Things to do in  St Thomas

Located at the top of St. Peter Mountain is the oldest, highest, and one of the most popular attractions on St. Thomas, the aptly named Mountain Top. Mountain Top features a massive duty free shop, a bar known for its banana daiquiris, and an observation deck that offers sweeping views over Magens Bay from 1,500 feet (457 meters.

Located on the eastern end of St. Thomas, Sapphire Beach is one of the most popular beaches on the island. Featuring stellar views and a long stretch of pretty white sand, it’s an ideal beach for relaxing and sunbathing, snorkeling, and a variety of water sports. Numerous amenities and rentals make for an easy and enjoyable day out.

Named after Sir Francis Drake, who was said to have used the spot to look for enemy ships, Drake’s Seat was built in 1933 by Arthur Fairchild and offers one of the best views of St. Thomas. Located just minutes from Charlotte Amalie, it offers sweeping views of Magens Bay and the British Virgin Islands.

Water Island officially joined the US Virgin Islands in 1996. The fourth and smallest isle of the four, it is by no means boring. At roughly 490 acres (200 hectares) and home to about 175 residents, Water Island is a less touristed destination in the island chain, offering idyllic beaches and lazy-day vibes.

Located along the southeastern shore of St. Thomas, Secret Harbour Beach Resort is set in a secluded cove in Nazareth Bay. Featuring a pretty white sand beach and crystalline waters, it’s a popular spot for sunbathing, snorkeling, and other water sports, such as scuba diving, paddleboarding, and kayaking.

Thanks to its curving arc of white sand and its bright blue water, Magens Bay is St. Thomas’ most popular beach. The area is surrounded by forests and palm trees, and the bay offers calm waves for swimming and kayaking. For stunning views of the bay’s unusual rectangular shape and mile of beach, head to the nearby Mountain Top lookout.

On Water Island, south of St. Thomas, Honeymoon Beach curves around the clear waters of Druiff Bay. Soft white sand and swaying palm trees invite visitors to linger in this peaceful tropical paradise, while a bustling beach bar offers amenities, sustenance, and many different ways to play.

Coki Beach is considered St. Thomas’ party beach and is always full of families, revelers, and vendors. Snorkelers and scuba divers love the clear water and sea creatures here, while beach-goers enjoy the white sands, sunshine, and wandering vendors who offer drinks and snacks, souvenirs, sunscreen, and hair braiding.

One of the top family-friendly attractions in the US Virgin Islands, Coral World Ocean Park combines both indoor and outdoor observation facilities which showcase the region’s diverse and plentiful marine life. Highlights include the hermit crab, starfish, and sea cucumber touch pool and the 50,000-gallon Deep Reef Tank, home to moray eels, tarpon, and plenty of sharks.

High above Charlotte Amalie is Skytsborg (“sky tower”), a round defensive tower built by the Danish in 1679 to watch for enemy ships which might attack Fort Christian and other harbor settlements. While there was a real pirate called Blackbeard (Edward Teach) who prowled nearby waters, his association with the site owes more to tradition than history. And anyway, who needs a history lesson when you have one of the great Caribbean views laid out before you. The visual feast encompasses dramatic green slopes, bobbing yachts, hulking cruise ships and outlying islands. Facilities at the site include a swimming pool and snack bar.

A historic fortress built in the history-rich St. Thomas town of Charlotte Amalie, Fort Christian has been a cultural highlight here since 1672 and acts as one of the finest treasure troves of ancient artifacts in the small Caribbean island’s long history. This Danish-built fortress serves as a beautiful example of Dutch-Caribbean architecture in the Gothic-Revival style and as a modern-day museum.

During early colonization of the Caribbean, tall ships used huge stones as ballast in their hulls, then offloaded them while stocking up on spices and other goods, leaving the stones as a reminder of their visit. Residents of Charlotte Amalie in St. Thomas then used these stones to build steep stairways such as 99 Steps up the town’s hills.

Hull Bay on St. Thomas is all about snorkeling the neighboring reef, swinging in a beach hammock, and unwinding at a cool little beach bar. There’s fishing off nearby Inner and Outer Brass Cays, and the Atlantic whips up waves for some of the island’s best surfing. Hull Bay doesn’t attract the crowds of nearby Magens Bay, so the vibe is more laid-back and off-the-beaten-path.

Located on the western edge of St Thomas’ harbor, Hassel Island was once part of a peninsula. But the Danish government decided that separating it from St Thomas would create better water circulation in the harbor, so in the 1860s Hassel Island was born. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers widened the channel again in 1919, further separating the island from St Thomas. Today, it is primarily a national park and a popular spot with visitors to St Thomas. Hassel Island is best explored via a kayaking, hiking or snorkeling tour, all of which give visitors a combination of a history lesson and an eco-adventure. And although it is primarily governed as a national park, there are several private estates on the remaining land, including a 10-acre compound with three houses totaling 15,000 square feet. The historic district encompasses the entire island and includes ruins from early 19th-century English fortifications and 19th-century shipping and coal stations. Important ruins of note include Shipley’s Battery (Fort Shipley), a key reminder of Britain’s presence and rule during the Napoleonic Wars in the early 1800s, and the Creques Marin Railway remains, built in the 1860s. Hassel Island was home to a U.S. naval station from 1917 until 1932, when the island was purchased by a family to provide water for its distilleries. By the 1940s, the family owned 125 of the 135 acres and was receiving (and turning down) hefty offers from Korea and Germany to purchase the island. It was ultimately sold to the Virgin Islands National Park in 1978, preserving it for visitors today. Please note: Official tours to Hassel Island have been temporarily halted due to damages incurred during hurricanes Maria and Irma.

Located in the hills of St. Thomas, Phantasea Tropical Botanical Garden is a tropical plant-lovers paradise. It's home to more than 1,200 species, including more than 1,000 orchids, bromeliads, heliconias, gingers, palms, aroids, and succulents. The garden offers classes, workshops, retail and plant sales, and refreshments.