Block Island List

An island that somehow still feels like a secret, with favorites from friends who’ve been coming here forever

It’s that time of summer when some of us are looking for some last minute ideas, or are planning ahead for fall—or, depending on what kind of person you are, for next summer! Block Island, a 7-mile stretch just south of mainland Rhode Island, is off the beaten path enough that you can probably find someplace to stay. I first visited it back in the summer of 2020 when we, like everyone else, were jonesing to have some kind of a vacation after so much confinement, and the idea of an island—any island—was the most exotic we were going to get. I’d been wanting to get there ever since Matt shot the brilliant designer Jens Risom and his A-frame family home there many years ago for a House & Garden cover story. But all the other more far-flung islands, namely Greece, had their pull on me, so I never made it until we literally couldn’t get to Europe.

From the minute we parked the car in the lot and got on the ferry, I couldn’t stop drawing comparisons to Greece–that feeling of the wind and salt air whipping across your face is so healing. How crowded the island gets during the day from all the day trippers, and the sense of belonging you feel when only locals and the most committed visitors remain at night. And the beauty–sure, it doesn’t look anything like the Mediterranean, it’s more Scotland meets Northern California, with bucolic rolling hills to the sea, several 19th-century grand hotels, and a mixed bag of varied architectural styles tucked into the breathtaking landscape.

I was so grateful to be pushed outside of my Euro comfort zone and into this place that required no flight for us—just a couple hours’ drive and 55-minute boat ride—but felt a world away. I’ve listed some of my favorites from our trip below, but I’m more excited about the great intel we received from our local friends who live there.