Like a beauty with brains, St. Croix beseeches you to appreciate her for more than her shimmering beaches and crystal-blue waters. Even a quick study of her lively mix of cultures, captivating history, picturesque hamlets, or architectural treasures brings enlightenment.
The topography of this 28-mile-long island is as diverse as her pleasures: Beyond town, vast acres of rolling green hillsides tumble down to a shoreline caressed by the Caribbean sun. At the eastern tip of the island, there's desert-dry, cacti-covered Point Udall. Contrast that with the dense rain forest in the northwest, a twitter with birds nesting in mango groves.
A time capsule of European architecture adapted to the tropics...
The towns of Christiansted and Frederiksted (both named for Danish kings) are a walker's delight. A time capsule of European architecture adapted to the tropics, both feature scores of well-preserved structures and are listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
Christiansted's 18th-century yellow-brick arcades, quaint courtyards, and covered sidewalks still shelter pedestrians from the sun. Charming shops and restaurants are tucked within colonial buildings, and historic churches remain from the days when this capital thrived as a commercial port.
Ready for a thinking person's vacation that stimulates all the senses? From the East Coast of the United States, it's about a four-hour flight, and several major airlines, including Delta, American, and Continental wing there nonstop.
Next page > The Island's Culture and History >
Page 3 > What to Do and Where to Stay on St. Croix >
