Block Party Where to Go to Eat & Drink Family-Style

Many Block Island bars and restaurants cater to the sandy, after-beach crowd and there are a few that are particularly good for partying parents with kids in tow. My criteria for a good family bar are as follows: serves kid friendly food, serves kids drinks in plastic cups with lids and straws, has a juke box and plenty of games to divert kids while parents talk and drink, has a bartender that will give kids quarters in exchange for dollar bills without complaining, has room for kids to run around and doesn’t mind if they do so. The places listed below meet all or most of these requirements.

The Atlantic Inn

The Atlantic Inn is a classy place and I do not recommend bringing children inside. But they have nice chairs on the lawn out front and waitresses will come and serve you drinks. They also offer a very good tapas menu. It is a great spot for happy hour and everyone will be happy. There is a tiny replica of the old Victorian inn that serves as a playhouse. And best of all the adjacent hotel, The Hotel Manisses has an exotic animal farm that borders The Atlantic’s property. Kids can keep busy petting camels, emus and llamas while the adults sip their cocktails. What could be better? The only hitch…it’s expensive, but very worth it! Telephone: (800) 224-7422

Getting There: From the ferry parking lot in Old Harbor turn left on Water St. At the statue of Rebecca enter the circle and turn right on Spring St. The Atlantic is up the hill on the left. Look for the sign as it is set back from the road.

Bethany’s Airport Diner

Bethany’s is the diner in the Block Island airport terminal. It is very tiny, funky, cute and crowded. It is not hard to be crowded when you only have a dozen or so seats. The place is famous for its lobster eggs benedict, lobster omelets and crab omelets. Bethany’s also has great pancakes. Everything is homemade. Although the seats are almost always full at breakfast time there are picnic tables with umbrellas out front and this is the best option for people with kids. They can watch the tiny planes land and take off and there is a toy plane they can sit in. Telephone: (401) 466-3100

Getting There: From the ferry parking lot in Old Harbor take a right on Water St. Take a left on Dodge St. Continue straight, crossing Corn Neck Rd. onto Ocean Ave. Take your next left onto Connecticut Avenue then turn right on Old Town Rd. Take a left on Center Rd. and go up a big hill. You will see the airport on your left. Pull in there and park. Bethany’s is inside the terminal building. The entrance is around back.

Block Party Where to Go to Eat & Drink Family-Style

Many Block Island bars and restaurants cater to the sandy, after-beach crowd and there are a few that are particularly good for partying parents with kids in tow. My criteria for a good family bar are as follows: serves kid friendly food, serves kids drinks in plastic cups with lids and straws, has a juke box and plenty of games to divert kids while parents talk and drink, has a bartender that will give kids quarters in exchange for dollar bills without complaining, has room for kids to run around and doesn’t mind if they do so. The places listed below meet all or most of these requirements.

The Oar

The Oar is another marina on the Great Salt Pond. It is named for the ceiling of it’s bar which is thickly hung with oars from every dingy that ever made it’s way to the shore, all heavily decorated and inscribed with special messages. It is an interesting sight to take a peek at but families will far better if they sit at the picnic tables out on the grass and order take out which is commonly done for food and bar items. The place can become extremely crowded and as a result service can get bogged down so it is best not to confine yourself to a table in the restaurant. While waiting for food kids can wander the docks and the adjacent little beach as well as explore the rocky edges leading down to the water. It is also fun to watch the dinghies come and go. They have a decent children’s menu. The food at the Oar is generally good although I suggest sticking to the seafood. I consider it the best place to go for fried clams and grilled fish sandwiches.

Getting There: To reach the Oar from the ferry parking lot in Old Harbor turn right on Water St. then left on Dodge St. At the stop sign go straight. The road becomes Ocean Ave. Follow Ocean Ave. until it ends at Payne’s Dock. Turn right on West Side Rd. You will come to a marina and see the sign for The Oar on the right. Turn right here. The Oar is the main building in this marina. Telephone (401) 466-8820

Payne’s Dock Snack Bar & the Mohogany Shoal

This spot is great for breakfast and lunch. The snack bar closes in the late afternoon but the Mohogany Shoal stays open into the night. Payne’s Dock is a marina in the great salt pond popular with sailboat folk. The high speed ferry also comes and goes from here. It is fun to sit on the docks and watch the boat people and their dogs. It is not a good place for toddlers though because there is the constant fear of them walking right off the edge of one of the docks.

The snack bar serves breakfast in the morning and is famous for their homemade doughnuts. It opens early and is a great place to bring children who rise at dawn to keep them from waking up everyone else in your rental house. You can sit on the dock and enjoy a steaming cup of hot coffee and watch the mist rise off the pond while the kids run around. When on the docks remember to be courteous to sleeping boaters and keep the noise level down. There is even a little beach nearby they can play on. For lunch the snack bar serves the full range of kid’s favorites including hamburgers, hot dogs and the ubiquitous chicken fingers. For adults Payne’s has the cheapest and, in my opinion, the best lobster rolls on the island. Around lunch time the tiny bar next to the snack bar called the Mohogany Shoal opens up and beer and cocktails are available as well. There are a few picnic tables, some sets of plastic tables and chairs with umbrellas and the recent addition of a somewhat questionable outdoor tiki-style bar. To top things off for the kids there is a tiny gift shop on the dock that features salt water taffy and lots of cheap souvenirs and pirate paraphernalia. I would not bring children here in the evening as the sailors beached on the Mohogany Shoal really love their grog.

Getting There: To reach Payne’s Dock from the ferry parking lot in Old Harbor turn right on Water St. then left on Dodge St. At the stop sign go straight. The road becomes Ocean Ave. Follow Ocean Ave. until it ends and you will be at Payne’s Dock. Look for the big Salt Water Taffy sign. That is where the snack bar and Mohogany Shoals is. Telephone (401) 466-5572

Sharky’s

Sharky’s is located right across the street from McGovern’s. Although it used to be open for lunch now it opens around 4:00, although it might open earlier on the weekends. Although it does have outside tables it is not ideal for kids because the outdoor dining area is pretty close to the road. However, it remains an extremely attractive option, not only because it serves excellent food and drink, but because of the Shark Attack cocktail. This mixed drink, served in a pint glass, is made of rum and pineapple juice and comes garnished with a sizable rubber shark biting the rim, a rivulet of blood-red grenadine running from its mouth and into the drink. Sipping their virgin shark attacks and kid-friendly placemats and crayons make for a happy hour everyone can enjoy.

Getting There: Follow the directions to McGovern’s and look across the street. There is a pretty big parking lot next door to Sharky’s. Telephone: (401) 466-9900