It was a blustery day. The wind swept against my face as the ferry pulled out of Narragansett and made its way out into the Atlantic. I could smell the salt air, and feel the rock of the waves beneath the ship. The gulls called from all around as they searched for fish or scraps of food. As we pulled out of port and into the wind and the waves, I was so glad I was on my way to my favorite place. A place with a small town feel, but even though there are many tourists, everyone still makes you feel like you’re at home. A place where everywhere I look screams “re-decorate your apartment like this”! And a place where I feel at peace and free.
Normally when we think of Going to Block Island, we picture summertime! Live music, having food and drinks at Ballards, running and biking the shoreline and of course hanging out at the beach. After my Summer trip to the Island to photograph Katie + Seth’s wedding I literally fell in love with the quaint coastal vibe, adorable shops, and art and was so inspired I went home right away and booked another trip. Well as most of us are aware, hotels on the Island are expensive during the Summer, and I wanted to stay at this ADORABLE B&B with ocean views called The Darius, right across from my favorite Persephone’s Kitchen (unfortunately closed for the season this time). My room was number 21 (my lucky number!) and had a great view of the ocean across the street and of the sun setting over town.
The ferry ride in was smooth sailing! I usually take the fast ferry, but it wasn’t available so I had an hour at sea with the breeze and wonderful views.
Of course it was National Ballet Day the second day I was there, so I spent a lot of time taking some fun ballet pictures around town! My first day my room wasn’t quite ready, so I stored my bags and headed down the street for some lunch and some local brews at Old Island Pub where I had an amazing turkey sandwich and some trusty Shipyard. I then headed back to The Darius and got settled into my room, changed, and headed out to get a bike since I needed to get my exercise on the island! I saw a small trail to the ocean after getting my bike and decided to have a look.
After that I had to go explore some more! And with sunset approching, somewhere pretty by the sea was at the top of my list, so I headed to the South Lighthouse.
It was starting to get windy and super chilly as the sun was setting, so after photographing the lighthouse at sunset, I headed back to The Darius where I walked in on the end of complimentary cocktail hour (really, does it get any better than that??!)
For dinner I ended up at the Poor People’s Pub because it was off season and not many places were still open. A burger and fries was just what I needed after a long day of adventuring!
My plan was to get up early and photograph sunrise, but with the insane winds and the lack of clouds in the sky I stayed in bed until breakfast. The breakfast served was delicious, with juice and coffee, egg muffins, muffins, keish, yogurt and eggs. All were easy to grab and go but I choose to sit in the kitchen in the sunshine for a bit.
It was even windier the next day, but I still wanted to get out and explore. I started by walking around town a bit and doing some shopping hoping that the wind would die down. When I realized that wasn’t going to happen, I grabbed a quick lunch of a sandwich at the Three Sisters, and started biking up to the North Lighthouse. First I took a walk on the beach across from the Inn and found some adorable Piping Plovers and some starfish sunning themselves on the rocks!
The bike ride up to the North Lighthouse was quite the workout, which after taking a break from cardio after running the Newport Marathon, felt great! Viewing the homes along the way, got me thinking about wanting to one day be able to buy my own Block Island beach house…even if it was just the smallest little shack! Seeing as my house is already decorated in teals with a beachy theme, I think I would fit right in!
I parked my bike and started the mile or so walk to the lighthouse. There weren’t many people around and the side of the lighthouse as I was approaching was breezy, but the dunes were blocking the worst of the wind. As I got closer it got much more windy, but I was kind of starting to get used to it and was warm from the bike ride and walking anyway! The lighthouse was boarded up and closed for the season, but still great to see. All I could think about was how cute would an engagement session here be?! Also because it was National Ballet day, I had to grab some ballet inspired selfies!
The sea had seemed pretty calm until I ventured to the northern side of the lighthouse. There the wind howled and waves crashed like there was a hurricane (with no rain and lots of sunshine of course)! The spray from the thrashing waves had my constantly wiping my camera lens. It was almost a little scary, so thank goodness I had my zoom lens because I was almost afraid a giant wave was going to come out of nowhere and swallow me whole!
While I love the turquoise seas around the island, the wind was definitley a little much for me and I was ready to head back and make a stop at the Labyrinth on the way.
The Labyrinth is good for the soul! Following the winding path in quiet and solitude, finding positive messages, reading the log book, and finding a place for the stone was like doing walking yoga. Actually, doing yoga here on a warmer day would be lovely!
I wanted to catch the sunset at an abandoned pier I passed the day before over near The Spring House, which has a rich history I learned about. I am an avid reader and one of my favorite genres is historical fiction or even stories surrounding history (I’m currently binging The Gilded Age on HBO as I’m writing this)! But first, it was back to The Darius for a snack and cocktail hour!
From cocktail hour to breakfast, The Darius will not leave you disappointed!
Once I had something to hold me over I headed back out on my trusty bike toward the pier.
The pier is located behind what used to be The Spring House pump house, which was damaged badly by a storm in 2011. In the late 1800’s, the pump house was the water system for the Spring House Hotel, the oldest hotel on the island still open to the public. Now the only thing left of the pup house is a plaque after plans to preserve and restore it were abandoned.
After finishing another windy excursion, I went back to my room, changed, took a hot shower and headed out for dinner. I thought of trying a new place but it was full, so I went back to the Poor People’s Pub because I liked the causal bar vibe (and thank you to whoever bought me a glass of wine from across the bar!) and the food is delicious. Full and relaxed I walked back to the Darius to go to bed early and get up for sunrise.
The wind whipped all night, and the skies were clear so I slept in because the sunrise didn’t look like it would be spectacular and I don’t like to get up at dawn unless there is going to be a beautiful pink sky. My ferry was at 12, so I had my last breakfast at the Inn and said goodbye for now. I grabbed a coffee at the Oddfellows Cafe before boarding the ferry for a ride back to the mainland.
It’s always sad to say goodbye to a vacation, especially at one of the most relaxing places around. But I know I will be back before long! So long for now, Block Island! I can’t wait to come back for more wine, weddings and adventures!
