Things to Do on St. Croix: Day Seven

Welcome to Day 7 of our trip to St Croix – island loop.

Check out our custom itinerary and how we designed it here.
DAY1 – Fly to St. Croix, p/u rental car, stop at Captain Morgan Distillery, check in at Airbnb, free evening
DAY2 – Cane Bay and The Wall
DAY3 – Protestant Cay, downtown Christiansted/boardwalk
DAY4 – Sunrise @ Point Udall, Hike Jack & Isaac Bay (snorkeling)
DAY5 – Tide Pools @ Annaly Bay, Frederiksted Pier
DAY6 – West end of the island: Sandy Point National Wildlife Refuge, Domino Club, Rainbow Beach sunset
****DAY7 – Island Loop: Historic Sites, Estate Mount Washington, Leatherback Brewery and local eats****
DAY8 – Cruzan Rum Distillery, d/o rental car, fly home 

On this seventh day of our trip, we had originally scheduled a snorkeling expedition to Buck Island. We were planning on going through Big Beards Adventure Tour and left booking it to the last minute. Unfortunately, when we called the previous day they informed us they only go out for groups of six or more people. Because we were the only ones who called, they had cancelled the trips for the day. So, our ‘Snorkeling Buck Island’ day will have to wait until our next trip.  But don’t worry, we were still able to fill our day with plenty of adventure on this St Croix island loop!

Another Rainy Day

It would appear we were mislead by the weather that greeted us upon arrival a week ago. Our Airbnb hosts, mention we had been very fortunate in coming into three beautiful days this time of the year. It’s the rainy season here in the Caribbean! We even had to sign a waiver releasing our rental Jeep from any hurricane damages that may have been incurred in the last two days of hurricane season that we would be in possession of the vehicle. But we took the risk given the season is virtually over and the week’s forecast clear of storms. As we awake once again to the sound of rain outside our window, and a day free from any plans, we decided to delve into a couple options we had previously overlooked. 

Christopher Columbus

We set our sites on a couple random sites today. Ultimately, it lead to driving a complete circuit of the island. The island is just over 30 km (~20 miles) across, and maybe 10 km (~5 miles) at it’s widest point. So driving around the island in one day, is a totally feasible goal. So hey, why not? The price of gas on the island was at $2.95/gallon during our trip. This was just above the average price on the mainland. 

We start the morning with a stop at Christopher Columbus’ Landing Site in the Salt Bay area, as we discovered it wasn’t far from our AirBnB. On our drive to this historic spot, we notice Salt Bay is essentially a mangrove forest and step out for moment to evaluate the water conditions. We would have LOVED to snorkel this area but unfortunately the water visibility looked far from favourable. Alas, another activity for our ‘next trip to St. Croix’ list. Ultimately, the lack of snorkel activity works out in giving us a chance to ensure all of our gear is dry for the flight home tomorrow.

As we roll up to the notable site, it is completely desolate. We imagine it looks very much as it did the day Chris Columbus landed! The shore line is covered in seaweed and there’s some obvious storm damage on this north facing beach. We snap some pics and jump back in the car and make our way towards the west end of the island to explore Estate Mount Washington and Hams Bluff Light.

the Baobab Tree

Explorers that we are, we decided to take an alternate/back way to the west end and found ourselves staring at the oldest and largest tree on the island. The Grove Place Baobab Tree, a St. Croix Historic Preservation Committee site. Scientifically, Adansonia digitata, this specimen of tree, common in the Caribbean, originated in West Africa. The Baobab is a very useful species of tree known to provide food, medicine, shelter and serving as a place of worship. This individual marks the site where many women were burned in the labor rebellion of 1878 led by Queen Mary Thomas.  We spend several minutes here, taking it all in. Marveling at the tree’s grandness and local symbolism before continuing on our St Croix island loop.

Finding Estate Mount Washington

We continue on our way, winding through the rainforest, back to Rainbow Beach and up to Estate Mount Washington Plantation. This Danish estate tucked away and can be tricky to find if you aren’t quite sure what you are looking for. The entrance is on a bend along Hams Bluff Road and is marked by a tiny ochre sign indicating “ESTATE MT. WASHINGTON”.

Dating back to 1750, this property was originally designated as a cotton plantation, converting to a sugar plantation in the early 1800s. It remained active into the 1930s and was forgotten about until it was rediscovered in the grips of the rainforest in the early 1980s.

