Block Island is a unique island off the coast of Rhode Island. We had never heard of Block Island before and stumbled upon it while scouring Google Maps. We were happily surprised at what we found on Block Island while exploring it all ways that we could. The beaches at Block Island are some of the prettiest beaches on the east coast of the United States. Block Island is a magical island with a lot to offer in terms of a peaceful beach getaway.

How to get to Block Island
To get to Block Island, most people take a ferry. Depending on the time of year, there are several locations that the boats leave from throughout the day.
In the off season, the only location that the ferry leaves from is Point Judith, Rhode Island. The ferry that leaves from Point Judith in the off season is the slower ferry that takes around 1 hour to reach Block Island. In the winter and off season, it travels less to and from the island, so make sure to look at the ferry schedule online. The Block Island Ferry from Point Judith can also take vehicles. If you plan on taking your car, I describe the process below in depth. It is advisable that you purchase ferry tickets in advance to ensure your spot on the ferry.
In the summer, there are multiple ferries leaving from various locations. The ferries are much more frequent in the summer. The main ports of departure for Block Island are Point Judith and Newport, Rhode Island. For more information on the summer schedule and all of your options, visit the Block Island Ferry website.
If taking the ferry from Point Judith, Rhode Island and not taking your car, you will need to park your car in Point Judith for the entirety of your trip. There are several different parking lots in the area, but not all are open in the off-season. The one lot that was open during the off-season was the lot directly across from the ferry loading area with a giant yellow and blue sign advertising parking. To park in this lot, you can pay for parking from your phone and get immediate confirmation. The going rate for parking as of 2022 in most parking lots is 10 dollars on weekdays and 15 dollars on weekends.

How to get around Block Island
To see everything around the island, you will probably need some mode of transportation if you want to see most of the things included in the blog post here. You can drive your car onto the island to get to different places, however, keep in mind that parking areas at most of the things to see on the island are very very small.
By Car
You can take your car to Block Island on the ferry leaving from Port Judith Rhode Island. Reservations to bring your car must be made in advance. In 2022, it costs around 80 to 100 dollars (price depends on the size of your car) round trip to bring your car on the ferry. You cannot ride in your car during the ferry ride, you must also purchase passenger tickets for everyone in your party. As of 2022, passenger tickets cost around $12 one way.
If you would like to drive around the island, but don’t like the idea of bringing your own car, you can rent a car on the island. The prices to rent a car on the island are pretty pricey, even if just renting the car for a few hours. Be sure to make a car rental reservation online prior to your trip. Some companies offering car rentals on the island include Old Harbour Bike and Moped Rentals and Block Island Bike and Car Rental. Also, depending on the time of year you are visiting, the rental companies may or may not be open, so be sure to check before arrival.
By Moped
On the island, there are several rental companies that rent out mopeds. What is open really depends on the time of year you are visiting. Mopeds are a fun way to get around the island, but can be dangerous if you’re not really experienced. They are cheaper to rent than cars, but much more expensive than bicycles. Some companies that rent out mopeds on Block Island are Old Harbour Bike and Moped Rentals, Island Moped and Bike, and Aldo’s Mopeds Inc.
By Bicycle
Bicycle is one other way that you can get around Block Island. This is the way that we chose for several reasons. It is the cheapest way to get around the island and also it allows you to see more of the island while in between stops. The island is very bike friendly with bike racks anywhere you would like to stop. Going by bike was definitely enjoyable and let us see many parts of the island that we wouldn’t have been able to see by only walking. We rented our bicycle from Old Harbour Bike and Moped Rentals and they were great. Some other companies on the island that rent out bicycles include Island Moped and Bike and Aldo’s Mopeds Inc.

Where to Stay on Block Island
Many people do a day trip to Block Island, but I recommend staying overnight on the island so you can experience it with less crowds and also see both sunrise and sunset from the island. The experience of staying overnight on the island allows you to see more of the island. We stayed at The 1661 which we absolutely loved. They were very hospitable and the rooms were really clean. There was complimentary breakfast and a view of the ocean from our bedroom window. They have many different rooms with various views. I totally recommend staying there during your time on the island. Some other well known places to stay on the island include Block Island Beach House, Avonlea Jewel of the Sea, and The National.
If you decide to not stay overnight, my advice would be to leave for Block Island on the first boat of the morning. This will allow you to see Block Island with less crowds and be the first to some of the beaches.

