Remembering Summer: Block Island, RI

"Sail Away in the Block Island Ferry, 

Take a trip to carefree times, 

Leave today, Block Island awaits you

Just leave your troubles behind"

Try to read that without singing the jingle if you are a true Rhode Islander....lol Next stop down summer memory lane is Block Island, RI.  

I had first gone to Block Island when I was very young but I remember being very impressed by it and always wanting to go back.  Finally this year I made that come true.  My husband had never been so I figured I would organize a nice day-cation for us so we could explore the island.  We drove up to Point Judith and chose to ride the High Speed Ferry to Block island versus the Traditional Ferry.  Although you pay more for the High Speed Ferry, it was worth it because we didn't want to risk getting sea sick. We also wanted to take advantage of our day on the island, not be stuck on a boat.  The trip takes 30 mins vs 60 mins.  If you are in no rush and care to save, then taking the Traditional Ferry may be your best option.  

Once you arrive on the island, you have many means of transportation available to you.  You can choose a taxi, bicycle, mopeds, or just go on foot if you'd like.  We started our day off at a local breakfast shop, Persephone's Kitchen.  This shop was highly recommended so naturally I wanted to give it a try.  All fresh ingredients and healthy for you.  Donuts can be healthy for you, right? 

After a very satisfying breakfast, we walked over to the Island Moped Bike.  For the most part, all the rental shops give you all the same prices so it really depends on where you want to rent from, just make sure to check out their websites or travel brochures for discounted coupons or deals.  We rented a tandem bike.  Now for those that don't know me, you need to know that I don't ride a traditional two wheel bike.  It wasn't until this year that I started riding a tricycle.  So the idea that I had to ride a two wheel bike and try to keep my balance was not very appealing to me.  I think I was yelling for the first 10 minutes of the ride, I refused to look up.  My eyes were focused on my pedaling.  My poor husband was such a trooper and he made sure I was safe.  I now have to say that it wasn't that bad at all but boy I'm I out of shape.  

Next, I had the brilliant idea of visiting the North Lighthouse.  That's another fun fact about me, I love lighthouses.  I am fascinated with their structure, history and purpose.  I love photographing them. Now let me just tell you, if you are out of shape, like I am, the ride on bike to the North Lighthouse will kill you so we had to make several stops so I could catch my breath.  I felt so bad for my hubby when we had to peddle uphill and he wasn't only carrying his weight but mine as well.  Definitely a good leg workout.  The scenery to the lighthouse was totally worth the ride.  All the homes and their landscaping were so dreamy.  We finally made it to parking lot of the lighthouse.  What I didn't know was that you had to walk about half a mile to the lighthouse. Now that may not seem a lot to you, but that day the weather was in the nineties, we didn't have anything to drink and most of the walk was on sand.  The kind that you sink into with every step so you have to work twice as hard to continue walking, but we made it.  The view was beautiful.  So worth the walk, in my opinion, others may feel differently.  The lighthouse is also a museum that you can tour but you guessed it, it was closed when we arrived.  So make sure you check the operating times if visiting the museum is something you want to do.  

We headed back into town for the afternoon where we enjoyed lunch at Ballards.  Amazing! You need to go.  One of the best lobster rolls and crab cakes I've ever had. You can actually spend the entire day at Ballards if you'd like because they have their own beach and hotel.  Sit back and relax or have a drink at their tiki bar.  This place gets packed so if you want to avoid the crowds, go earlier, if you don't care, then enjoy the atmosphere. This made it on our "favorite" list and we hope to stay here one summer. 

We had to end our day on a sweet note.  Nothing like some good old ice cream from the Ice Cream Place.  Hands down, best ice cream in my life! You will need to visit and decide for yourself if it's that good.  

Here are my recommendations if you plan on visiting Block Island:

• If you get sea sick, make sure you take care of your motion sickness prior to boarding.  I took Dramamine and I was absolutely fine
• Dress in light layers, depending the weather.  I was able to take off layers when I got hot but was able to put my sweater back on when I got chilly
• If you are going to walk, bring comfortable shoes
• Take water with you if you plan on being further away from town
• Keep track of the time so you don't miss your ferry, time flies when you are having fun 

.....and Stop to enjoy the view

I plan on returning next year because I still have so much more that I need to explore. Definitely worth staying overnight as well and making this into a family vacation spot.  Hope you enjoy the views below. 

Next stop, if you know me well, I'm pretty sure you can guess where my summer memory lane will take us..... Up!Up!and Up we go! 

Happy Summer!

Love, Organized Chica xox