Originally a village of 17 buildings, approximately 10 structures are evident today.
This includes the rum factory, stables, molasses cistern, animal mill, guest cottage, great house, manager’s house and Tranberg Cottage. The revived buildings were decorated in a 19th century style and remain as private residences to this day. Exploring part of the 160 acre plantation was a fun trip back in time. A portion of the property is also an active orchard, with fruit trees that are harvested regularly. It also features a labyrinth, how cool?! And wouldn’t you know, it’s for sale. Check it out! We tour the ruins, take a moment for ourselves in the labyrinth and admire the orchard before making our way. Next stop on our St Croix island loop is Hams Bluff.

Officially Lost?

We get back onto Hams Bluff road and head north toward Hams Bluff proper, in search of the trail to the lighthouse for an afternoon hike. Along the way, Phil notices a blow hole on a rocky part of the beach we are driving along. We pull over and take a couple minutes to be entertained by the natural formation in the coast line with creates a spout of water with the incoming waves. What a neat find!

The road continues to wind along the coast, and we find ourselves at a dead end, headed by some sort of gated, possible active facility (there is a single car in the parking lot and the gate is in rough shape). There is supposed to be a trail head here somewhere which leads up to the lighthouse but given the rainy conditions, we are skeptical of what we are presented with. After some debate, we decide to abandon the current plan and drive around a little more to see if there are any other options. Funnily enough, we find our way back to nearly the same spot along the Scenic Road where we turned around because of the poor condition a couple days previous.  We make the same decision today and pull a 180 back out, towards Rainbow Beach.  

Leatherback Brewing

It begins to pour again. So, we make the decision to swing by Leatherback Brewing Company to sample some of the beers that aren’t currently available in cans. The facility is the first of it’s kind on the island. We are warmly greeted by the staff and decide to order a flight of the beers they have on tap. Here’s what we sampled: Thunderbolt Coffee Porter, Beach Life Ale (Kat’s fave), Oktoberfest, Mango IPA (Phil’s fave), Bush Life, Tamarind Sour, all perfectly local in flavor!  They also provide food options so we order a side of their (delicious!) beer cheese nachos.

We chat with the bartender, learning about the history of the brewery and it’s founders.are invited to walk into the warehouse where they are currently canning their ‘Bush Life’ beer which has essentially sold out in stores across the island. They have produced a total of 17 beers to date and currently have 8 on tap. They also have ‘Reef Life’ and ‘Island Life’ cans and available in stores across the island.

Coming Full Circle

As the rain continues to fall, we jump back in the car and head east to follow through on our plan to complete a loop of the island today. We stop in at Thomas’s Bakery for some tasty, local baked goods. These came in the form of a guava tart, cheese Danish and wheat raisin roll (for less than $4). We continue east, hugging the coast, around Great Pond. Next, we notice a Marine Park Office, located in Estate Great Pond Park. We step out of the car to take a quick look around as we are beginning to lose daylight. It would appear this has the potential to be another interesting snorkeling spot. Unfortunately, we have arrived too late and the office has just closed. Another activity for the ‘next trip to St. Croix’ list.

FUN FACT: 2018 is the ‘International Year of the Reef’, in fact, the third since 1997 when it was first declared. 

We make our way past several more sugar mills and Divi Casino. We had heard the casino was still in disrepair, post-Maria but appeared to be up and running. The road starts to take us north and we find ourselves near Point Udall again. We follow it back, west along the north shore towards Christiansed. Upon another local recommendation, we swing by Susanna Santana/Altona Lagoon, yet ANOTHER spot to re-visit on our next trip! 

Re-visiting Christiansted

It’s dark now and we decide it’s time to settle on a spot for dinner. Not having yet had our fill of local cuisine, we decide to stop in at Kim’s for dinner. Nestled into the downtown area, this little restaurant has seating for about 20 people and they do take out as we saw several people pick up while we dined. They have a solid list of local eats available. We order the pot fish, a fish cooked whole, served in a crucian style red sauce with rice. Additionally, we order a side of macaroni and cheese and plantains, because PLATAINS!!  A perfect last dinner on the Island.

Unfortunately it’s still pouring and walking around downtown becomes less than appealing. So we wrap up our St Croix island loop and head back to our pad for our last night on St. Croix 🙁

HOW DO YOU PLAN FOR RAINY DAYS WHILE ON VACATION?