Viewed from above or on a map, Block Island looks like a pork chop with a big bite taken out of the middle. Only 7 miles (11km) long and 3 miles (5km) wide, it is edged with long stretches of beach lifting at points into dramatic bluffs. The interior is dimpled with undulating hills, only rarely reaching above 150 feet (45m) in elevation. Its hollows and clefts cradle over 300 sweet-water ponds, some no larger than a backyard swimming pool. That "bite" out of the western edge of the "chop" is Great Salt Pond, which almost succeeds in cutting the island in two, but, as it is, serves as a fine protected harbor for fleets of pleasure boats. Tens of thousands of visitors arrive every summer to relax on this pristine, unspoiled island.

The only significant concentration of houses, businesses, hotels, and people is at Old Harbor, on the lower eastern shore, where the ferries from the mainland arrive and most of the remaining commercial fishing boats moor. Named for Adrian Block, a Dutch explorer who briefly stepped ashore in 1641, the island's earliest European settlement was in 1661, and it has since attracted the kinds of people who nurture fierce convictions of independence and solitude. Today, there are about 875 permanent residents who tough it out 9 months a year waiting for the sun to stay awhile.

Unlike other such regions throughout the country that have lost their sprawling Victorian hotels to fire or demolition, Block Island has preserved many of its buildings from that time. They crowd around Old Harbor, providing most of the lodging base. Smaller inns and B&Bs add more tourist rooms, most in converted houses built at the same time as the great hotels. There are only a few establishments that even resemble motels, and building stock is marked, with few exceptions, by tasteful Yankee understatement. There are no franchised eateries or shops of any kind.

Away from the sand and surf, it is an island of peaceful pleasures and gentle observations. Police officers wear Bermuda shorts and ride bikes. Children tend lemonade stands in front of picket fences and low hedges. Clumps of hydrangeas tangle with beach roses and honeysuckle, hiding the foundations of saltboxes and Victorian farmhouses with shingles scoured gray by sea winds. The Atlantic Ocean rolls right in on its outer beaches, where cliffs overlook the sea and brightly colored beach stones lie polished by the rolling waves. The island is in the middle of a prominent flyway for migratory birds, and egrets, ducks, goldfinch, and kingfisher are seen in abundance.

Guides

• Frommers
• Block Island Chamber of Commerce
• Visit Rhode Island
• BlockIsland.com

Getting there

• Block Island Ferry from Newport and Point Judith
• High-speed ferry from Point Judith

Boston	Providence	Newport	Cape Cod	The Islands	Block Island	Stay here!
Only an hour away, Boston is world renowned for its history, academic institutions, parks, culture, and shopping. Take a Daytrip to Boston.	Thirty minutes from the South Coast Region, Providence has a recently revitalized downtown and is undergoing a cultural renaissance.	Just thirty minutes away, Newport is great for yachting, beaches, shopping, dining, and has a vibrant summer nightlife.	Only thirty minutes from the South Coast Region, Cape Cod has 100 miles of beaches, National Seashores, Audubon preserves, lighthouses, and picturesque seaports.	Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket, and Cuttyhunk islands; the rich and famous "summer" here; hardy New Englanders have made it their year-round home for 350 years.	Accessible by Ferry from Newport, RI, this small island offers safe harbor, bike rentals, beautiful sea cliffs, beaches, seafood, and a plethora of summer wildflowers.	Last but not least, stay local and explore the South Coast's many back roads, museums, beaches, zoos, parks, antique shops, and more.