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:
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.
All photos
on this page are ©Carol
Lee 1998
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