Block Island, RI

A beloved, intimate bistro on Chapel Street in Old Harbor that has been turning out creative seasonal fare since 1994. Pan-seared halibut, the Eli's burger, and vegetable sofrito are perennial favorites. It fills fast and earns its reputation as the most reliably good dinner on the island.

The island's most refined dining room, set in a hillside Victorian inn with sweeping sunset views across the island. Small and large plates lean toward local fish, game, and vegetables; the wine list holds a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence. A step up in polish from most island options.

A New Harbor institution with an open-air deck right on the Great Salt Pond, known for fresh swordfish, lobster, an extensive raw bar, and homemade soups. The view of the boat traffic makes it as good for lingering over drinks as for a full seafood dinner. One of the island's most consistently praised waterfront spots.

A casual waterside restaurant on Jobs Hill Road with a wide patio of picnic tables and Adirondack chairs facing the water. Baked Atlantic cod, lobster rolls, and shrimp-and-pea pasta are the draws; the price is right and the vibe is reliably relaxed. A family-friendly favorite for post-beach dinners.

A surf-shack-style Old Harbor pub founded by two unemployed contractors in 1974, still serving burgers, BBQ, pizza, and local seafood at unpretentious prices. The pulled pork mac and cheese and crispy fish sticks are house signatures. Live music on weekends makes it the island's most reliably lively evening hangout.

A sprawling, festive oceanfront institution with its own sandy beach, marina, and outdoor bar — the closest Block Island gets to a beach-club atmosphere. The food centers on New England seafood standards; the experience is as much about the setting as the plate. Best for a long, sociable afternoon lunch.

The island's go-to breakfast and brunch spot, with a covered harbor-view deck that frames the ferry traffic. Classic American diner food — eggs, pancakes, and hearty morning plates — at reasonable prices. Families pile in here before hitting the beaches.

A dockside bar at Payne's Dock in New Harbor with bright, hip decor and a serious cocktail game — painkillers, mudslides, and bloody marys are the stars. Food is secondary to the drinks and the vibe, but the snacks and light bites satisfy. The best sundowner perch on the water.

A family-run Old Harbor institution on Weldon's Way since 1970, beloved for handmade ice cream and gelato, morning pastries, and fresh-baked breads. Aldo's is best known for the 'Andiamo' bakery boat that motors through the Great Salt Pond each morning, calling out to moored boats and delivering hot coffee, muffins, and warm breakfast to the deck. Fifty-plus years on, it remains the island's essential sweet stop.

A low-key Corn Neck Road bar and restaurant overlooking Crescent Beach, with a loyal local following and a deck facing the water. Known for straightforward burgers, sandwiches, chowder, and fresh local seafood done honestly, it is where islanders eat when they are not performing for tourists. A genuine neighborhood spot with a weekday raw-bar happy hour.

A 3.6-mile coastal trail along the island's northeast bluffs through a 150-acre Nature Conservancy preserve, with open Atlantic views, clay sea-cliffs, and the labyrinthine unmarked side trails locals call the Maze. The combination of ocean panorama, freshwater swamp, and rolling meadow makes it the island's single best hike.

A 3.65-mile loop through a glacial outwash plain — the first piece of land conserved on Block Island in 1972 and still the ecological heart of the island. Shad trees bloom in spring, the federally threatened American Burying Beetle lives here, and the trail opens to ocean views at the southwest end. Moderate with some steep slopes.

A clifftop walking path skirting the south-shore bluffs between the Southeast Lighthouse and the Mohegan Bluffs overlook, combining two of the island's most iconic viewpoints in a single 2-mile stretch. The trail traces the cliff edge with the Atlantic 200 feet below and offers the best wind-farm views on the island.

A 5.6-mile interior traverse crossing the island's spine through open scrubland, stone walls, and the highest point on the island, Beacon Hill. The route connects Black Rock Beach to Rodman's Hollow and samples more than 30 miles of greenway trails. The most varied single outing on the island in terms of terrain and habitat.

A 1.5-mile out-and-back along Sandy Point beach through the National Wildlife Refuge to the granite North Lighthouse, the most remote and atmospheric walk on the island. The dune scrub on one side and open ocean on the other create a genuine sense of wilderness unusual for such a small island.

A short, shaded woodland loop in the center of the island through dense scrub oak and cherry — unusual on an island dominated by open heath and bluffs. The trail is unmarked and intimate, popular with birders during migration for the songbird concentration it creates. A good counterpoint to the exposed coastal routes.

The island's most established kayak operation, based at New Harbor behind Smuggler's, offering rentals, guided tours, and basic instruction for paddling the Great Salt Pond. The sheltered pond is ideal for beginners; guided tours extend to birding and snorkeling excursions. The gentlest way to see the New Harbor ecosystem up close.

The classic way to see the island, with multiple rental shops clustered near the Old Harbor ferry dock renting beach cruisers, mountain bikes, and mopeds by the hour or day. The flat northern loop on Corn Neck Road is perfect for families; the south-shore hills reward those on geared bikes. Most of the island's sights are reachable within a 20-minute ride.

A beloved annual art-meets-treasure-hunt tradition in which over 500 hand-blown glass spheres are hidden around the island each June through early October. Finders keep their float permanently. It has become a ritual for returning visitors, with clues posted online and floats hidden everywhere from trail heads to tidal pools.

The hour-long ferry crossing from Point Judith on the Block Island Ferry is itself part of the island experience, with open ocean views, occasional dolphin sightings, and the dramatic approach to Old Harbor with its Victorian hotels. High-speed service from Point Judith and seasonal service from Newport and New London also run.

A small petting farm near the center of the island with exotic and domestic animals including camels, llamas, fainting goats, and emus — one of the island's few family-specific attractions. Unexpected on a remote Atlantic island and reliably fun for younger children who have been hiking all day.

A National Historic Landmark brick lighthouse perched atop Mohegan Bluffs, guiding mariners since 1875 and relocated back from the eroding cliff edge in 1993 in a celebrated feat of engineering. The red-brick Gothic Revival tower and keeper's house are among the most photographed structures in New England. The site also offers the best mainland view of the offshore Block Island Wind Farm.

Two-hundred-foot clay and glacial-till sea cliffs stretching along the island's south shore — among the most dramatic coastal scenery in Rhode Island. A wooden staircase of 141 steps descends to a remote, rock-strewn beach where you are likely to have long stretches to yourself. The clifftop path offers unbroken Atlantic views and excellent birding.

A 127-acre refuge at the island's northern tip protecting migratory shorebirds and songbirds along one of the Atlantic Flyway's key corridors. Sandy Beach and the dunes around Sandy Point form the heart of it, with Settlers' Rock — a granite boulder marking the 1661 landing of the island's first English settlers — at the very tip.

A granite lighthouse at the island's northern tip, accessible by a 20-minute walk along Sandy Beach through the wildlife refuge. The fourth lighthouse built on this treacherous point since 1829, now housing a small maritime museum. The walk through the dunes to reach it is itself one of the island's most scenic stretches.

A two-mile arc of calm Atlantic sand on the island's east side, the most swimmable and family-friendly stretch on Block Island. The gentle surf and firm sand make it the default beach day destination, with a snack shack and lifeguards in season. Stretches from Old Harbor north to Settler's Rock Road.

The island's Victorian commercial heart clustered around the ferry dock, with late-1800s wooden hotels, shingled storefronts, and the busy waterfront intact. Architecturally the most cohesive Victorian streetscape in Rhode Island, it survived the 20th century largely unchanged. Worth a slow walk even for non-architecture people.