Travel to New England

Visit Block Island

New York Times bestselling author and Rhode Island native Marie Force shares her love of her home state of Rhode Island—specifically Block Island—in the Gansett Island Series. Marie grew up in Middletown, RI, where family boat trips to Block Island were high points of summer vacations. Gansett Island is based on the scenery and some favorite spots on the island, including a marina and inn. Many Series readers say the settings Marie writes about are so real they want to move to the Rhode Island locations that inspired them.

New Shoreham, the only town on Block Island, is the smallest town in the smallest state, covering some 10 square miles to the south of ‘mainland’ RI. For such a tiny spot, it packs a lot of treasures, including beaches, stone walls, bluffs, bike trails, hills, ponds and plenty of open space that provide opportunities for many outdoor recreational opportunities. There’s also a wide array of restaurants, shops, inns and other quaint businesses to keep visitors well-fed and busy.

Where to Stay on Block Island

Inns, Bed and Breakfasts, small and larger hotels (Block Island doesn’t have any large chain hotels) and house rentals, whatever your vacation style or budget, Block Island has the perfect accommodation. If you want to be near the ferry landing, try The National or Ballards Inn. Cozier inns can offer a more intimate setting, while house rentals may be the perfect fit for families traveling together.

For more information and to look at the variety of places to call home while you’re in Block Island, please click here.

Best Time of Year to Visit

While activities such as running events, fishing tournaments, art fairs and Christmas shopping strolls are planned from May through November, Block Island’s busiest season is between Memorial Day and Labor Day. For those seeking a bit more quietude, the off months may be just the remedy for a little relaxation while still enjoying great weather.

Now, about that weather. As with many locations in New England, temperatures can vary from one minute to the next. Come prepared for temperatures in peak season from the mid 60s to upper 80s or even hotter and know that the temperature can drop at any moment. If you forget your Gansett Island sweatshirt, you can always pick something up in one of the shops on Block Island.

Things to do on Block Island

Marie has been coming to Block Island for family vacations all her life and holds this island very close to her heart. After all, Block Island is the inspiration for Gansett Island! Once you get to the island, take some time to enjoy the beaches, shopping, hiking, lighthouses and so much more. As you wander, you’re sure to see a few things that look familiar if you’ve read the Gansett Island Series.

Check out this list of things to do or download a copy to take with you.

• While you’re there you must have a Mrs. Payne’s donut!
• Have a drink at Mahogany Shoals, on Payne’s dock, one of the island’s best-kept secrets, and the inspiration for Big Mac’s Tiki Bar!
• Right outside the gate for Payne’s, check out the Narragansett Inn, inspiration for McCarthy’s Gansett Island Inn.
• Also, head over to the Block Island Boat Basin to visit the legendary Oar Bar, which Marie has mentioned in recent Gansett books. Thousands of painted oars in one place. You won’t want to miss it!
• The easiest bike or moped ride is up Corn Neck Road to visit the North Light where Settlers first landed on BI.
• Go shopping along Water Street!
• Enjoy pizza, pastry and ice cream at Aldo’s.
• Stop for a coffee or iced tea at Juice ‘N Java.
• One of our favorite stores is Lazy Fish, right downtown, with some wonderful eclectic finds.
• Check out painted rock! It’s probably twice its original size, tourists and locals alike paint it at least once a week.
• Get Zen and walk the Labyrinth on Corn Neck Road.
• Visit the Abram’s Animal Farm. You’ll be amazed at all the exotic animals! Just a short walk to the left of the ferry landing past the Hotel Manisses.
• Stroll Crescent Beach, just a quick walk from the ferry landing.
• The rocking chairs on the porch at The National are a great spot to people watch and it’s right across the way from The Surf Hotel, inspiration for The Lawry’s Sand and Surf! The recently renovated Surf Hotel is also a great place to grab a drink and watch the world go by.

Visit Vermont

It all started with the NBC Nightly News. Marie watched a segment on the Vermont Country Store (VCS) and the Orton family who owns it and was immediately intrigued by the notion of a family running an old-fashioned country store. Marie visited and shopped at both store locations in Weston and Rockingham and the research for the Green Mountain Series set in Vermont had begun.

“Suffice to say it was certainly no sacrifice to spend time in such a stunningly beautiful place,” Marie says. “I absolutely love the scenery, the mountains, the people, the quaint small towns and the quirky slices of life that make it such a special place.”

