US Virgin Islands - St. Croix

Sights to see, in and around the largest US Virgin Island.

Oct 10, 2006

US Virgin Islands; St. Croix beach, Diana Brandt

St. Croix gets less tourists than the other US Virgin Islands, and doesn't rely solely on tourism dollars for its economy. There are some points of interest, however.

People on the US Virgin Islands have a saying: Live on St. Croix, shop on St. Thomas, and vacation on St John. True, most locals do live on St. Croix, but that is largely due to its being the largest of the three US Virgin Islands. Suffice it to say, there are plenty of things to do and see on St. Croix, and many shopping opportunities as well. It's a great vacation island!

Some interesting locales on St. Croix:

Point Udall, on the eastern tip on the island, is the easternmost point of the United States. There's a small monument attesting to this, hiking hills, and not much else. The windswept simplicity of Point Udall is, at least, a good photo opportunity.
The largest town on St. Croix, Christiansted, has many duty-free stores and upscale shops, as well as a wide variety of restaurants. Christiansted is on the notably arid and desert-like east end of St. Croix.
On the west end of St. Croix is Frederiksted, the other major town of the island. Frederiksted is a cruise port, and has souvenir shops, more duty-free shopping, restaurants, and hotels. The west end, a mere 28 miles from the east's cacti, has a lush green rain forest.
Salt River Bay National Historical Park and Ecological Reserve marks the spot where Columbus set foot here, in 1493. This wildlife santuary was devastated by Hurricane Hugo, but local efforts for recovery are well underway.
The Sandy Point Wildlife Refuge has guided hiking tours during the Leatherback Turtle nesting season.
Cane Bay, on the northern shore, is an internationally known scuba and snorkel site. The sand is soft enough that water shoes aren't needed; wade or swim around 450 feet out from the beach, and the Cane Bay Wall drop-off there provides gorgeous fish and coal reef views.
Buck Island is the only underwater US National Park. Take a boat; it's about 2 miles from Christiansted. There are guided tours of the underwater nature trail, if desired. The island itself is a nature reserve, and Turtle Beach, on the island's west side, is one of National Geographic's Most Beautiful Beaches.
The Cruzan Rum Distillery produces over a thousand cases of Cruzan Rum daily. The factory has an interesting walking tour - the on-site remnants of a 1600's sugar mill is especially interesting to history buffs.

Related, on Suite 101:

St. Croix Luxury Resorts

US Virgin Islands - St. John

US Virgin Islands - St. Thomas

The Atlantis Resort

Atlantis on a Budget

The copyright of the article US Virgin Islands - St. Croix in Luxury Vacations is owned by Jennifer W. Miner. Permission to republish US Virgin Islands - St. Croix must be granted by the author in writing.

Comments

Oct 10, 2006 2:49 PM

Jill Florio :

I went to St. Croix once, but was kinda young and don't remember much beyond gorgeous beaches, whitewashed buildings and charming villages. I wonder if things have changed much?

i'd like to check out the park you mentioned with the leatherback turtles.

Oct 11, 2006 11:03 AM

Jennifer W. Miner :

I went to St Croix before Hurricane Hugo devastated the Virgin Islands. It really affected St Croix for many years, but I undrstand that now, everything looks pretty much back to normal. Engineers and volunteers are working to replenish the mangroves on the west end of the island, which will protect the sand and soil from getting washed out to sea should another natural disaster strike the Caribbean.
Jen

Oct 12, 2006 10:27 AM

Jill Florio :

well that's good news about the recovery. I would imagine that perhaps a natural disaster might be part of the eco-system's natural cleansing regime, like the way a fire clears out forests and helps new trees seed? I don't know much about mangroves - not my area of study - but would imagine in some way that nature has found a way to work it.

Oct 13, 2006 5:22 PM

Jennifer W. Miner :

Well, mangroves are an underappreciated but seriously important part of shoreline ecosystem health. The mangrove roots are ginormous, and twisty: Great for holding soil, sand and silt together. When mangroves are gone, the shoreline easily just washes out with the tide. The problem is that, since they've been underappreciated, in many areas they've been cleared to built simple fisheries, or hotels, or housing. Then when the next big weather system hits, everyone is left scratching their heads and wondering why the area was so particularly devastated! ...The Army Corp of Engineers, and aquatic botanists, have been working towards increasing public knowledge about the importance of mangrove swamps. I can tell you more, if you like; shoot me an email and I'll happily blather away! :) (You can find my Suite email addy on this sections' main page.)
Jen

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