You can hardly call Block Island "undiscovered" -- thousands of tourists disembark there every year to explore the tiny island off the Rhode Island coast between Montauk and Martha's Vineyard. And yet, first-time visitors to the island are constantly amazed at how undeveloped the island has remained -- especially compared to the Vineyard, Long Island or even Nantucket. It has been left largely in its pristine state, thanks to the efforts of some forward-thinking conservationists who sought to maintain the island's unique brand of beauty several decades ago. They began blocking off vast tracts of meadow, beach and farmland, with the result that now nearly half of the island is preserved land.
And what a land it is! Block Island is unique on the East Coast for its towering bluffs, cast up by the glaciers thousands of years ago and now slowly eroding in a long dance with wind and weather. The shoals surrounding the island denied settlers a safe harbor for hundreds of years, causing the island to remain an isolated farming community until the late 1800s. That's when it experienced its first boom of tourism; suddenly discovered by Victorian tourists of means, it was dubbed "Bermuda of the North" and saw the rise of dozens of grand hotels laden with turrets and mansard roofs. Even after the boom died down, however, the hotels remained, frozen in time for decades even as similar hotels burned or were demolished elsewhere in New England.
Nowadays, the island is a supremely picturesque landscape of clay bluffs and stone walls, quaint cottages and grand Victorian architecture packed within an island a mere 10 square miles in area. The majority of hotels, restaurants and shops are clustered around the twin population centers of Old Harbor and New Harbor -- outside of them, there are only miles of scenic roads bordered by stone walls and wide-open views. For families, the island offers a laid-back respite from the go-karts and mini-golf of other beachside vacation destinations. Within 48 hours, visitors settle into the rhythm of the sun and the waves, meandering bike rides or kayak paddles in Great Salt Pond. Despite the crush of tourists at the ferry terminal or the occasional rowdiness of the yachting crowd at the island's few local nightclubs, the overriding atmosphere on the island is low-key and unhurried, with all ages and incomes welcomed without prejudice or pretention. If that sounds like the ticket to you, this may be the ideal place to slow down the pace of life for a week and reconnect with the family.
Block Island Family Vacations
Block Island Family Vacations
Families will love:
- Undeveloped, picturesque landscape of towering, clay bluffs
- Laid-back and unpretentious island vibe
- Respite from the go-karts and mini-golf of typical beach destinations
Written by Michael Blanding
Read more about Block Island Attractions
Best Block Island Family Hotels
© Copyright 2012. The Independent Traveler, Inc.
All rights reserved. This file may be downloaded for personal
use only. Other copying or reproduction is expressly prohibited.
All rights reserved. This file may be downloaded for personal
use only. Other copying or reproduction is expressly prohibited.
- Independent Traveler independenttraveler.com
- Cruise Critic cruisecritic.com
-
FREE Family Travel Newsletter -
Family Travel Tips (10 New)
– Family Planning and Tips
- Sure, free drinks and complimentary Wi-Fi rank high on the lists of most desirable hotel perks among travelers in general, but when it comes to visiting with kids in tow, which hotel amenities are most revered by families? From onsite airline check-in to in-room babysitting and kid concierges, con...
Favorite family biking locales in North America combine stunning scenery with a relatively easy grid of bike trails and uncongested backcountry roads. All of these locales offer exhilarating rides, guaranteed to inspire all ages to travel on two wheels. Many of the cities on the list, like San Anton...
1. Celebrate a Historic Anniversary. Boston's historic Fenway Park celebrates its 100th anniversary this year -- the perfect time to take in a ballgame while enjoying the history of America throughout the city. Give your school-aged children an up-close and personal history lesson by visiting some ...
The unofficial start to summer is nearly here, and this May 25 to 28 weekend is filled with enticing deals for families. Get out there and start your summer!
Broadmoor Resort, Colorado Springs, Colo.
Escape to the Colorado mountains for a two-night Memorial Day Family Escape at the Broadmoor. ...
There are few rites of passage as exciting as taking a child on his or her first camping trip. Families bond while roasting hot dogs and marshmallows, making shadow animals on the tent wall, chasing after fireflies and inhaling fragrant whiffs of pine. Whether you are an experienced camper from pre-...
1. The National Mall
There's no question that the National Mall, the two-mile strip of wide-open green stretching between the Lincoln Memorial and the U.S. Capitol and surrounded by Smithsonian museums and national monuments, is a must-see destination for kids. "The Mall," chock full of our nation'...
1. gogo Kidz Travelmate
If you're traveling with a child weighing less than 50 pounds, you won't want to leave home without this ingenious contraption that in seconds lets parents convert most car seats into a stroller. With the gogo Kidz Travelmate, there's no more lugging both a heavy car seat ...
On a recent ski vacation, my family of five traveled with five cellphones, three laptops, three iPads, two iPods and just for good measure, a GPS! Given the prevalence of electronic devices in our daily lives and our somewhat compulsive reliance upon them, taking a true vacation feels almost imposs...
The 1969 film, "If It's Tuesday, This Must be Belgium," depicted a funny, but sometimes all too true, look at a tour group of Americans traveling through Europe so quickly they barely knew where they were and what they were seeing.
Today, tour groups are quickly becoming an attractive option for ...
When you think of an all-inclusive vacation, your mind goes straight to the Caribbean, doesn't it? But you don't need to leave the country to get an all-in-one vacation -- resorts in the U.S. also provide all-inclusive getaways with accommodations, meals, and activities all packaged in one easy pric...