St Croix This Week / St. Croix Maps / Walking Tours / Touring Frederiksted

Touring Frederiksted

Getting West
St. Croix' West End offers beautiful sandy, calm beaches, great snorkeling and wreck or pier diving, spectacular sunsets, and the lush subtropical forest. You can reach Frederiksted with its quaint, historic town architecture in several ways. The four-lane Melvin Evans Highway is your speediest route, if you are coming from the east. Most drivers take Queen Mary Highway (Centerline Road), which also takes you to the St. George Village Botanical Garden, the Cruzan Rum Factory, and Whim Plantation Museum, all just off the Queen Mary Highway.

Getting into Frederiksted
From Queen Mary Highway, turn right at the traffic light at Hannah's Rest. From the end of Melvin Evans Highway, turn right and continue north through the traffic light. Turn left at the Post Office (this is Fisher Street).

Frederiksted town is rebounding, thanks to a recent $14 million revitalization project. To get to Strand Street, Fort Frederik and the beautifully landscaped waterfront and the Pier, turn right just before the fishermen's boat ramp and market shed at the end of Fisher Street. This is a great starting point for a walking tour of the town with its many historic buildings.

Getting South of Town
To reach the beautiful beaches, restaurants and lodgings south of town, turn left at the fishermen's boat ramp. At the end of this road is the Vincent F. Mason, Sr. Coral Resort public beach facility.

Getting North of Town
North of town are several wonderful beaches and eateries where you can toast the famous Green Flash at sunset. You can pick up Route 63 along the water north of the Fort, or if you want to bypass the town when coming from the Queen Mary Highway, take the La Grange Road, Route 63, by turning rights just after Whim Museum.

Off the Beaten Track
You can also travel west through the rainforest on Route 76, Mahogany Road (which farther east is Route 72, Midland Road). If you are a bit adventurous, turn off on 765 or 763 (see signs for Creque Dam Farm and Mt. Victory Camp, both worth a visit).

Take Creque Dam Road (Route 58) through scenic valleys and under towering trees. This road is passable by car, but narrow and a bit rough. The rainforest can be explored by car, 4 WD (unpaved West Scenic Road can be impassable after heavy rains) or on horseback. Among area attractions are the Lawaetz Family Museum and lovely gardens at Estate Little La Grange, the impressive Estate Mt. Washington ruins, the nearby giant baobab trees at Butler Bay, and the infamous beer-drinking pigs!

Touring Frederiksted
Your tour of Frederiksted begins at Fort Frederik by the cruise ship pier and newly revitalized waterfront. Construction on the Fort began in 1752 and was completed in 1760. Featuring a museum with several permanent exhibits and an art gallery, it is open weekdays from 8:30 am to 4 p.m. There is a small admission charge.

Governor General Peter von Scholten proclaimed the emancipation of the enslaved population in the Danish West Indies on July 3, 1848, from adjacent Buddhoe Park. The park contains a bronze bust of the renowned slave rebellion leader.

The Oscar E. Henry Customs House was built in the 1800's. The building is undergoing renovations. The Visitors' Bureau, normally located here, has been temporarily moved to an upstairs location in the courtyard of a nearby building on Strand Street. The Freedom Fountain facing the pier was installed for the Emancipation 150th anniversary celebration. In a historic light blue building down a block is the Caribbean Museum Center for the Arts.

After severe damage during a labor insurrection in 1878, the town was rebuilt in Victorian style. Victoria House on Strand Street and Apothecary Hall on King Cross Street between King and Queen Streets preserve the Frederiksted architecture of that time. Frederiksted is home to a number of historic churches, including St. Paul's Anglican Church, Holy Trinity Lutheran Chruch, Friedensberg Moravian Church, and St. Patrick's Catholic Church.

The newly restored Old Danish School on Hospital Street and Market Street is a handsome building. At Strand and Queen Cross Streets is the Athalie McFarlane Petersen Public Library, built in 1803. The Market Place is still in use today, as it was in 1751 at the founding of Frederiksted.

There are ATMs at the Scotiabank and First Bank locations on Strand Street. After hours, swipe your card at the door to get inside.

The Frederiksted waterfront is home to Sunset Jazz concerts, held the third Friday of the month from 5:30 to 8 p.m.. Admission is free to the public. A public beach with showers and bathrooms is next to Fort Frederik.

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