Visit Vermont to see some of the scenes and local color that inspired the Green Mountain Series. Who knows, you may also see Fred the Moose? If not, you can buy him here.

A Bit About Vermont

Vermont is well-known for its cheese, maple syrup, fall foliage, mountains, festivals, outdoor activities, artisans and small town life. Natural assets include Lake Champlain, which forms half of Vermont’s western border and is shared with the state of New York, and the Green Mountains used by Marie for the Abbott family’s country store name. For more information about visiting Vermont, as well as a map of the state, please go to http://www.visit-vermont.com/.

Where to Stay in Vermont

Here’s a list of hotels and B&Bs recommended by the VCS near their two stores. For other accommodations available throughout Vermont, please go to the Visit Vermont website.

Lodging in Manchester (located about 10 miles from Weston and has cell service)

The Equinox: A luxury spa and golf resort located close to shopping and dining in Manchester.

Hampton Inn & Suites: This hotel offers affordable accommodations with free hot breakfast included.

The Reluctant Panther Inn and Restaurant: Twenty luxurious rooms and suites in three distinct locations, the Main House, Mary Porter House and Carriage House, all featuring elegant design with antique furnishings, fireplaces, marble baths and original, museum quality artwork.

Lodging in Weston (be advised there is NO cell service in Weston)

• The Colonial House (Weston, VT): The Colonial House is a unique country inn and motel offering a full breakfast along with its rooms. Dinner is available on Friday and Saturday nights year-round and midweek during the summer, fall, and winter holiday periods.
• Brandmeyer’s Mountainside Lodge (Weston, VT): Ten guest rooms with private baths, cable TV, refrigerators, wall safes and hair dryers. A complimentary hot breakfast is served daily.

Lodging In and Around Rockingham

• Readmore Bed & Breakfast Inn (Bellows Falls): This 1892 Vermont inn has five guest rooms, most with fireplaces and whirlpool tubs, and five parlors and common rooms. Most of the food they cook comes from local providers and organic is always the first choice.
• Halladays Harvest Barn Inn (Rockingham VT): This 1895 farmhouse provides a pond and a view of the Connecticut River. Afternoon appetizers, warm chocolate chip cookies and hearty creative breakfasts are some of the other treats available.

Best Time of Year to Visit Vermont

Saying the temperature varies in Vermont is like saying there’s a bit of romance in the Green Mountain Series books. They can range between a high of 105 degrees F to a record low of -50 F; the annual mean temperature is 43 F. Don’t underestimate the variability of the weather between elevations. In addition, rain, fog, sudden drops in temperature, snow and thunderstorms can come at any time.

Summer, while cool and pleasant, can also be hot and humid. Vermont winters are cold and winter conditions can last from November to May, with the maximum snow depth usually occurring in March. Many people visiting the area in the winter see this as a good excuse to snuggle with someone special in front of a fire.

Things to do in Vermont

Snow shoes and the symphony, arts and aroma therapy, there’s plenty to do for everyone in Vermont. Of course, one of Marie’s fave things to do continues to be shopping at the Vermont Country Store. She never misses the chance every time she’s in the Green Mountain state.

Vermont seemingly has festivals for every occasion—the Vermont Maple Festival, Festival on the Green, The Vermont Dairy Festival, the Apple Festival, the Marlboro Music Festival and the Vermont Brewers Festival.

And there’s art. For instance, the Weston Playhouse Theatre Company is a non-profit regional theater that’s been a part of the local scene for more than seven decades. It is Vermont’s oldest professional theater. Read about its rich history here.

Other art venues include the Vermont Symphony Orchestra and the Sage City Symphony, and the Brattleboro-based Vermont Theatre Company, which presents an annual summer Shakespeare festival. Brattleboro also hosts the summertime Strolling of the Heifers parade which celebrates Vermont’s unique dairy culture. The annual Green Mountain Film Festival is held in Montpelier.

In the Northeast Kingdom, the Bread and Puppet Theatre holds weekly shows in Glover in a natural outdoor amphitheater.

Daily, seasonal ferries take residents and tourists to and from the islands of Lake Champlain and the Champlain Islands. To find information about these ferries, as well as other ferry service between VT and NY, please visit this website.

There are so many other activities in Vermont such as visiting a sugaring house to see how the state’s most famous export, maple syrup, is made. You can also tour the famous Ben and Jerry’s Factory and enjoy yummy samples. And don’t forget about the cheese makers. Find out about all this and more at Visit Vermont’s website.