**Guest post by Block Island Ghost Tours
Believers, skeptics, the easily spooked...you know them. Everyone has their own opinions on the supernatural, and everyone enjoys hearing stories and sharing their ghostly experiences. What better way to have fun and honor the rich history of Block Island than with a new experience? Block Island Ghost Tours.
When a group of friends with a love for chilling tales get together to form a business you know it's going to be spooky! Rick has been an island resident for 20 years soaking up it's history, fact and folklore. His brother, David, with his love of occult memorabilia is our resident skeptic . Holly is a firm believer in ghosts with an entrepreneurial spirit. Over the winter, they meticulously planned a route, researched Island history, and gathered ghost stories to create the Old Harbor Walking Tour.
It may be hard to believe that such a small island can have so many ghost stories! From the bones which lie in the rich earth to the foundations of these old buildings, the spirits of our ancestors are waiting for their stories to be told. Manisses, as the island was known by the first inhabitants, the Narragansett Native Americans, was a place for those who weren’t able to adapt to tribal life and so lived in exile. With the arrival of European settlers came violence and bloodshed. Since then, over a dozen shipwrecks, murders, pirate sightings and tragedies have become stories handed down through generations. It is an honor for the Block Island Ghost Tours team to curate and share the darker side of Block Island’s history with all who love this extraordinary place.
Block Island Ghost Tours currently offers two different experiences. The Old Harbor Walking Tour runs daily at 5, 7, and 9pm. This 80-minute long walking tour is about a mile loop through Old Harbor with 6 stops to explore the history and ghost stories behind some of the Island’s oldest buildings. It is $35 for adults and $25 for children under 12. The Spirits with Spirits tour is a pub crawl that takes place once a week on Fridays at 7:30pm. This tour tells stories while sipping on your favorite cocktails at four of Block Island’s most haunted bars. All attendees must be 21 or older and it is $100 per person. All tours can be booked at blockislandghosttours.com, by phone, or in person at our desk in the Harborside Inn. The Block Island Ghost Tours team of ghost hosts and sales ghouls are eager to share these experiences with you all!
Block Island Ghost Tours are just one of the tours offered on the island. The Block Island Historical Society offers cemetery and history tours at various times throughout the summer. Their tour schedule can be found on their website at blockislandhistorical.org.
Taxi tours are available daily through most taxi companies. These $75, hour-long tours bring you all over the Island highlighting points of interest and each taxi driver adds their own flair and stories to each tour. Call a taxi or stop by the taxi stand by the ferry to take one of these tours.
The Tourism Council has mapped self-guided walking and bike tours. Maps and details can be found on blockislandinfo.com or picked up at the Visitor Center.
Heliblock offers helicopter tours, for an aerial view of the Island and surrounding waters. They have 3 different tour options that start and end on Block Island offering areas of focus on the scenic beauty of Block Island, the wind farm, or all of it including a 2000 foot aerial view of Block Island and other islands in the area.
Pond and Beyond offers various kayaking tours from sunrise to sunset to full moon paddles. There are tours for all ages and experiences. Take a leisurely trip though the Great Salt Pond or an educationally packed tour to learn all about the GSP’s ecosystem.
Whether you’re looking for adventure from above, in the comfort of an air conditioned cab, at your own pace, or a little something spooky, industry professionals and island enthusiasts are just waiting to share their love of one of the most beautiful places on earth.
