There’s a specific kind of happiness that only exists on a summer afternoon when you’re holding a dripping ice cream cone, the salt air on your skin, the ocean a block away. Block Island was built for it. After a day on the beach or a sweaty bike ride to the bluffs, the island’s scoop shops are less a treat than a ritual.
Here’s your guide to where to get ice cream on Block Island, what makes each spot worth the stop, and how to work it into the rest of your day.
Old Harbor: The Heart of the Scoop Scene
Most of the island’s ice cream lives right in Old Harbor, within easy walking distance of the ferry dock and the beaches. That’s by design. It’s exactly where you want a cone, mid stroll down Water Street, after dinner, or on the way back from the sand.
The Old Harbor scene runs from classic hard scoop counters to soft serve windows to the kind of bakery that does ice cream and the warm thing you put underneath it. On a hot day, expect a line. That’s part of the experience. Grab your cone and walk it down toward the water.
While you’re in town, it pairs naturally with the rest of the Old Harbor wander: shopping the boutiques, browsing for souvenirs, and catching the early evening light along the harbor.
The Island Classics
Block Island’s ice cream culture leans on a few beloved institutions:
- The Old Harbor bakery and ice cream spots that have been scooping for generations and double as breakfast and pastry stops earlier in the day. A morning pastry and an afternoon cone from the same counter is a very Block Island move. (See also breakfast on Block Island.)
- Water Street’s well known scoop shops, including familiar national favorites alongside local counters, handy when half your group wants a classic and the other half wants something adventurous.
- The famous floating ice cream delivery. One of the island’s most charming traditions is the boat that motors around the Great Salt Pond delivering baked goods and ice cream to anchored boats, announced by its unmistakable call across the water. If you’re out on a boat in New Harbor, keep an ear out. Dessert comes to you.
Because island businesses change hands and hours season to season, confirm what’s open and current hours when you arrive. Ask a local or check at the dock. Half the fun is the recommendation.
Dairy Free and Plant Based Options
Block Island has quietly become friendly to mindful and plant based eaters, and that extends to dessert. You’ll find dairy free scoops and sorbets at some of the Water Street shops, and the island’s more health forward cafes offer non dairy frozen treats and smoothies. If plant based is your thing, our vegan’s guide to Block Island and the roundup of smoothies, slushes, and frozen escapes point you in the right direction.
Beyond Ice Cream: The Full Sweet Tooth
If your idea of dessert runs wider than a cone, the island delivers there too: fudge, candy, baked goods, and the kind of old fashioned sweet shops that make a vacation feel like a vacation. We’ve mapped the full lineup in Block Island sweet tooth bliss. And for the frozen cocktail crowd, a mudslide at Ballard’s on the beach is the island’s signature, while the lineup of frozen drinks and slushes scratches a different summer itch.
How to Work Ice Cream Into Your Day
A few of the best ice cream moments on Block Island:
- After the beach. Ride back from Mansion or Town Beach into Old Harbor and reward the effort.
- Post dinner stroll. A cone down Water Street as the light goes gold is peak island evening. (See the best places to eat for what comes before.)
- Mid ride fuel. A scoop is a perfectly legitimate reason to pause a bike loop to Mohegan Bluffs.
- On the water. If you’re anchored in the Great Salt Pond, let dessert find you.
Drop it into the broader plan with our perfect weekend itinerary and you’ve got a trip built around all the right small pleasures.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is the best ice cream on Block Island?
Most of the island’s ice cream is clustered in Old Harbor, within walking distance of the ferry and beaches, a mix of classic bakery and scoop shops and Water Street counters. Ask a local for the current favorite; spots and hours shift seasonally.
Is there dairy free ice cream on Block Island?
Yes. Several Water Street shops and the island’s health forward cafes offer dairy free scoops, sorbets, and non dairy frozen treats.
What is the ice cream boat on Block Island?
A beloved local tradition: a boat that delivers baked goods and ice cream to vessels anchored in the Great Salt Pond, announced by its signature call across the water.
When are the ice cream shops open on Block Island?
Most operate seasonally, with the longest hours in summer. Hours change year to year, so confirm when you arrive.
