Family Friendly Things To Do On Block Island
My new escape from reality is going to Block Island on the Ferry and spending the day cruising around the island. I’ve found some great family friendly things to do on Block Island that you can do as a day trip, or even better, spend a night and spread it out over a few days.
For the past few years I have wanted to take my family to Block Island to spend a day riding mopeds around the island. My kids are still young so they can’t do that yet; but I was able to recruit my mom to join me on my zany adventures.
Getting To Block Island
It’s easy to get to Block Island. We take the ferry out of Point Judith. On our first trip we took the traditional ferry which is a 55 minute ride across the ocean. The second trip we took the high speed ferry out to the island and the traditional ferry home.
Then, on our most recent trip where we brought the kids, we took them on the traditional ferry for the “experience”. Sometimes half the fun of a trip is the trip to the destination!
Shopping
Shopping is a good way to help support the locals on Block Island. And I always like to take home a piece of the island with me. There are lots of cute shops right in town as you disembark the ferry; and there are other shops also sprinkled around the island.
On both trips we shopped in the stores on Water Street and also found a cute shop on Corn Neck Road. On our more recent trip, we ordered sandwiches from Block Island Grocery to feed everyone before we started our hunt for glass floats.
Block island has a special event going on for local artisans it’s the Empire Emporium and it is open through Labor Day. It is located in the Empire Theater and is open from 10am -8pm every day. The emporium features locally handmade artisans and vintage wares!
Dining
There are a LOT of great restaurants along the island. You can select from Fine Dining at The Spring House, Restaurant 1879, or Winfields. Taverns and Nightclubs like Captain Nicks’, Pier 76 Dock Bar, Yellow Kittens Tavern. Along with casual dining and ice cream at Aldo’s Restaurant and Bakery, Block Island Oyster Bar & Grill, Dead Eye Dick’s, Dune & Bluffs, Island Pizza Company and so much more.
If you were to vacation on Block Island for the week, you will have no problem finding someplace different to try each night. So far since visiting, my mom and I have only eaten at the Mohegan Restaurant and Bar. The food there was amazing! I had a delicious seared tuna salad which hit the spot after a full day of exploring!
Beaches and Lighthouses of Block Island
Block Island has beautiful, beautiful beaches, and each of them are unique from one another. There are 17 miles of beaches on Block Island. Want to hunt for sea glass? Head north on West Beach to the North Point lighthouse. I hear it’s an excellent place to look for sea glass. I’m going to have to add this to my to-do list for my next visit to Block Island.
Want the beach all to yourself? It will take some hiking; but if you head out to The Painted Rock, you can go to Tom’s Point and Black Rock Beach. This is one of my favorite spots on Block Island. It’s the first place I took the kids once we arrived.
The views are amazing. The water is so clear and colorful, and you can see the Block Island Wind Farm. There are five large wind turbines out in the ocean that generates power for the island. It’s the first commercial offshore wind farm in the United States. It’s quite spectacular to see them in person.
There are also some beautiful lighthouses along the beaches of the island. The Block Island North Light is my favorite. It sits among the grassy dunes and stands so strong out on the tip of the island. The current building there now is the fourth lighthouse built on the site. The lighthouse tower is 55 feet tall, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. This light blinks white every 5 seconds.
There is also the Southeast Lighthouse that sits atop Mohegan Bluffs. It has been named a National Historic Landmark in 1997 and was moved 300 feet from its original location back in 1993 because of erosion of its original perch. This lighthouse tower stands 52 feet tall and flashes green every 5 seconds.
You can tour the lighthouse and shop in the giftshop during the summer. Tours are $10 for adults and $5 for seniors and children. You can visit the Southeast Lighthouse grounds with the views of the bluffs and the Wind Farm all year round.
Moped, Bike or Jeep Rentals
My absolute favorite thing to do is rent a moped and drive all around the island. I love the freedom of being in the open sea air, with the sunshine and the wind blowing. It’s the best! Second to that is renting a Jeep with a soft top. I’ve done both and love the different adventures each one provides.
Many mopeds are not allowed to drive on some of the dirt roads. But when we had a Jeep we were able to drive through to Black Rock Point. It’s great! You can go places that would otherwise take a long time to walk to, or can’t access with a moped.
You can also rent bikes on the island or bring your bike over on the ferry. I personally wouldn’t want to bring my bike unless I was staying on the island. Then I would enjoy riding into town or around the island to explore. But when we are on just a day trip, we want to cover as much ground as possible as we hunt for glass floats.
