St. Croix

Less densely populated that neighboring St. Thomas, 50,000 people call St. Croix home. At just over 87 square miles it is the largest of the three islands collectively known as the US Virgin Islands and is the easternmost point in the US territories. Purchased along with St. Thomas and St. John from Denmark in 1916 for $25 million in gold to form what today is the USVI.

Beautiful mangroves and coral reefs ring the island, providing a backdrop for abundant sea life, including migrant sea turtles and making St. Croix a haven for scuba diving and fishing enthusiasts from all over the world. There are also two of only seven known bioluminescent bays in the Caribbean on St. Croix. These “Bio Bays” are different from each other and must be seen to be believed. Buck Island, just north of St. Croix is also breeding ground for the lemon shark and is a protected national monument.

Nicknamed “Twin City” for the two towns on either end of the island, Frederiksted on the western end and Christiansted on the east solidify the Danish influence that is the heritage of this small Caribbean island.

Many festivals and carnivals occur throughout the year on St. Croix. Mardi Gras is very important on the island, but the largest festival is the Crucian Christmas Carnival which is celebrated in late December and early January every year. Jazz music is featured in monthly festivals in Frederiksted and “Jump Up” night time festivals occur several times a year in Christiansted.

Cruzan Rum has been distilled on St. Croix since 1760. This dark rum had always been distilled using locally grown sugar cane, but to meet global demand, Cruzan now uses sugar cane molasses imported from other countries such as South America to distill it’s single barrel, premium rum.