Block Island’s best kept secret may be the pleasure of its shoulder seasons.Spring and fall are quieter and perhaps even more gorgeous than summer and A Taste of Block Island weekends give guests a chance to sample the island’s inns, restaurants, and activities at a deep discount.

Popular annual celebrations include the Fourth of July, of course, but also races such as the Shad Bloom race in early May, the August triathlon, and September’s 15K Run Around the Block; art and music festivals throughout the summer including the popular Blues on the Beach concerts at Fred Benson Town Beach; fall classics like the Motoring Event and the Soap Box Derby; and new favorites, such as the Glass Floats Treasure Hunts, in which visitors and islanders alike comb beaches and trails for fishing-float-style glass balls handblown and stamped with an island shape by artist Eben Horton.

Winter happenings include the Christmas Shopping Stroll over Thanksgiving weekend, the Polar Plunge on New Year’s Day, and the Groundhog Day census.  Find a full listing of events on this web site.