See Southern Rhode Island's Coast from the Air with Heliblock Tours

See Southern Rhode Island’s Coast from the Air with Heliblock Tours

You haven’t seen the coast of southern Rhode Island until you’ve seen it from the sky. Trust me, I experienced it. I recently took a short tour with Helibock, a helicopter tour company with offices in Westerly and Block Island, around the coast of Watch Hill and Misquamicut. I was feeling a bit nervous as I strapped on my safety belt and put on the headphones to hear the pilot but as soon as we were in the air, even just 100 feet off the ground, I knew I was in for one of the coolest experiences of my life.

From Heliblock’s Westerly location by the airport, we headed towards Watch Hill, following the Pawcatuck River. It took me a minute to get my bearings because everything looks so incredibly different from above. It was a sunny, clear day, so we could see for miles. Everything below looked miniature, like we were looming over a toy version of Westerly.

Helicopters can turn on a dime so we made a few sharp turns around the Watch Hill Light, which made my stomach roll like we were on a roller coaster but once I knew when to expect it, I loved the feeling. The helicopter was out over the water for a bit, which was probably the most nerve-wracking part of all, but even that was exhilarating.

I recognized the Watch Hill Yacht Club, Taylor Swift’s sprawling abode on the hill, Ocean House in all its glory and East Beach. It was all so breathtaking – I could have just starred at the waves crashing and the beachfront community for hours but we were quickly on our way.

As I looked down at the beautiful blue, green water of our gorgeous beaches, I was mesmerized by the waves, which looked so tiny, as they broke and crashed on the golden sand. It was a view I’d previously only seen in aerial photos of Hawaii and other tropical islands. I knew I loved our community but seeing it from up here? I was absolutely speechless – words cannot describe how majestic and beautiful our coastline looked from above.

We flew towards Miquamicut. The state beach parking lot was empty save for one lone car – imagine how cool it would look when it’s packed and the beach is filled with a patchwork quilt of beach umbrellas?

After we flew over Water Wizz and Bayview Fun Park, I saw something I’d only ever seen on Google Maps: the oyster beds in Winnapaug Pond all lined up in perfect rows. I never thought about how cool that would look – an underwater farm that can truly only be taken in from above. All I could see were hundreds of little black dots lined up but I knew what it was.

We flew over the Weekapaug Golf Course and the Winnapaug Country Club on our way back to the Heliblock office off of Tom Harvey Road. Once we were back on the ground, I just wanted to be back in the air. I was completely in awe of what I had seen and how different and amazing everything looked from a new angle. I’m truly considering learning how to fly helicopters after that phenomenal, mindblowing experience.

They’ve got some promotional deals coming up for Valentine’s Day and I’d highly recommend taking advantage of these sales to give your sweetheart one of the most amazing gifts they’ll ever receive. You won’t be disappointed!