Places to Go on Block Island
Mohegan Cliffs
The Mohegan Cliffs are what drew us to visiting Block Island. The cliffs are nothing like anything we have seen on the east coast. Tall cliffs rise up from the ocean and tower over the rocky beach below. Blue waves crash onto a rocky beach. It is the bluest water we have seen on the east coast, especially in the north.
To get to the bottom of the cliffs, there is a long staircase with around 150 steps to get to the bottom and then you have to climb over some rocks to get down to the water. There is a rope to help you get down to the beach from the bottom of the steps. You can walk along the rocky beach in either direction, just be careful of the rising tides, which at high tide come up quite close to the bottom of the cliffs. We sat on a big rock and had a picnic watching the waves roll in.
If you look way out in the distance, you will see giant windmills in the ocean. These windmills are part of the first offshore commercial wind farm in America.


South East Lighthouse
South East Lighthouse is located very close to the parking area for Mohegan Cliffs. From the viewpoint at the South East Lighthouse, you can see part of the Mohegan Cliffs. In the summer, the lighthouse is open for viewing. An interesting fact about this lighthouse is that it actually had to be moved from its original location because it was too close to the cliffs which erode very quickly.

Vail Beach
Vail Beach is located in the southern part of the island, to the west of Mohegan Cliffs. I preferred Vail Beach as it was less crowded and we had the entire beach to ourselves. The cliffs around Vail Beach are a little shorter than the cliffs at the Mohegan Cliffs beach, but the beach area is a little wider. We walked up and down the rocky beach.
The parking area for Vail Beach is very small, but there is a large bike rack available. There are no steps down to the beach, but a short muddy trail. Do note that a short piece of the road that goes to Vail Beach is inaccessible by mopeds if that is your mode of transportation.

Painted Rock
Painted Rock is something we overheard a Block Island local talking about while on the boat over. Painted Rock is a large rock along the road that is painted by people of the island for various occasions. While we were there, it was painted blue and yellow, but you could see evidence of many different painting coats before. To see the Painted Rock and its latest painting, see it at the sharp turn in the road where Lakeside Dr and Mohegan Trail meet. You will pass this rock if turning to go to Vail Beach or Black Rock Beach.

Black Rock Beach
Black Rock Beach is west of Vail Beach along the coast. If you continue out the dirt road that goes to Vail Beach, Black Rock Road, at the end of the road, you will reach the parking area for Black Rock Beach. As you can imagine due to the name, there are black-appearing rocks on the shore of Black Rock Beach.

Grace Cove and Coast Guard Lighthouse
On the west side of the island, there are various coves where the water tends to be calmer and the beaches are made more of sand (rather than the rocks of the southern coast). The beaches on this side of the island looked significantly different than the beaches on the south side of the island. There are large sand dunes with plants growing through the sand. The waves were calm and the water very blue. Grace Cove is less accessed than some of the other coves in the area. If you walk along the beach from the entrance of Grace Cove, you will reach Charleston Beach which is quite isolated and a great beach to have some solitude.
There is not really much (if any) parking for cars at Grace Cove. There is room to park bikes if you are riding your bike to the cove.
While down by Grace Cove, you can see the Coast Guard Lighthouse. However, it is a lighthouse that you really can’t visit up close due to it being currently used by the Coast Guard.

New Shoreham and Old Harbor
New Shoreham is the town on Block Island and it is super cute. Most boats that arrive to Block Island arrive in the port at New Shoreham. New Shoreham is where most of the hotels, restaurants, and shops are located. There is one main street that has mostly everything that you could need during your stay. In the summer, all of the shops and restaurants are open to accommodate visitors.
If you visit in the off-season like we did, keep in mind that most of the shops and restaurants will NOT be open during your stay. Our hotel gave us a list of places that may be open during our stay. The grocery store on the island is open year round if for some reason you need any amenities or snacks (we had to pick up some motion-sickness medicine for the ferry ride back).

Fred Benson Town Beach and Crescent Beach
The beaches closest to the town of New Shoreham are the Fred Benson Town Beach and Crescent Beach. You can access the town beach from the main street. Crescent Beach is a little more north and can be accessed by taking the road out of town that heads to the northern part of the island (there is only one road that heads this direction). There are little wooden stairs and boardwalks that cross over the dunes to access the beach. The beaches here are sandy with little blue waves.

Cow Cove and Settlers’ Rock
Cow Cove is in the northern part of the island. To access Cow Cove, park at the National Wildlife Refuge parking and enter the beach there. The part of the beach closest to the parking lot is Cow Cove. The beach here is a mixture of rock and sand, but is peaceful and quiet. Settlers’ Rock is at the entrance of the beach here and was placed in 1911 to commemorate the 250th anniversary of settlement on the island.

