Our ship departed sometime after 10pm on Sunday night and we pulled into the St. Thomas port bright and early Monday morning. This was the first stop on our southeastern Caribbean cruise. St Thomas is one of the United States Virgin Islands in the Caribbean along with St. John and St. Croix. We elected to tour St. Thomas on our own instead of doing a ship excursion. We were only at port from 7am-5pm, and our check in time to get back on the ship was at 4:30pm, therefore we had about a nine hours to explore the island. St. Thomas is a beautiful island and there is plenty to do between shopping, snorkeling, and sightseeing.
Welcome to St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands!This West Indian Company monument is located as soon as you get off the cruise ship at Havensight. It represents the days that St. Thomas was an important trading port for sailing ships.“The Little Mermaid” is located as soon as you get off the ship. This is one of many replicas created by Danish Sculptor Edvard Erikson. It represents the danish heritage of St. Thomas. St. Thomas was a danish territory from 1666 until 1917 when the United States bought it for $25 million in gold.The first thing on our to do list was to hail a cab to Magen’s Bay, which is a very popular beach on St. Thomas. This is one of the many views from the taxi ride to Magen’s Bay. The taxi rates are set by the government in St. Thomas, so it is a flat rate to a certain location. From the pier to Magen’s Bay it was $8 a person one way. In St. Thomas, they steering wheel is on the correct side of the vehicle, however they drive on the opposite side of the road than we do. Needless to say, it was a very interesting ride to the beach.The world famous Magen’s Bay! No words can describe it and pictures do not do it justice, the view is absolutely breathtaking. As you can see, there is no one in the water or on the beach. We went first thing in the morning before it became crowded and it was so enjoyable. There is a $2 entrance fee to enter Magen’s Bay, and it is worth every penny. The water is so clear, it is like swimming in a pool.The Alvaro de Lugo Post Office is also known as the Emancipation Garden Post Office and was built between 1937 and 1938. This is the main post office of St. Thomas and is located in downtown Charlotte Amalie.Located off a side street in Charlotte Amalie is the infamous 99 steps (there are actually 103) and they lead to Blackbeard’s Castle. These steps were built around 1700 and the bricks used to build the steps were brought from Denmark as ballast in the hulls of the ships.As we were walking to Blackbeard’s Castle we came across numerous street signs like the one seen here.In between the 99 steps and Blackbeard’s Castle is life-sized bronze sculptures of three women and a fountain called “Three Queens” that was installed in 2005. Mary, Agnes, and Matilda were three former slaves that led a labor revolt in 1878, known as “FIREBURN”, against the Danish Government for better working and living conditions.Blackbeard’s Castle is one of five historic landmarks in the U.S. Virgin Islands. It was built in 1679 and was used as a watchtower for Charlotte Amalie. It was originally known as Skysborg tower and is located at the highest point on Government hill. The origin of how the name changed from Skysborg to Blackbeard’s Castle is unknown, but the rumor is that Blackbeard used this tower as a lookout. When we were there, Blackbeard’s Castle was actually closed and it is up for sale, therefore, we did not get to tour it.These steps are located beside the Government Building in Charlotte Amalie. Charlotte Amalie is the largest city and the capital of St. Thomas.The Government House of St. Thomas is located in Charlotte Amalie and was built between 1865 and 1867. It is open 8-5 on weekdays and you can go in and tour the first floor.The oldest church building on St. Thomas is the Frederick Evangelical Lutheran Church. It is located just off Main Street in Charlotte Amalie and is the second oldest Lutheran Church in the western hemisphere. The congregation was founded in 1666, but the original sanctuary opened in 1793. The church has been refurbished twice, once in 1826 and again in 1870. The church is still in use today.This was painted outside the Lutheran Church in the parking lot.Fort Christian is the oldest standing structure in the Virgin Islands. It was built between 1672 and 1680 and was actually used as the government building and residence until the mid 1800’s. Unfortunately the fort has been closed since 2005 due to a renovation project, therefore, we did not get to tour the fort.Emancipation Garden is located in downtown Charlotte Amalie near all the shopping. It was built to commemorate the freeing of the slaves on July 3, 1848. This statue is of Denmark’s King Christian IX and is located in the very center of the park.A replica of the Liberty Bell is located in the Emancipation Gardens. In 1950, the United States cast 53 full-size replicas of the Liberty Bell and spread them out throughout the states, territories, and Washington D.C. This Liberty Bell is identical in dimensions, inscriptions, and tone as the original Liberty Bell.While walking around Emancipation Park, we stopped and asked some locals where the best place to eat was and they said “Gladys Bar.” It is located back a little side street in Royal Dane Mall Shopping Center and can be easily missed.The was a quaint, little, and delicious place to eat. Mom ordered the Mahi Mahi sandwich and she said it was wonderful! Gladys ‘ is open Mon-Sat 7am-5pm and Sunday 8am-3pm.The Mahogany bar inside Gladys’ Bar and Restaurant.This is the oldest structure in Royal Dane Mall built in 1831. It is made from local stone and imported brick.A beautiful view of the small streets in between the buildings in downtown Charlotte Amalie.As we were walking back to the ship, this was the view of the harbor. The water is absolutely beautiful in St. Thomas.Havensight is the area where the ship docks. There are a few restaurants and some shopping in this area.I love this picture of them walking through the Havensight shopping area to get back on the ship.This is a huge weaved basket located in the Havensight shopping area at the St. Thomas cruise terminal.This is a view from the ship as we were leaving port.This is another view of St. Thomas from the ship as we were leaving the port. St. Thomas is only 31 square miles and in the nine hours that we were there we only got to see a small portion of it. The small portion that we did see is absolutely beautiful and I would highly recommend visiting St. Thomas.
