• 

St. Thomas has some skeletons in its closet, namely its history as a haven for pirates, and the fact that it once hosted the largest slave market in the world. But these days it’s all about the tourists. And there are lots of them. St. Thomas is the place for travelers who want to see the US Virgin Islands at its busiest.

Charlotte Amalie, the capital of the US Virgin Islands is here on St. Thomas. It is a crowded waterfront town, bustling with the cruise ship passengers darting about the massive Main Street shopping center. But look beyond the mayhem and one finds a picturesque setting of red roofed houses, and a pastiche of Danish, Dutch, Spanish and French architectural touches. Outside the city, forested hills loom over blue watered coves and idyllic white sand beaches. National Geographic has called Magens Bay Beach one of the most beautiful beaches on earth. One can party like a pirate on St. Thomas, and cap off the day by sleeping in Bluebeard’s castle – a 19th century tower now converted into a hotel and restaurant. If a night of island debauchery inspires the need for atonement, one can pilgrimage to All Saints Anglican Church, built in 1848 from locally quarried stone and discarded ballast from merchant ships.