A Whirlwind Tour of St. Croix

Touring the island is quite an adventure, since it's 82 square  miles.

Rental cars are available. You can also rent a taxi/tour car and have the guide show you the island. The cost varies; it depends on the number of hours. Your guide will know where to take you, what to see, and where to have lunch (which is extra) outside of town.

Through your hotel you can arrange for a twilight sail or a cocktail cruise or a Buck Island cookout and much more. Sightseeing tours can also be arranged through your hotel. Ask for literature to find the range of programs offered.

Sites to Look For:

St. George Village Botanical Garden St. Croix: St. George Village Botanical Garden of St. Croix is located on a sixteen acre site just off the Queen Mary Highway. The botanical collections, including over 1500 native and exotic species and varieties, are established in and around the restored buildings and stabilized ruins of a 19th century Danish sugar cane plantation. St. George offers island visitors a unique blend of St. Croix's botanical, historical, and cultural heritage. The Museum Store and retail nursery offers a variety of tropical whimsies.

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• (340) 692-2874

St. Croix Landmarks Society St. Croix: Established in 1948, our mission is to advance understanding and appreciation of the unique historical and cultural legacy of St. Croix through preservation, research and education. The Landmarks Society is located at Whim Plantation and manages and operates three museums, Whim Plantation, Lawaetz Museum, and the Christiansted Apothecary Hall. In addition we have one of the best Caribbean Libraries in the world which has over 1200 books and manuscripts, 40,000 historical photographs, and over 1000 linear feet of archive documents from as early as the 1800s.

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• (340) 772-0598

Estate St. George Botanical Garden
Consisting of lush woods and rich land, the Garden covers 16 acres and contains ruins of a 19th-century sugarcane village and rum factory including workers' homes, manager's house, a bake oven, stone dam, a blacksmith's shop and foundations of a watermill. A small admission fee is charged.

Buck Island Reef
Here is the only United States National Monument (we call it a "National Park") that is underwater. The Park itself covers over 850 acres including the island proper, with a sandy beach, picnic tables and barbecue pits. The reef has two major underwater trails -- Turtle Bay Trail and East End Trail. Numerous boats operate off the dock in Christiansted; your hotel has specifics.

Cramer Park
A very nice place to relax the day away during the weekdays. The Park has a  beautiful beach and picnic area. On weekends the park is transformed  into a outdoor bar atmosphere with DJ's and music.

Cruzan Rum Distillery
Out on West Airport Road you can visit the distillery and see them making Virgin Islands rum. The tour includes a walk through the plant by long, flat sections of kegs, up ramps past the distilling, through fumes as intoxicating as the rum itself, to bottling and labeling. Check at your hotel for visiting hours.

Eastern End of the Island
You've gone as far as you can go in the United States on the easternmost point of St. Croix, Point Udall. The spot is barren, but beautiful. Bring your camera.

"Eye to the Sky"
Less than a mile from Point Udall, the National Science Foundation has funded the installation of a giant $5-million-dollar antenna -- 82 feet in diameter. This 260-ton dish will be used to explore the unknown universe. Visit the site, where guides will explain that the antenna is identical to nine others around the U.S. Together, the ten make up a single radio telescope, sharing their data over the Internet.

Rain Forest
As you head towards Frederiksted, you'll come upon Creque Dam Road and the 15 acres of the Rain Forest. The dam itself is 150 feet high. You will also go along Mahogany Road, which is lined with beautiful mahogany trees, yellow cedar, and Tibet trees (also called "mother's tongue" because of the pods that rustle in the wind). The air is filled with the scent of many of our island fruits, and also the call of mountain doves.
The Forest is private property; the owners have graciously consented to let visitors tour.

St. Croix Leap
Also in the Rain Forest, you will find a group of talented woodcarvers. You can order wood sculptures and chairs and tables all made from local mahogany and have them shipped to your home.

Salt River
Here's where Columbus first arrived in the Virgin Islands in November 1493 on his second voyage to the New World, with 17 ships and 1500 men. He called this island Santa Cruz.

Whim Greathouse
 A restoration of one of the finest greathouses from the late 1700s. There's the main house, windmill, watch house and bathhouse, cookhouse and apothecary; also a museum and gift shop. This is one of St. Croix's showplaces. Small admission fee.

More to see:

• Christiansted
• Fredricksted
• Churches of St Croix