An unspoiled gem – even during the summer month’s Fishers Island is no more crowded than a small rural New England town.
How does Fishers Island manage to avoid the development and tourism that plague Long Island, Block Island, Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket, the Hamptons, Cape Cod and coastal Connecticut and Rhode Island? It’s simple. There are no hotels. Just one small inn (which has a great bar, good food and fun night life). Everyone here either owns or rents a home (or is their guest) on the island.
Without the overnight crowds to support tourism, the only tourists you’ll find are the guests you bring.
Safety
Privacy
Uncrowded Beaches
Fishing
Sailing
Easy Access
Fishers Island is the ultimate gated community – only the gate is a ferry. And from April through October, every ferry is greeted by a New York State Trooper. Couple this with the lowest population density of any ferry-served island in New England, and you have the perfect recipe for safety. Let the kids ride their bikes down to the playground, the store, or a friend’s house. Just be back home in time for dinner. It’s a wonderful flashback to the freedom we had as kids – a freedom that’s incredibly hard to find anywhere else.
Because the daytripper volume is virtually nonexistent, you won’t be crowded out by adventurers that plague Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket, Block Island, the Hamptons, coastal Connecticut, Rhode Island and Cape Cod. If you choose to locate on the gated East End, you step up to a level of privacy that’s unmatched just 100 miles from Manhattan and Boston.
Despite being among the most beautiful beaches in New England, a busy day at mile-long Isabella Beach will find about 20 cars in the parking lot. Equally lovely and more intimate Chocomount Beach is “crowded” with eight families along its 1/3 mile stretch of white and purple (from mussel shells) sand. And it’s not uncommon to be the only one to watch the sun dip into the water along scenic, mile-long South Beach. For the littlest ones, there’s even calm Dock Beach, with no waves, shallow, warm water, and a beautiful view of West Harbor.
Sitting at the threshold of two very different waterways, there’s no wonder it’s called Fishers Island. Late spring and early fall bring the best fishing for Striped Bass that’s made several Fishers Island World Champions. With an incredible variety of habitats, it’s not hard to find a good time or spot to catch them, along with bluefish, flounder, porgy, butterfish, rock bass (blackfish), and for the more adventurous, tuna, marlin and shark in the waters off Montauk, just ten miles away.
With its perfectly sheltered sound and sitting at the threshold of warmer Long Island Sound and colder North Atlantic, Fishers Island often offers a breeze when the other ports have none. And with beautifully flat water, it’s perfect whether you’re teaching the kids, taking the guests out for a tour, or working the deck in the weekly IOD races out of the yacht club.
Perfectly situated between New York and Boston, it’s just a two-hour drive or train ride right to the ferry landing in New London, CT. For those farther afield, TF Green Airport in Providence, RI and Bradley International Airport are just an hour from New London, and it’s not hard to find charter service directly to Fishers Island’s own Elizabeth Field. From New London, it’s just a 45 minute ferry ride to Fishers Island, and automobile reservations are available online at fiferry.com.
Arts, Culture, Entertainment and Kids
Throughout the year, all are welcome to partake in numerous concerts, performances, movies, parades, craft fairs and community events at the library, movie theater, school, legion hall, private homes and village green.
And if you’re so inclined, there are numerous events and activities that are sponsored by the Island People’s Project, Fishers Island Club, Fishers Island Yacht Club and Hay Harbor Club, and include crafts for kids, swimming, sailing, tennis, and golf lessons.
Upcoming Events
To see what’s happening this month, check out the latest edition of the online newsletter/calendar, The Fog Horn.
Nearby Attractions
If you’re looking for shopping, restaurants and an array of entertainment options, then you may want to plan to take trips to the mainland on occasion – Foxwoods, Mohegan Sun, Mystic Seaport, USS Nautilus Museum, the Mystic Marinelife Aquarium and countless dining options abound just three miles to the north in Connecticut. All it takes is a trip on the ferry or a quick boat ride (if you or a friend have a boat, which is common) to nearby New London, Noank or Stonington.