island?

June (Best overall) — The island is fully open, the landscape is at its greenest, and the summer crowds haven’t arrived. Crescent Beach is near-empty on weekdays. The bikes are available and the trails are dry. This is my personal preferred window for Block Island.

July–August (Peak season) — Full island energy, warm water for swimming, and the Old Harbor bar scene at full throttle. Book accommodation weeks to months ahead. The August Block Island Race Week brings a fleet of sailing yachts to Great Salt Pond and the island has an extraordinary maritime energy.

Avoid: October through April. Block Island contracts dramatically in the off-season — many restaurants close, the ferries run limited schedules, and the year-round population of under 1,000 has the island largely to themselves.

Block Island is the rare travel destination where the complete absence of things (traffic lights, chain restaurants, development pressure) becomes the primary experience. Visitors who come looking for something specific to do often leave underwhelmed. Visitors who come to cycle empty roads, watch sunsets from 200-foot cliffs, and eat clam chowder on a dock while a lighthouse sweeps the horizon leave understanding exactly why people have been coming back for generations. Give the island a full day at minimum; two nights is ideal. Browse all Rhode Island and New England options at the destinations guide and plan your trip at Plan Your Trip.