Literally the Picture of Caribbean Paradise
In the U.S. Virgin Islands, if you want to go shopping, cruise to St. Thomas, and if you want to go back to nature, make a beeline for St. John. But if you want to go back in time, set sail for St. Croix.

View Larger Map

History is more than a footnote on this former Danish crown colony, where the sugar mill ruins and architecture from the 18th and 19th centuries in the harborside towns of Christiansted and Frederiksted are daily reminders of the past. The best way to explore? Follow the road signs of the Heritage Trail, a self-guided driving tour that links attractions and landmarks across the island, from Salt River, (where Columbus landed in 1493 on his second voyage to the New World) to the handsomely restored Whim Greathouse, a window to the island's early plantation life-style.

If history isn't your favorite subject, you can work on your swing at the renowned Carambola Golf Club or hit the beach. For a day trip to remember, take a tour to Buck Island just off the north coast. It's an 800-acre underwater national park, with a pair of outstanding snorkeling trails. And the beach on the island is the prime picnic territory. See more photos of St. Croix, click here.

Stay at the Virgin Islands Sustainable Farm Institute. The farm in St. Croix's pocket-size rainforest welcomes overnight guests in stilted cabanas and in Hawk's Nest. visfi.org

Head west from Christiansted (the drive along the coastal road is a scenic bonus) for a beach that has everything. Cane Bay Beach is best known for its spectacular offshore reef (and the snorkeling and scuba diving that goes with it), but the strand itself is a favorite with locals for sunbathing. There's shade if the sun gets too hot, and a restaurant and a beach bar to provide pit stops between tanning and water-play sessions.

See Frederiksted's lovely Victorian architecture, which arose from a disastrous fire in 1878. The nearby St. George Village Botanical Garden is a showcase of tropical flora, particularly native plants of the Caribbean. The scenic coast north of Frederiksted, past a string of beaches, eventually winds its way to Christiansted. From the yellow-brick ramparts of Fort Christiansvaern, you can look out over the picture-book harbor and plan your own walking through streets lined with 18th-century Danish architecture and West Indian townhouses -- a colorful smorgasbord of shops, galleries, and restaurants.

Salute the sunset at a beach bar on the Christiansted waterfront, and gird yourself for a night of Cruzan cruising. King Cross and Company Streets are party central, where the bars come in all flavors (jazz, disco, reggae, kareoke), and both calypso and steelbands are still popular standbys. "Jump-up" block parties are a long tradition here, and for a little culture to spice the evening, look for a performance of the Caribbean Dance Company, always a memorable celebration of the Afro-West Indian experience.

Learn more at usvitourism.vi.