Welcome to the Block Island Guide
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Like the 150 species of migratory birds that wing to Block Island every year, travelers have distinctive reasons for stepping ashore. All, however, are struck by the island’s natural beauty—its green and blue vistas, long stone walls, unique beaches, and clean waters. New Shoreham (the name of the island’s township) is also enjoyed for its indoor attractions—the restaurants, shops, inns, pubs and nightclubs.
Sitting 12 miles offshore, Block Island is an easy daytrip for boaters from mainland Rhode Island, Connecticut, Massachusetts and New York, and therefore attracts tens of thousands of vessels each year. Block Island is blessed to have a large waterbody at its center, the Great Salt Pond or New Harbor. On busy summer days the pond holds 2,000 boats or more.
Block Island travelers enjoy not just the scenery, but also the island’s special demeanor. This is a place where families get together, and where overworked professionals relax. Shorts and t-shirts are acceptable attire in our finest restaurants; our phone numbers are exchanged with just four digits; and our homes do not have street addresses.
“The Bermuda of the North” is an old but accurate analogy. Here, anyone can find deserted sandy beaches and ocean waters that turn a Caribbean green in summer light. Similarities to Bermuda aside, Block Island is New England through and through, as witnessed by the town’s architecture, salty residents, and vigorous politics.A tour of the sites detailed in this book, in conjunction with the specific narratives, will offer a fine review of Block Island history.