Before, during or after your experience of a lifetime on a Max Charters sailing cruise, you may want to do some landlubbing and check out various points if interest and things to do on the US Virgin Islands of St, Thomas, St John or St Croix.
About the U.S.V.I.
This Caribbean archipelago was home to indigenous people from 1000 BCE with the first Europeans visiting in 1493 and settling around 1555. The USVI consists of three main islands: St. John, St. Thomas, and St. Croix; 50 minor islands and cays are either privately owned or largely uninhabited. went on to be colonized and variously controlled and/or disputed by France, Spain, Netherlands, Denmark, and Britain. Heavily involved in agriculture and commerce, coffee, tobacco, sugar, and cotton were the pillars of trade. A lack of workers led to the rise of the enslavement of Africans to work on the plantations; slavery was nominally abolished in 1848 but unrest continued for several more decades due to issues of labor, workers’ rights, and inequities in the system. There were several slave rebellions, including at least one led by women.
Concerned with wartime strategy and access to the Panama Canal, the US purchased the Danish West Indies in 1917, with American citizenship conferred in 1927 upon all residents of the island territory.
Things to do
Hiking trails are abundant, no matter which island you find yourself on. Some trails are inland, others terminate at breathtaking oceanview vistas where you can swim, picnic, cliff-dive, or just relax before heading back. For visitors unable to hike, motorized options may be available, as well as water tours and bicycle tours. Check out your options.
World-class beach-bumming is the order of the day for worshipers of sun and sand. Please use only reef-friendly sunscreen when you go to any of the amazing beaches or when snorkeling among reefs featuring 40 types of coral.
St. John
St. John features the Leinster Bay Trail, an easy mile-long hike to Waterlemon Bay, and possibly the best snorkeling on the island.
The Friends of Virgin Islands National Park offers a full listing of hiking trails.
St. Thomas
This island is considered the most cosmopolitan of the three main islands. Find the 99 Steps (spoiler, there are more than 99!) and climb them to Blackbeard’s castle. Blackbeard’s Castle, AKA Skytsborg, in Charlotte Amalie was built as a watchtower for the protection of the harbor and nearby Fort Christian and is a National Historic Landmark.
The Three Queens Fountain at Blackbeard's Castle on St. Thomas was created to honor the women who organized the St. Croix labor riot, or the Fireburn Rebellion of 1878: Queens Mary, Agnes, and Mathilda.
Coral World is considered one of St. Thomas’s best attractions. A tower-style aquarium, touch tanks, sting-ray pools, and sea lions are only a few of the wonders awaiting you.
St. Croix
On the north shore of St. Croix you can hike under the jungle canopy to Annaly Bay. With its tide pools, breathtaking tropical atmosphere, and unparalleled snorkeling, the journey is worth the destination. The hike is strenuous but there are jeep tours that get you over the bumpy roads. Heads up: check the tide charts, bring water shoes, and make sure you have water and snacks.
Also on St. Croix is the St George Village Botanical Garden offers 1,000 varieties of plants grown over and among the 16 acres of ruins of an 18th-and 19th-century sugar plantation listed in the National Registry, as well as another site: the archaeological site of a former Amerindian settlement.
Point Udall on St. Croix is less than 4 miles round trip and features a secluded beach and turtle sanctuary.
If mini golf is your thing, bring the family to Christiansted for 18 holes of fun!
Eating and shopping can fill in the rest of the day: Try the meat pate and a local Cruzan cocktail. Cheers!
Book your private sailing yacht charter tour of the USVI with Max Charters now.