RHODE ISLAND - Block Island

This outdoor facility, operated by the owners of 1661 Inn and Hotel Manisses, is a menagerie of exotic animals -- llamas, emus, sheep, goats, and ducks – that live next to the inn. Cost: Free. Open: Daily, dawn-dark.

For children, a big part of the fun of Block Island is traveling to the island and getting from place to place on this bucolic piece of New England. The Block Island Ferry departs from Point Judith – nosing its way out of a cluster of commercial fishing boats -- and the 30-minute ride is fun all by itself. The ferry can accommodate cars and bikes. Also, high-speed ferries travel to Block Island from New London, Connecticut, and Galilee, Rhode Island. On the island, bicycles and mopeds (permitting a driver and a passenger) are available for rent. The island, with its lovely town and spectacular beaches, is a joy simply to explore; no further entertainment is necessary.

Formed by glaciers nearly 10,000 years ago, Block Island features a diverse array of habitats. Maritime shrubland, beaches and open morainal grasslands support more than 40 state and federal rare or endangered species, including the globally endangered American burying beetle. Birds stop here while migrating in the spring and fall along the Atlantic Flyway. There are approximately 25 miles of walking trails on Block Island open to the public, free of charge. Places of interest on Block Island include Clay Head Preserve off Corn Neck Road, the Fresh Swamp Preserve, off Lakeside Drive, Hodge Family Wildlife Preserve, off Corn Neck Road, Nathan Mott Park off Center Road and Turnip Farm off Old Mill Road, and Rodman's Hollow, Black Rock Road off of Cooneymus Road.

The lighthouse, built in 1875, can be reached by walking about 30 minutes from the ferry terminal or by taxi. There is a small museum and gift shop in the lighthouse, and the tower is open for tours in the summer. Other buildings still standing are the attached keeper's house, two cisterns, garage, storage building, and boathouse.