Old Harbor Bike Shop
We rented the mopeds and Jeep from Old Harbor Bike Shop. When you first get off the ferry there is a rep from Island Moped who flags you down and encourages you to rent from them. We first went to their shop; but we felt rushed and their tutorial for riding is done on loose gravel and we didn’t feel comfortable getting trained in a short time without practice.
We walked down the street and stopped over at the Moped Man lot and they walked us down to Old Harbor Bike Shop. We explained our experience at Island Moped to them and asked for some time to show my mom how to drive the moped and get comfortable with it before we decided to rent. Because we had such a great experience with them, we used them again to rent a Jeep. They were also gracious to give us off season pricing for the Jeep since we were visiting in October.
Boat Basin Rentals
When we returned in June with the kids, I didn’t plan enough time to book a Jeep reservation in the busy season through Old Harbor Bike Shop. I was lucky to get a reservation for their last Jeep through Boat Basin Rentals 401-466-5811. I highly recommend this company. They picked us up right at the ferry dock, and drove us to their place which us just 10 minutes from the dock. When we were done for the day, we were dropped off back in town wherever we wanted to go.
Moped Safety
One thing I need to share with you that is a very sensitive subject with residents of Block Island, is the danger of mopeds. Unsafe and aggressive driving is not tolerated, and you run the risk of getting fined or losing your driver’s license.
For more information visit blockislandmopeds.org. Be smart and mature about it. If you don’t feel comfortable driving the moped, then don’t. Find a different method of touring the island, whether it be on bike, via taxi, or car rental.
Hiking Block Island
I wouldn’t have thought of Block Island as a place to go hiking; but there are a lot of trails, parks and nature preserves on Block Island. There is the Nature Conservancy, Ocean View Pavilion, Rodman’s Hollow, Hodge Family Wildlife Preserve, Clay Head Nature Trail, Solviken Preserve, Sachem Pond, and Nathan Mott Park.
My mom and I have been to Ocean View Pavilion and Clay Head Nature Trail. And we took the kids to these places on our last visit also. My daughter especially loved the waves at the end of the Clay Head Nature Trail at Roiles Harbor.
I like the Clay Head Nature trail because of the beach location at the end, and also because much of the trail is shaded. So it’s great when hiking on a warm day. You can also download a copy of the Block Island hiking trail map which shows over 28 miles of walking trails open to the public. This is definitely something I will bring with me the next time I visit the island.
The Nature Conservancy
Block Island was named one of 12 “Last Great Places” in the western hemisphere in 1991. The island has rare plants and animals in it’s 2,000 acres of wildlife habitat that disappeared from the rest of Southern New England decades ago.
The Nature Conservancy site is a great resource to learn about nature walks and programs and events around the island for any age level. Some events they have are virtual and self guided walks, bird watching walks, night sky viewing, and nature walks to explore unique micro-habitats.
The Nature Conservancy and Block Island Conservancy also has kiosks located at Rodmans’ Hollow, Clay Head, Nathan Mott Park, Mohegan Bluffs and Ocean View Pavilion which lists updated scavenger hunts, nature sightings and local eco-updates.
I real had no idea there was as much conserved land around the island, and how many different activities you can do related to nature and conservation. The more I am researching about these activities, the more I want to stay an entire week on the island to explore and learn!
Orb Hunting on Block Island
I saved this for last because I didn’t want to let the secret out too soon. There’s kind of a secret club of people that lives for “orb hunting” or “glass float hunting” when they come to visit Block Island. There’s also a Facebook group dedicated to the search for the glass floats. So what’s this all about?
There’s a very talented glass blower who owns a shop in Wakefield, RI called The Glass Station. His name is Eben Horton and he has been blowing glass floats and hiding them all around the island. Why you ask? Why not? It’s a great way to encourage people to see more of the island. It gives you the opportunity to explore the nature preserves, the beaches, and hiking trails.
Photo by Block Island Tourism
He also hides them around town in public places only. So if you don’t find one on the trails, you may find one in a flower bed right in front of one of the shops or restaurants! I haven’t been so lucky. My mom and I started orb hunting in September of 2020. I have friends who have been hunting for years with no luck. We don’t give up though! It just gives us another reason to plan our return trip back to Block Island. Read more about The Glass Float Project.
Do You Want To Visit Block Island?
Writing this post makes me want to check my calendar for a day right after Labor Day to hop on the ferry and go orb hunting! My girlfriend Karen wants to go with me next and wants to rent mopeds! I will be watching the weather once the kids are back in school and we are going to run off and play on a great sunny day!
Are you interested in going to Block Island? What’s your favorite part of the island? Did you know of The Glass Float Project? I hope you take some time to head over to this little hidden treasure right off the Rhode Island and Connecticut coastline.