Things to do in Saint John

Located a mere four miles away from St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands is its sister island, St. John. There are a total of four major districts that divide St. John, which include Central, Coral Bay, Cruz Bay and East End, each of which represent the island’s rich culture and flourishing tourism. Cruz Bay is the most populated district and is best known for Mongoose Junction, an upscale shopping area that sells everything from clothing to shell crafts.

To visitors and locals alike, St. John is considered the wealthiest of the U.S. Virgin Islands due to its luxurious resorts including Caneel Bay. Laurance Rockefeller helped found the resort after he bought and donated most of St. John to the U.S. National Park Service in the 1950s to create the Virgin Islands National Park.

Today, Caneel Bay is one of many places that offers popular water-based activities including snorkeling, scuba diving and kayaking. Many nearby attractions are accessible from the resort through hiking trails, such as Reef Bay Trail, which run past St. John hot spots including Trunk Bay, Turtle Bay and Hawksnest Bay. Tourists can also plan trips to neighboring islands such as Virgin Gorda and Jost Van Dyke by boarding a ferry that is operated daily from St. John’s major harbors.