St. Croix is the largest island in the United States Virgin Island (USVI) chain. The southernmost USVI island, St. Croix offers a wide variety of activities and experiences and a diverse landscape, including a sub tropical rainforest, a bio-luminescent bay, the best wall diving in the Caribbean, three national parks to explore and beautiful sandy beaches. In addition, St. Croix is home to the Cruzan Rum Distillery, the only golf courses in the USVI (Mahogany Run on St. Thomas closed after the hurricanes in 2017 and its future is still in question), a number of excellent restaurants, and historical sights to explore. Read on to find out why you should plan a trip to St. Croix, USVI.
US Residents Don’t Need a Passport to Travel to St. Croix
As with St. Thomas, St. Croix is a US Territory so US residents don’t currently need a passport to travel to St. Croix. (However, you may need proof of US citizenship to re-enter the US mainland, which may include a birth certificate and a government issued ID – be sure to check with your airline to make assure you have the required documents).
In addition, there are daily non-stop flights from several major US airports including Miami, Atlanta and Ft. Lauderdale so you can get to the beach faster! Are you finding better flights flying into St. Thomas? Consider taking the seaplane from Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas to Christiansted, St. Croix. It’s only 25 minutes from “downtown to downtown”!
Beaches
Before visiting St. Croix for the first time, we heard that the beaches were…just o.k. Not so! We’ve enjoyed several amazing beaches during our visits to St. Croix and look forward to our next return to find more! Some of our favorites?
Sandy Point National Wildlife Refuge. The gorgeous 2 mile white sand beach at the Sandy Point Wildlife is the longest in all of the US Virgin Islands. The beach and surrounding area serve as a protected area for the endangered leatherback turtle. It is closed to the public from April to August during turtle hatching season and is only open on Saturday and Sunday the rest of the year. Read more here.
Turtle Beach, Buck Island. Buck Island is a small, uninhabited island off the northeast coast of St. Croix. Designated a National Monument in 1961, the 176 acre island is home to several endangered species such as the hawksbill turtle. In addition to enjoying the gorgeous white sand beach with views of St. Croix in the distance, you can hike the island, and snorkel the underwater trail in crystal clear water with vibrant coral and fish below. There are excursions that can take you to Buck Island for 1/2 day or full day trips.
Shoy’s. Not far from Christiansted, this pretty, secluded beach is a great place to relax, unwind and just listen to the waves lap the shore. Usually not crowded, Shoy’s doesn’t have any amenities and is a little harder to access and that could be why it’s nice and quiet. There is some good snorkeling, and the beach is great for walking or just digging your toes into.
Jack and Isaac Beach. Access the hiking path down the hill from close to Point Udall. Do you want to watch the sunrise on the beach in St. Croix? This is the place!
Rum
Like rum? You’re in luck when you visit St. Croix. There is not just one, but two rum distilleries that you can tour and rum flows freely at restaurants and beach bars. Want to enjoy learning about and tasting rum on St. Croix? Here are a few ways.
Cruzan Rum Distillery. The Nelthropp Family began making rum on St. Croix in the 1800’s and today award winning Cruzan Rums are well known to rum lovers. Cruzan offers really informative tours that take you into the actual rum making process and at the end of the tour there is a rum and rum drink sampling. Find out more about St. Croix Rum Distillery Tours here.
Captain Morgan Rum Distillery. Not far from Cruzan Rum (so you can tour both in one day!) is the Captain Morgan Rum Distillery. Built in 2011, Captain Morgan offers a different kind of tour than Cruzan, but both are worth exploring. Again, rum samples are provided at the end, so you might want to take a taxi!
Beach Bars. There are several fun beach bars to be found on St. Croix and…shock…they all serve rum! One of our favorites? Rhythms at Rainbow Beach. Not far from Fredriksted and the cruise ship pier, this can be a rockin’ place to hang out. Beach volleyball, a great beach, live music and spectacular sunsets make this a place to enjoy and enjoy a drink or two. Try a Cruzan Confusion or a Cruzan Chaos!
Restaurant/Bar. We were blown away by BES Craft Cocktail Lounge and it’s owner, Frank Robinson. Located in Christiansted, we enjoyed some terrific food and originally crafted rum cocktails while there. It was so good, we returned the next night! Find out more here.
Other Things to See and Do on St. Croix
Crab Races – looking for something different and surprisingly fun to do with the family? Bet on your favorite crab at the crab races! Find out more about this popular St. Croix event here.
Point Udall – said to be the easternmost point of the US, Point Udall is marked by the Millennium Monument and offers stunning panoramic views of the sea surrounding St. Croix. Great place to catch the sunrise. Find out more about Point Udall here.
Dive the Wall – St. Croix has a number of great dive sites, but the best know site is simply called “The Wall”. This dive site can either be accessed by boat or by swimming out from the shore at Cane Bay Beach. Find out more about Diving the Wall here.
Beer Drinking Pigs – take a drive through the subtropical rainforest on the West End of St. Croix to the Mt. Pellier Domino Club to enjoy a beer with the resident pigs! Although the pigs are only given non-alcoholic beer, they certainly enjoy their beverage! Check out some photos of our visit here.
Explore the History of St. Croix with the St. Croix Heritage Map. Check out some of the highlights here.
Explore Salt Bay, a bioluminescent bay as it lights up at night on See Through Kayaks!
Still want more ideas of what to do during your St Croix vacation? Check out a list of 100 Things To Do On St. Croix here.
What to Bring Home
St. Croix Hook Bracelet – available at several stores, but we chose to purchase ours at Sonya Ltd. in Christiansted. Sonya is said to be the originator of the St. Croix Hook Bracelet.
Cruzan Rum – available at the distillery and, well, mostly everywhere in the VI. Some flavors (aged and Single Barrel too) are even available stateside, but if there is a flavor you fall in love with, be sure to bring a bottle or two home with you!
St. Croix Food and Wine Experience Book – Featuring recipes from Top Chef and Iron Chef contestants and James Beard and A Taste of St. Croix award-winning chefs, this is a keepsake full-color 9×9 cookbook and island guide to St. Croix.
Other posts you might be interested in:
Why You Should Plan a Trip to St. Thomas, USVI
Why You Should Plan a Trip to Barbados
Why You Should Plan a Trip to Kauai
Why You Should Plan a Trip to Tortola
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Pictures and other content may not be re-used without written consent from Rum Therapy, LLC. All information is correct to our knowledge at the time of writing, but be sure to verify current information before your visit.
