BLOCK ISLAND

Rhode Island
 

Block Island is a small (3 mi. wide by 7 mi. long) island off the coast of Rhode Island. You can get a ferry from Point Judith RI, Newport RI, New London CT or Montauk Long Island.  We left from Point Judith -- a 55 minute trip.  (Note: don't park in the lots by the ferry.  Go one street over and pay half the price. A sidewalk cuts through to directly across the street from the ferry).

If you're staying near Old Harbor (or even New Harbor), you may not even need a car -- a bike will get you almost anywhere on the island.  We left our car on the mainland and took our bikes with us. We stayed right outside of Old Harbor and when we didn't want to walk/bike somewhere (like out to a restaurant), we caught a $5 taxi ride.

We rode our bikes all over this island, paved and unpaved roads.  The road to the north end of the island feels like you're going through the country, same for parts of the southern end of the island.  The only two areas that are at all "developed" are Old Harbor (shopping, old inns and some really good restaurants) and New Harbor (by Great Salt Pond, where all the boats moor). 

There is also a dirt trail down to Black Rock Point that was a little rocky and rough at the beginning but then passes through fields and meadows ending up at bluffs over the ocean.  This trail was just west of Rodman's Hollow, which is also a good place to hike.
 

We stayed at the Sea Breeze Inn, a set of little cottages a few minutes walk from the ferry and the main commercial area of Old Harbor. Great service and beautiful gardens throughout the property.  After our daily bike ride and a stop somewhere for a little mid-afternoon refreshment, the hammock down by the pond was great for late afternoon siestas.

There are two lighthouses on the island, the North Lighthouse and the Southeast Lighthouse (pictured), which had to be moved back several hundred feet due to erosion. The nearby Monhegan Bluffs also provide great views. 

The North Lighthouse sits at the end of the hilly road leading up through the narrow end of the island.  A walk through the sand leads from the parking lot to the lighthouse. 
 

The Spring House Hotel was across the street from our cottage. You can dine in the cupola as we did. It has a single table, your own private waitress, and fabulous views of much of the island.  The service charge for the cupola is very expensive, but it was our fifteenth wedding anniversary, so what's money?
 

We also took a sunset cruise on a large catamaran out of New Harbor.  The sailboat held 28 but luckily there were only about ten people on our trip. Wine and cheese were served as we sailed along the western side of the island.  Great views of the northern lighthouse, and the captain had a high-tech set of binoculars unlike any I've ever seen.

At the end of the Clay Head trail on the northern end's eastern side

Block Island countryside. 
The "rural feel' is unusual for an island.

Our cottage on the sea at the Sea Breeze Inn

Southeast Lighthouse

The cupola