Block Island Rhode Island: The Complete Insider Guide

Block Island sits 13 miles off the Rhode Island coast in the Atlantic — small enough to cross by bicycle in an afternoon, large enough to get genuinely lost on its trails. The Nature Conservancy named it one of the last great places in the Western Hemisphere. Nearly 40 percent of the land is protected and will never be developed. That’s not an accident. It’s a choice the island has made, repeatedly, over decades.

Why Block Island

Most islands at this level of beauty eventually succumb to the version of themselves that’s most profitable. The boutique hotels multiply. The chowder becomes a brand. Block Island has largely avoided this. The same weathered Victorian inns anchor Old Harbor. The same family-run restaurants serve the same honest seafood. Payne’s Donuts still rolls out of a food truck every summer morning and the line is still worth it.

Twenty-five years ago I honeymooned here and thought I’d come back when the time was right. The time has been right many times since. Block Island doesn’t change the way places change when they figure out how profitable their beauty can be. It just keeps being Block Island.

Getting There

By Ferry

Route	Duration	Approx. Fare	Notes
Point Judith → BI (Traditional)	~55 min	~$28 adult	Cars allowed. Year-round. 6–9 round trips/day in summer.
Point Judith → BI (High-Speed)	~30 min	~$30 adult	Passenger only. Late May–mid October.
Newport → BI (High-Speed)	~30 min	~$30 adult	Seasonal. Great if you’re already in Newport.
New London, CT → BI	~2 hours	~$35 adult	Block Island Express. Good from NYC or CT.
Montauk, NY → BI	~1.75 hours	~$50 adult	Viking Fleet. Seasonal. From the Hamptons end.

By Air

New England Airlines has been flying Westerly to Block Island since 1970. The flight takes 12 minutes. You park at Westerly Airport — free parking, no pretense — board a small prop plane, and land on Block Island before you’ve finished thinking about it. Book by phone: 800-243-2460. Fly the Whale also offers up to nine daily round trips from Westerly with fares starting around $95 each way.

When to Go

Season	What to Expect
July–August	Peak season. All restaurants open, beaches buzzing. Book 3–6 months out.
June & September	Our recommendation. Warm enough to swim, crowds thin, restaurants still fully open. September light on the bluffs is extraordinary.
October–November	The island starts to close down but never quite goes dark. Bird migration season is remarkable.
Winter	Population drops to under 1,000. A handful of restaurants stay open. Quiet in a way that’s almost meditative.

Where to Stay

The 1661 Inn

Named for the year the island was settled. Spectacular breakfast with ocean views, happy hour on the grounds, walkable to everything. One of the most beloved properties on the island. Best for couples and returning visitors.

Hotel Manisses

Victorian charm in Old Harbor with a serious restaurant attached. Named for the island’s original Narragansett name. The wine list at dinner is quietly excellent. Best for romance and food-focused travelers.

The Atlantic Inn

21 rooms on a hilltop with unobstructed views of Old Harbor. Tennis, croquet, sunset-watching from the lawn. The outdoor bar’s tapas and wine program is a genuine destination in itself. Best for those who want views and a slower pace.

Vacation Rental

Block Island has an excellent stock of vacation rentals — weathered beach cottages, converted farmhouses, shingled homes with porches and outdoor showers. For families and groups, the per-person cost usually undercuts multiple hotel rooms significantly. Book 4–6 months out for summer weeks.

Where to Eat

Payne’s Donuts

A Block Island institution. Donuts from a humble food truck, made fresh, served to a line of people who have been coming back for years — some for decades. First morning on the island. You go here. That’s the rule.

Eli’s

The bistro with devoted regulars from across New England. Named after the owners’ black lab. New American menu with serious craft cocktails, locally sourced everything. Arrive before they open and get in line. The Eli’s burger with seasoned fries is not something you skip.

The Beachhead

Local seafood, honest prices, patio overlooking the ocean. Baked Atlantic cod, shrimp and pea pasta, lobster rolls that don’t require a second mortgage. In stormy weather, sit at the bar and watch the breakers roll in 30 feet away.

The Atlantic Inn Restaurant

Hilltop setting with sweeping views, outdoor tapas bar at sunset. Even if you’re not staying at the inn, come up for the outdoor bar as the sun goes down over the harbor.

Things to Do

Walk Mohegan Bluffs

Two-hundred-foot clay cliffs on the island’s southern shore with the Atlantic stretching to the horizon below. A wooden staircase of 141 steps leads down to a secluded beach. The Southeast Lighthouse sits nearby — a brick Victorian structure relocated 300 feet back from the eroding cliff edge in 1993. The most dramatic view on the New England coast.

Hike the Greenway

28 miles of protected trail crossing most of the island. The Clay Head Trail on the northeastern shore has a network of winding paths locals call “the mazes” that cut through thick brush and emerge on cliff tops overlooking the ocean. Bring the trail map from the Block Island Visitor Center.

Walk to North Lighthouse

Park at the end of Corn Neck Road and walk three-quarters of a mile across the beach to the North Lighthouse — a granite structure at the island’s northern tip with ocean on one side and a large pond on the other. It genuinely feels like the end of the world, in the best way.

Spend a Full Day on Crescent Beach

The long sandy stretch on the island’s eastern side. Walk north up Corn Neck Road past the quieter sections — the beach gets progressively less crowded the further from the ferry landing you get.

You take the ferry for the first time not quite knowing what to expect, and you leave understanding why the people around you on the boat seem so comfortable — because they’ve done this many times before and they know exactly what they’re going back to. Go. Then go back.