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Getting to Know St. Thomas
Pastel-painted buildings topped by Danish-style red roofs rim the waterfront of
St. Thomas’ port city of Charlotte Amalie. There’s an age-old cosmopolitan charm here that reflects more than 300 years of history. Yet on this island of sun, sand and sea there’s a delightful mix of the historic and contemporary, everything from museums filled with rare antiques to GPS-equipped sailboats ready to race off on an adventure cruise. Add to this friendly people, fine dining and fabulous resorts, and you’ll discover the meaning of paradise found.
Day trip and cruise ship passengers tour the town of Charlotte Amalie in the morning and the outlying parts of the 32-square-mile island in the afternoon. However, if you want to avoid the crowds and enjoy a more leisurely day of sightseeing, you should travel this route in reverse.
To do this, start out around 9 a.m., early enough to see all of St. Thomas and late enough to steer clear of the morning rush-hour traffic. Drive through Charlotte Amalie and head west to Frenchtown, a lovely settlement founded in the 1800s by French fishermen whose families hailed from Brittany and Normandy. The Gustave Quetel Fishing Center is the place to buy fresh fish. There’s a deli here where you can buy breakfast or sandwiches for a picnic at the beach later, as well as a museum and a marina where kayak tours depart to nearby Hassel Island.
From Frenchtown, drive two miles west toward the Cyril E. King Airport. There’s a beautiful arc of white-sand beach here that’s ideal for an early morning dip. Once called Mosquito Bay, the name changed to Lindbergh Bay in 1928, when famous aviator Charles Lindbergh landed his Spirit of St. Louis here during a goodwill tour.
Take Route 33 to explore the western end of St. Thomas. This least populated and most mountainous side of the island boasts roller-coaster roads that offer hide-and-peek views of the Atlantic Ocean through lush strands of rainforest. Continue on Route 33 and drive up to Mountain Top. Reopened in early 2011 after a devastating fire, the new facility boasts the same incredible views from its 1,500-foot elevation, as well as its famous bananas daiquiris.
Route 33 intersects with Route 40 where you can double back north approximately three miles to see the spectacular panoramic vistas from the St. Peter Greathouse, an 18th-century sugar estate and former governor’s mansion that is open for daily tours. The British Virgin Islands of Tortola and Jost Van Dyke appear only a stone’s throw away on a clear day. There are more than 15 other islands and rocky cays visible from this vantage point. The bird’s-eye view is equally as breathtaking from Drake’s Seat, an overlook about three miles to the east of the Greathouse where privateer Sir Francis Drake is said to have supplied his fleet. Drake would have also enjoyed an eye-candy view of Magens Bay with its half-mile, heart-shaped, white-sand beach directly below. Rated by National Geographic as one of the top 10 beaches in the world, this is the place for a quick swim, beach walk or sailboat rental. There are bathrooms available as well as a concession that sells sandwiches and pizza.
From this point, turn south on Route 40 or Skyline Drive for a view of Charlotte Amalie from a nearly 1,000-foot elevation. Or, drive northeast on Route 42, where the Mahogany Run Golf Course fairways appear as a manicured oasis amid the lush jungle background. Both Presidents Clinton and Obama have played here — and a host of other celebrities, too. These two roads intersect at Route 38, which then loops around the eastern end of the island.
Do stop at the Coral World Ocean Park. Here, it’s possible to swim with sea lions, to pet sharks and to hand-feed fine feathered lorikeets little cups of nectar. Live shows, talks and feedings take place all day long. Coki Beach, right next door, is a perfect place to snorkel, as the nearby reef is teeming with schools of rainbow-colored fish. Vendors at a number of wood shacks along the beach sell everything from “fish food” (dry pellets of dog food) to T-shirts and local dishes like boiled fish (head-on) and the cornmeal polenta-like fungi.
The settlement of Red Hook is a 10-minute drive to the east. This is the jumping off point for the public ferries to St. John and the British Virgin Islands and also for a number of sportfishing, day sail and scuba diving charters. Red Hook has taken on a life of its own over the years and become a destination in its own right. Trendy restaurants, hip bars and designer shops are all here, along with banks, supermarkets and a pharmacy.
Drive back east along Route 38 and into the Tutu Valley. Nestled next to a busy intersection and the island’s only shopping mall is Tillett Gardens. The late famed silkscreen artist Jim Tillett set up his studio here in the late 1950s. Today, this artists’ enclave boasts more than 20 shops selling handcrafted goods ranging from pottery to silkscreened fabrics.
By this point, it’s time to sightsee in Charlotte Amalie. Park in the Fort Christian Parking Lot and walk north to the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Virgin Islands’ Veterans Memorial Park. Statuesque trees provide cool shade over the benches that line the walkways, and sculptures commemorating the five branches of military service are a focal point.
Next, stroll north and then west up Government Hill. There’s a neat feeling on this street, thanks to the 18th-century wooden buildings with their intricate ironwork, fluted Corinthian columns and marbled tiled terraces. It's like you’re walking back in time.
The Seven Arches Museum, open by appointment, brings back to life all the charms of a Danish craftsman’s house. Government House, the working offices of the Virgin Island’s governor, is open to the public for tours throughout the week. Look for the plaques on the wall that list every governor since 1970 listed in hand-lettered gold. Two buildings down and next to the step-street known as the 99 Steps is Hotel 1829, first built in that namesake year as a ship captain’s home. In addition to still offering accommodations, this historic hotel marks the start of a walking tour that leads up to Blackbeard’s Castle, where there’s a large collection of life-sized, bronze pirate statues.
The western side of Government Hill leads to the head of Main Street, Charlotte Amalie’s shopping mecca. The latest designer jewelry and high-tech electronics are housed in plush, air-conditioned shops along brick-lined alleyways where goods such as tobacco, sugar and rum were off-loaded from sailing ships centuries ago.
Finally, there’s no place better to end the day than at Paradise Point. Perched on a hilltop overlooking the Havensight Shopping Mall to the east of Charlotte Amalie, this open-air bar and restaurant is the spot to sip a Bushwacker, watch for the sometimes elusive “green flash” at sunset and reflect on a wonderful day in paradise.
Southland Gaming of The Virgin Islands
Over 50 locations, including Crown Bay Gaming Center, St. Thomas and The Parrot Club at Wharfside Village, St. John
340-777-SLOT
www.sgvi.com
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Aquarium and Eco Tour photos supplied by Coral World Ocean Park, St. Thomas.
Find a complete list of activities, island tours and day trips, tour operators, charter boats for dive, snorkeling, fishing and swimming, golf and water sports - right here in our Activities Directory.
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Take the ferry and spend the day in beautiful, unspoiled St. John. You will find shopping a pleasure at Wharfside Village nestled at the foot of the ferry dock in Cruz Bay. The village is home to fine stores like; Into the Blue unique art, V.I.be Collection, the Parrot Club, Verace offering elegant jewelry and South Sea freshwater pearls, Bamboo Studio with handcrafted jewelery inspired by the islands. There are plenty of fine bars, restaurants and art galleries to keep you entertained all day! 
