traveldk.com

Take a trip back in time to the Lawaetz family estate (seeCarl & Marie Lawaetz Museum) in Little LaGrange, managed by the St. Croix Landmarks Society with Lawaetz family members often serving as tour guides. Carl Lawaetz, originally from Denmark, bought the property in 1896 after serving six years as its overseer. Marie arrived from Denmark in 1902 after Carl courted her long distance. Their gardens and furnishings, now antiques, remain to remind visitors of another era.

History and commerce come together in this charming town. Historic Fort Christianvaern casts its shadow over Christiansted National Historic Site, but the past permeates the entire town (seeFort Christianvaernand;Christiansted National Historic Siteand also;Historic Christiansted). Stroll by pastel buildings dating from the 18th and 19th centuries, then segue off to a delightful lunch at a fine or casual restaurant. Small shops with eclectic merchandise offer an afternoon’s diversion.

A stop at the Cruzan Rum Distillery gives you a glimpse into the island’s rum-based history as well as the present. The distillery, now owned by a liquor conglomerate and using modern methods, still has enough old buildings to make it a worthwhile visit. Your tour through the rum-making process ends with a free rum tasting; you can also shop for rum (seeCruzan), rum cakes, and t-shirts at its store.

St. Croix’s second town, Frederiksted (seeHistoric Frederiksted) is more like a sleepy village that seems to come alive only when a rare cruise ship pulls up to the pier. That makes its waterfront Strand Street and the few other streets ideal for strolling. The huge Fort Frederik is a good place to start. It has a few exhibits and the usual guns, but it is also home to the quirky Virgin Islands Police Museum. The park out front is a good spot for a break.

The sun rises first over the US at Point Udall, the easternmost point in St. Croix. While windswept vistas are the reason to go, the area also features a monument erected for the 2000 Millennium celebration. A downhill hike to the remote Jack and Isaac Bays starts off from near the parking lot. The bays’ inaccessibility makes them safe for hikers who worry about undesirable elements lurking at the next bend in the trail.

Almost undeveloped, this 948- acre seaside park is where Christopher Columbus sent a party ashore to look for fresh water on his second trip through the New World in 1493 (seeChristopher Columbus Arrives in USVI & BVI). A skirmish with the Carib Indians resulted, with Columbus’s men getting the worst of it. A small hill on the eastern side of the parking area is what remains of an old Dutch earth fort. For more historical information, follow the signs to the Visitor’s Center.

Leading uphill along the island’s ridge, Scenic Road (Route 78) runs east–west from Route 80 near Salt River to Ham’s Bluff Road outside Frederiksted. It intersects paved roads several times, so you don’t have to make the entire 8-or-so-mile (13 km) of this mostly dirt road. Rent a vehicle with four-wheel drive and high clearance to navigate Scenic Road. You’ll find no development along this route, just forest flora and fauna with an occasional fine view. The solitude is stunning.

Built on the ruins of a 19th-century plantation, this lovely 17-acre spot features more than 1,500 native and exotic species of plants, including 60 stunning orchid species. Even if you’re not into botany, the plants are beautiful to look at and the location tranquil. Those keen on history will enjoy exploring the workers’ village, factory, and other buildings standing since sugarcane grew in the surrounding fields.

With a shopping center that’s home to a Kmart department store, grocery stores, movie theaters, and fast food places, Sunny Isle and its environs are the heart of the island’s economy. Go there for a gander at island life. Visitors find it a great place to shop for incidentals at better prices than in hotel or in-town shops, and it’s a convenient lunch stop on your drive from Christiansted to Frederiksted.

The showpiece of the island’s plantation history, Whim Plantation Museum (seeWhim Plantation Museum) typifies plantations established by the Danish West Indian Company in the 1730s. Planters first grew cotton, but records show that by 1754 sugar was the main crop, a status it enjoyed until the 1920s. Refurbished by the St. Croix Landmarks Society, the plantation has an oval great house full of antiques. The outbuildings spread over its 12 acres include a windmill, sugar factory, and kitchen. Sugarcane still grows in nearby fields.