Things to Do in U.S. Virgin Islands (2026)

U.S. Virgin Islands · VI

Rainbow Beach

Rainbow Beach is St. Croix's serviced west-coast beach: a stretch of pale, soft sand where the island's own landmass shelters the sea into a wide, calm pool. About a mile north of Frederiksted on the coast road, it is the rare Caribbean beach you can reach with nothing in your bag—rental racks and a toes-in-the-sand bar sit just steps from the water—and it faces due west, so the day has a built-in finale. The appeal is ease more than spectacle. The water stays flat almost year-round because the trade winds have no open fetch to build waves against in this lee, the entry shelves gently over sand, and the high salt content makes floating effortless. It is a beach for swimming, lounging, drinking something cold and watching the sun drop into the sea, with a modest nearshore reef there for anyone who wants to put a mask on.

U.S. Virgin Islands · VI

Frederiksted

Frederiksted is the small, grid-planned western town on St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands—a former Danish colonial port whose brightly painted buildings, historic fort, and walkable waterfront give visitors an intimate encounter with Caribbean heritage. Unlike its larger twin Christiansted on the island's north shore, Frederiksted feels unhurried and authentic: a place where sugar-plantation history, a living arts scene, and turquoise shallows all converge within a few blocks. The town was designed in the mid-1700s by surveyor Jens Beckfor, originally planned for 14×14 blocks but built to 7×7 to boost island commerce. It takes its name from Danish King Frederik V, who approved its establishment in 1751. Today the compact grid makes everything easy to explore on foot—colorful colonial facades, churches representing four denominations, and the waterfront promenade where the Caribbean meets the town.

Beach

U.S. Virgin Islands · VI

Annaberg Beach

Annaberg Beach is a white-sand stretch on the north shore of St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands, tucked between the ruins of a grand Danish sugar plantation and the calm waters of Leinster Bay. Managed by the National Park Service as part of Virgin Islands National Park, it offers a rare pairing: a beautiful beach day anchored by one of the Caribbean's most significant historic sites. The beach sits at the waterfront of the former Annaberg Plantation, once the largest sugar-producing estate on St. John. Today its windmill tower, factory walls, and slave quarters stand as a dramatic backdrop to swimming and snorkeling. A short walk along the Leinster Bay Trail leads to Waterlemon Cay, widely considered the best land-accessible snorkeling on the island.

Island

U.S. Virgin Islands · VI

Waterlemon Cay

Waterlemon Cay is a small, green-topped island sitting just offshore from Leinster Bay on the North Shore of St. John, and it is widely considered the best snorkeling spot you can reach on foot in the US Virgin Islands. A healthy fringing reef wraps the cay in shallow turquoise water teeming with sea turtles, rays, starfish, parrotfish, and dense coral gardens — but getting there is part of the experience: a flat coastal hike followed by a short open-water swim.

Beach

U.S. Virgin Islands · VI

Whistle Beach

Whistle Beach is a tiny, hidden pocket of sand on St. Croix's north-east shore, tucked just a couple of miles outside Christiansted inside the manicured greens of The Buccaneer's golf course. Reachable only by a short walk over a low hill and through the brush, it is the quiet island escape that most visitors sail right past—exactly the kind of secluded, barely-crowded cove that rewards a little effort with a sense of having found your own stretch of the Caribbean. What you gain in privacy you don't pay for in comfort: there are no facilities here at all. This is a deliberately simple, bare-foot beach of soft, fine sand and calm, clear turquoise water—ideal for swimming, floating and snorkeling in peace, provided you bring everything you need and plan to carry it out again.

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A little more
of U.S. Virgin Islands.

Rainbow Beach

Frederiksted

Annaberg Beach

Waterlemon Cay

Whistle Beach

Finding your next place…

A little more
of U.S. Virgin Islands.

Rainbow Beach

Frederiksted

Annaberg Beach

Waterlemon Cay

Whistle Beach