St. Thomas Tours not Focused on Beaches & Snorkeling

[donaldsc]

This is going to sound like a dumb question but here goes.  We are taking a 10 day Viking Ocean Caribbean cruise in February.  We are doing it not because we really want to do a Caribbean cruise but we want to check out Viking Ocean cruises so we can decide if we want to make Viking Ocean our future go to cruise line and this was a conveniently located cruise.  It isn't that we don't want to go to the Caribbean but it is just that we really aren't interested in beaches and snorkeling.

 

With that opening, does anyone have any suggestion for interesting tours on St. Thomas - cultural, historical, nature related, arty and maybe even food tours.  I wouldn't want to rule out tours on boats but we don't want to spend our day in St. Thomas lying on the beach or in the water.

 

Thanks.  DON

[Ms411]

The St Thomas Historical Trust offers very interesting walking tours and a tour to historic Hassel Island by boat that includes a hike up Signal Hill. You have to reserve through their website at StThomasHistoricalTrust.org. They also have a free museum.

 

The 81C Art Gallery may also offer historical walking tours, but I know less about them. They're on Facebook so that's where you can probably find current info. They're not usually open during weekdays, though.

 

There is a food tour company that gets good reviews. I think it's St Thomas Food Tours, but you can confirm on Google.

 

There's also a super cool Pirate Shipwreck Museum with quite a few artifacts found from wrecked ships. Fun interactive exhibits. Great for adults and kids.

 

There's also a small museum in Frenchtown which is a few blocks from the town of Charlotte Amalie. I like that museum because it celebrates the people who live/lived in the area, and many families donated the items in the museum. Also free, but donations welcome.

 

If the fort is open and they are offering guided tours, that's another option. They are trying to create audio tour, but don't know when that may be available.

 

A great gallery in town is the Creative Native. You should Google and Facebook for details. Beautiful!

 

The synagogue is another very popular historical attraction in town of Charlotte Amalie. 

 

Lots of interesting land options!

 

[Ms411]

"Nature related". There is a botanical garden that you can visit by taxi or by renting a car for the day. You would have to google/Facebook that one, too, because I'm not too familiar with it. 

 

Virgin Islands Ecotours offers a kayak tour through a mangrove area which can include a walk on a tiny island so you can experience the nature there, but it also includes snorkeling but no beach. They have a website with lots of info. Guides provide history of the area, importance of mangroves, and identify local plants and sea life. The mangroves on many Caribbean islands have been destroyed so this is an informative experience as to why they should be protected.

 

Coral World has lots of interactive animal encounters, but it has "captive" dolphins so is controversial and some people discourage visiting. It is small, but very educational if you attend the "talks" which are on the schedule they give you at the entrance. Google for more info.

 

There may be more activities offered by February because there are supposedly some in the works so check back early 2023!