St. Croix is in the beautiful Caribbean, in
the United States Virgin Islands. All in all, there are about fifty
islands; some big, some not so big, some merely rocks jutting out
of the clear blue sea.
The three principal islands
are St. Croix, St. John and St. Thomas. St. Croix is the largest,
and lies entirely in the Caribbean sea. St. John and St. Thomas
are next to each other thirty-five miles away, between the Atlantic
and the Caribbean. |
St. Croix is approximately
1500 miles south/southeast of New York City and 1100 miles east/southeast
of Miami. The eastern tip of St. Croix is the easternmost Atlantic
point of the United States.
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The Virgin Islands date back
to Columbus’ second voyage in 1493. Because of their incredible,
unspoiled beauty, he called them "The Virgins," with reference to
the legend of St. Ursula and her beautiful 11,000 Virgins.
The weather is always comfortable,
making St. Croix an ideal destination for a vacation the year round.
Winter: the islands are far enough south to be assured of warm weather—an
average mean temperature in the winter of 770F (250C). Summer: there
is a steadiness of the trade winds, blowing almost without exception
from an easterly direction— and an average mean temperature
of 820F (270C).
Almost 2 million visitors come each year to the Virgin Islands,
the perfect place for a vacation. There is a wide range of accommodations,
excellent sports, a selection of other things to do, and a reputation
for the best shopping in the Caribbean. And the people are among
the friendliest in this part of the world.
Visitor Information
| Clothing |
The
ambience is "casual chic", meaning you can dress
up or down as you please. Swimwear or similarly abbreviated
attire within the city limits is against the law.
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| Currency |
Since
St. Croix is part of the United States, the currency is the
U.S. dollar. Traveler’s checks and major credit cards
are widely accepted.
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| Dining &
Entertainment
|
Dining
in St. Croix is truly world-class, and ranges from French
to Japanese to Italian to Chinese. Be sure to try some of
the West Indian specialties—including fresh fish and
lobster. And entertainment ranges from get-together bars with
folk singers to the best in calypso to sophisticated dance
clubs. |
| Driving
|
In a
carryover from Danish rule, traffic keeps to the left. To
drive here, you need a valid stateside driver’s license.
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| Electric Current |
Standard
North American, 120 volt/60 cycle.
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| Government |
The
United States Virgin Islands is an unincorporated Territory
with a non-voting Delegate to the House of Representatives.
There are three Government branches: Executive, Legislative
and Judicial. All persons born here are citizens of the United
States.
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| Language"s" |
Being
part of the U.S., the languages are English & Spanish.
The local lilt given to English is referred to as "calypso."
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| Marrying in
St. Croix!
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Everything
can be arranged—from clergy to music to videotape to
reception. Contact one of the offices of the Division of Tourism
for details. |
| St. Croix
|
Largest
of the United States Virgin Islands, 82 square miles in area,
with two distinct towns to visit: Christiansted and Frederiksted.
Also of special interest: St. George’s Botanical Gardens,
a Rain Forest, the restored Whim Greathouse, a rum distillery,
and Buck Island—with the only United States National
Monument (we call it a "National Park") that is
underwater.
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| Shopping |
With
no customs duties on tourism-related items (such as watches,
cameras, fine jewelry, china and leather goods) the Virgin
Islands is truly a free port for the visitor. There’s
no luxury tax or sales tax, either. And since they’re
part of the United States, U.S. citizens are allowed a duty-free
shopping quota of $1200—twice that of any other island
in the Caribbean—three times that of Europe. And the
shopping is truly world-class—with names to drop including
Cartier, Gucci and Louis Vuitton.
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| Sports
|
What
would you like to do? Swim, sail, dive, snorkel, play golf,
go parasailing, play tennis, go fishing or horseback riding—
it’s all available in St. Croix.
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| Time |
The
Virgin Islands are in the Atlantic Standard Time Zone, which
is one hour ahead of Eastern Standard Time.
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| Travel Arrangements
|
St.
Croix is easily reached from where you are right now. For
example, we’re 3 1/2 hours nonstop from NYC via American
Airlines; 3 1/2 hours nonstop from Newark via American or
Continental; 3 1/2 hours nonstop from Raleigh/Durham via American;
3 1/2 hours nonstop from Baltimore via USAir; 2 1/2 hours
nonstop from Atlanta via Delta; 2 1/2 hours nonstop from Miami
via American. And any flight into San Juan, Puerto Rico connects
into St. Croix/St. Thomas on convenient commuter airlines.
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| Travel Formalities
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There
is no regulation requiring a U.S. citizen to have a passport
but it is always your best I.D. when traveling. In any case,
some form of identification (voter’s card, birth certificate
or passport) should be carried to evidence citizenship. Citizens
of any country outside the U.S. should follow regulations
required by the U.S. for their country. |
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