Block Island

Do you ever get the feeling that you would like to be far away, but you really don’t have the time or the money to be far away?

A one hour boat trip to Block Island can bring you into a different world.

We live in a world where everything is connected. Block Island doesn’t feel so connected. Maybe it has to do with the 14 miles of ocean that separate it from the rest of North America.

Less popular than the Vineyard or Nantucket, Block’s greatest asset is that it is less popular than the Vineyard or Nantucket. It doesn’t have that trendy pretentiousness that those islands can sometimes overwhelm one with.

If Nantucket were Scotch, and the Vineyard were wine, Block would be draft beer, lowbrow draft--not the fancy artsy-fartsy stuff. It’s a blue collar island.

The island is roughly 4 miles by 6 miles. In 2010, the population was 1,051; it was estimated to be 1,400 to 1,500 in 1662. It hasn’t grown in 350 years …that’s refreshing. This gem of an island has 52 lakes and 17 miles of beaches. The bluffs on the south side of the island offer ocean panoramas that rival any.

The Nature Conservancy, a leading worldwide conservation organization working to protect ecologically important areas, named Block Island as one of the planet’s “Last Great Places.” Think about it, we have one of the world’s last great places in our back yard.

get all of the story in the August issue of South Coast Insider