Block Island National Wildlife Refuge (and the seals)
The Block Island National Wildlife Refuge is one of the things on the island that surprised me the most. I wasn’t expecting much from the wildlife refuge, but it was so peaceful and beautiful. We walked along the beach and watched many seagulls flying and running around. There are sand dunes within the wildlife area that are protected from humans and it is advised that you only walk on established paths. We walked through the sand dune paths near the very tip of the island. This part of the island is the northernmost part of the island and you can see the tip of the island that comes to a very pointy sand bar where large waves collide.
The very best part of the wildlife refuge was while at the top of the island, we got to see a large group of seals, sunning themselves in the bright sun along the shore. There were many grouped together sleeping, but also some younger seals playing in the water and going from water to shore. Apparently, they live here for much of the winter months. As signs in the area say, be sure to stay at least 50 yards away so as to not disturb them.
We rode our bikes to the very north of the island to the Block Island National Wildlife Refuge. There is a parking area there.

North Lighthouse
North Lighthouse is within the Block Island National Wildlife Refuge and is close to the very northernmost part of the island. Even though it was not open to go inside, it was nice to walk around and see the historic lighthouse. Many seagulls were flying and sitting all around the lighthouse when we were there, so if you are scared of birds, this might not be the place for you.

Itinerary for a weekend on Block Island
Day 1
-Take the first ferry of the day to Block Island
-Upon arriving to the island, rent your mode of transportation (or skip this if you brought your car to the island)
-pick up a picnic lunch from New Shoreham (or skip this if you were prepared and packed something from home!)
-head to the southern part of the island
-Stop 1: Southeast Lighthouse
-Stop 2: Mohegan Cliffs (eat your picnic lunch here!)
-Stop 3: Painted Rock
-Stop 4: Vail Beach
-Stop 5: Black Rock Beach
-head to the western side of the island
-Stop 6: Grace Cove and Coast Guard Lighthouse
-Check into your hotel and freshen up before dinner
-Have dinner in New Shoreham (we went to McAloon’s and I had an amazing salmon BLT)
-Watch sunset and head back to your hotel
Day 2:
-Grab breakfast in the morning (if your hotel doesn’t have breakfast, Odd Fellows Cafe has some great options)
-head up to the north part of the island in the morning before the crowds come
-Stop 1: Block Island National Wildlife Refuge (don’t forget to look for seals on your walk!)
-Stop 2: Cow Cove and Settlers’ Rock
-Stop 3: North Lighthouse
-head back to the main part of the island
-Stop 4: Fred Benson Town Beach and Crescent Beach
-Grab lunch in New Shoreham
-Return your method of transportation (if applicable)
-Take an afternoon ferry back to the mainland

Tips for your Visit to Block Island
Here are some tips that I wish we had known before planning our trip to Block Island
If you are going in the off-season, make sure that things are open
In the off-season, most restaurants and stores are closed. This was something that we didn’t realize when planning our trip. On Google, it showed that stores and restaurants were open, but in reality, almost nothing was open. We were so thankful that our hotel was able to give us a list of the restaurants that were open during our stay. That being said, don’t plan on someplace being open or being open at strange hours. For example, we were planning on renting bikes for the weekend, and although various places said they were open online, only one bike rental shop was open and it was their first weekend of the year and only renting out a small number of things. We really lucked out that they were open, but just make sure you have options before making plans and be flexible with your plans.

Bring stuff you may need from the mainland
If there is anything you think you may need while on the island, it is a good idea to bring it along or bring extra with you. There is a grocery store on the island, but it is very expensive (some of the most expensive Oreos I have ever seen). We had planned on getting stuff for a picnic lunch and ended up spending a ton of money on bread, peanut butter, and jelly for sandwiches. In hindsight, I wish we had brought picnic food or snacks with us to the island, rather than buying it on the island.

Prepare for the ferry ride
We have rode ferries various times in the past, but the ferry to Block Island was much more turbulent than we thought. We also made the mistake of sitting at the front of the boat (which we learned the hard way has the most movement). We recommend bringing Dramamine or Bonine motion-sickness medicine and sitting closer to the back of the boat to prevent getting seasick on the hour-long ferry ride. We took the slow ferry and still got seasick. If you plan on taking the faster boat in the summer, there is usually even more movement with the fast boats, so just something to keep in mind when choosing the way you get to the island.

I hope this guide helps you to plan your trip to Block Island!
Let me know any comments or questions you may have in the comments below!
Thanks for reading!

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