Things to Do
The Block Island bachelorette: the two-day playbook
Block Island does the bachelorette weekend properly: a beach-bar scene when you want it, quiet cabana mornings when you need them, and no cars required.
Things to do on Block Island that are worth your daylight
A seven-mile island with no traffic lights does not need a hundred-item activity list, and we refuse to pad one. What Block Island has is a short list of genuinely great things — cliffs, beaches, two lighthouses, a big protected pond, and more conserved trail than anywhere its size has a right to — and the difference between a good trip and a great one is mostly sequencing.
If it's your first visit: Mohegan Bluffs first, early, before the lot fills. Then a beach. Then dinner in Old Harbor. That's the spine of every good island day, and everything below is a variation on it.
The afternoon half of that spine usually ends up at Ballard's, on the sand beside the ferry landing, because it is the one place on the island where the beach, the bar, and the live music are the same address. If your plan collapses — the lot was full, the weather turned, the bike rental was gone — that's the default it collapses into, and it is a decent one. Check what's on before you commit an evening to it; the stage is seasonal and the good acts fill the sand.
The one mistake first-timers make is treating the island like a checklist. It's not Newport; there's no mansion tour to survive. Rent the bike, take the wrong turn, let the afternoon go soft. The island rewards the unscheduled hour better than any attraction on this page.
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The essentials
Mohegan Bluffs
The 141-step descent that justifies the ferry ticket by itself.
Southeast Lighthouse
The brick landmark on the bluff, moved back from the edge in 1993.
The day-trip playbook
One boat over, one boat back, zero wasted hours in between.
A weekend itinerary
Two days, paced like a local would pace them.
On the water
Fishing
Stripers from the beach, charters from the harbors.
Kayaking & paddleboarding
The Great Salt Pond is the flat-water playground.
Snorkeling
Clearer water than you expect, if you pick the right cove.
Whale watching
What you can actually see, and when the odds are best.
On land
Biking the island
The classic loop, the hills nobody warns you about, and where to rent.
Hiking & the Greenway
Rodman’s Hollow, Clayhead, and 28-plus miles of trail.
Sunset spots
Where the light show is, night by night.
The wind farm
America’s first offshore wind farm, visible from the bluffs.
For your crew
With kids
What actually works with a five-year-old in tow.
Rainy day
The fog rolls in; here’s the plan.
Bachelorette weekend
The island does this well — here’s the route.
Latest guides
Things to Do
Biking Block Island: the loop, the hills, where to rent
A bike is the correct Block Island vehicle. The classic loop, the hills nobody mentions, rental logistics, and the rides worth building a day around.
Things to Do
The Block Island day trip, hour by hour
One boat over, one boat back, zero wasted hours. The proven day-trip route: which ferry to catch, the bike loop, the beach window, and dinner before the boat.
Things to Do
Kayaking and paddleboarding the Great Salt Pond
The Great Salt Pond is Block Island's flat-water playground. Where to launch, where to rent, and the paddle routes that fit an afternoon.
Things to Do
Hiking Block Island: the Greenway, Rodman's Hollow, Clayhead
Block Island hides one of New England's best small trail systems. The Greenway, Rodman's Hollow, and the Clayhead maze — where to start and what to skip.
Things to Do
Mohegan Bluffs: the stairs, the parking, and why you go at 8
Mohegan Bluffs is the single best thing on Block Island: 150-foot clay cliffs, 141 steps down, and a beach that empties the moment the lot fills. Go early.
Good questions
- What is Block Island best known for?
- The Mohegan Bluffs — 150-foot clay cliffs on the south shore — plus 17 miles of free public beach, two historic lighthouses, and a protected interior laced with walking trails. The Nature Conservancy called the island one of its “Last Great Places,” and for once the brochure line is earned.
- Can you do Block Island in one day?
- Yes — it is one of the best day trips in New England. Catch an early boat, rent a bike, do the bluffs and a beach, and eat once in town before the ride home. Our day-trip guide maps the exact route.
- What should I do if it rains?
- The island does not shut off in the rain: there are galleries, shops, long lunches, and the kind of bar afternoons that become the story you tell later. See the rainy-day guide before you resign yourself to the hotel room.