Discover 11 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Charlotte Amalie (US Virgin Islands). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Fort Christian, St. Thomas Synagogue, and Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral. Also, be sure to include St. Anne Chapel in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Charlotte Amalie (Saint Thomas).
Table of Contents
Fort Christian
Historic fort built by Denmark and Norway. Fort Christian is a Dano-Norwegian-built fort in Charlotte Amalie, Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. Built 1672-1680, early in the first successful colonial establishment on the island, the fort served as a critical point of defense and government during the entire period of Dano-Norwegian, and later Danish, administration, which ended in 1917 with the sale of the islands to the United States. It currently holds the St. Thomas Museum, which holds artifacts and art of the Dano-Norwegian period. It was designated a U.S. National Historic Landmark in 1977.
The fort property was the Charlotte Amalie National Historic Site, also known as St. Thomas National Historic Site, which was a U.S. National Historic Site from December 24, 1960 until February 5, 1975, when it was disbanded and ownership was transferred to Virgin Islands, to be administered as a territorial park. It is a contributing property in the Charlotte Amalie Historic District.[1]
Address: Veterans Dr, Charlotte Amalie
St. Thomas Synagogue
Synagogue in Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands. St. Thomas Synagogue is a historic synagogue at 2116 Crystal Gade, Queens Quarters, in Charlotte Amalie on the island of Saint Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The formal name of the synagogue is Congregation Beracha Veshalom Vegmiluth Hasadim. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1997.[2]
Address: Raadet_s Gade, 00802 Charlotte Amalie
Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral
Cathedral in Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands. Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral is a cathedral of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States Virgin Islands. It is the mother church and seat of the Diocese of Saint Thomas. It is located in the City of Charlotte Amalie.[3]
St. Anne Chapel
The St. Anne Chapel is a Roman Catholic chapel in Frenchtown,Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, in the Diocese of St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands.
It was opened and dedicated on December 25, 1921. It was built thanks to the promotion of Father John Guillo (who came from Michigan in 1918) and Paul Dugal. He celebrated his first communion in 1922, and later that same year, the first couple married there on 29 November.[4]
Cathedral Church of All Saints
Cathedral in Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands. The Cathedral Church of All Saints is an Episcopal cathedral in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, United States. It is the seat of the Diocese of the Virgin Islands and it is located in the City of Charlotte Amalie. The church was built in 1848 in celebration of the end of slavery. The structure was constructed from stone that was quarried on the island. The gothic arched window frames are lined with yellow brick that was used as ballast aboard ships. The bricks were left by merchants on the waterfront to make room on their boats for molasses, sugar, mahogany and rum for their return voyage.[5]
Emancipation Garden
Park in Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands. Emancipation Garden is a park in Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
The park was built to commemorate the freeing of the slaves which took place on July 3, 1848. A commemorative plaque, a bronze bust of a freed slave blowing a conch shell, and a replica of the Liberty Bell are featured. The park was also ringed with a fence of old ships' anchor chain and cannons recovered from the harbor.
The park is surrounded by historical buildings, including the Emancipation Garden Post Office and Government House. Official government ceremonies are frequently held here.
The trees shading the park are lignum vitae, one of the hardest and slowest growing trees on earth, and commonly used in colonial times as foundation posts for island buildings.
The gazebo hosts concerts and other activities throughout the year, including a free concert by Jimmy Cliff in 1980.[6]
Hassel Island
Island in the United States Virgin Islands. Hassel Island is a small island of the U.S. Virgin Islands, a United States territory located in the Caribbean Sea. Hassel Island lies in the Charlotte Amalie harbor just south of Saint Thomas and east of Water Island, with which it is part of the sub-district of Water Island.
The roughly 136-acre (550,000 m2) island was once a peninsula of Saint Thomas, known as Orkanhullet (Hurricane Hole). Hassel Island was separated by the Danish government in 1860, and named for the Hassel family who owned much of the estate.
In March 2012, the MTV's reality TV series The Real World was filmed for its twenty-seventh season on Hassel Island. It is the only season that the television series has filmed in the Caribbean. The season completed its filming two months later in May 2012. In 2015, that land was purchased to be used as a lot for a home. There are under five homes built on this island. It does not seem to be a fast growing populous place, but rather a more secluded and private island.[7]
Blacbeard's Castle
Historic tower with tours and harbor views. Blackbeard's Castle is one of five National Historic Landmarks in the U.S. Virgin Islands. It is located in the city of Charlotte Amalie, on the island of St. Thomas. Erected in 1679 by the Danes as a watchtower to protect the harbor as well as Fort Christian, Blackbeard's Castle was originally called Skytsborg. It is located at the highest point of Government Hill. Skytsborg served as a very effective vantage point for Danish soldiers to spot enemy ships. Fort Christian is at sea level, thus making it ideal for thwarting attackers with cannon fire; however, the fort itself did not provide an ideal view of incoming ships entering the harbor.
It is not known what year Skytsborg took on the name of Blackbeard's Castle, but the infamous Edward Teach, commonly known as Blackbeard, did sail the Caribbean waters in the early 18th century. It has become part of the lore of the island that he used the tower as a lookout for his own purposes of piracy. It was the centerpiece of a private residence for many years, and was turned into a hotel, but is no longer open to the public.[8]
Hamburg-America Shipping Line Administrative Offices
The Hamburg-America Shipping Line Administrative Offices, also known as United States District Courts Building, in Charlotte Amalie in Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, was built in 1914. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.
It was built for the Hamburg-Amerikanische Packetfahrt Aktien Gesellschaft and held offices for the Superintendent Counsul and also for the Imperial German Consulate. The German connection was lost when the U.S. purchased the Virgin Islands from Denmark just prior to joining World War I against Germany.
It is a two-story reinforced concrete building about 82 by 75 feet (25 m × 23 m) in plan, with eight bays on its east and west facades and six on its south facade.
Designed by German architect Fritz Klein, it is one of the United States' earlier examples of Modern architecture.
In 1978 it housed the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service, the U.S. Marshal Service, and the U.S. District Court.[9]
Creque Marine Railway
The Creque Marine Railway, formerly the "St Thomas Marine Repair Facility", is an inclined-plane ship railway on Hassel Island, in the bay of Charlotte Amalie off the coast of St. Thomas Island, in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Its site is below Fort Shipley, within Virgin Islands National Park.[10]
Charlotte Amalie Historic District
The Charlotte Amalie Historic District in Charlotte Amalie in Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands is a 165.3 acres historic district which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.
The district then included 574 contributing buildings, three contributing structures, and a contributing object. It included the entire Charlotte Amalie National Historic Site (also known as St. Thomas National Historic Site, which was a National Historic Site from December 24, 1960 until February 5, 1975, when it was disbanded and transferred to Virgin Islands, to be administered as a territorial park). It also included the entire local Charlotte Amalie Historic and Architectural Control District.
European construction in the district began with the building of Fort Christian in c.1666; the town of Charlotte Amalie was platted in 1681.
Notable properties include:
- Fort Christian (c.1666-1680), modified in 1874
- Legislative Building (1874), built as barracks for the Danish police force, in 1976 this was home for the Virgin Islands Senate. 3. *Emancipation Park, honoring 1848 emancipation of slaves
- Commercial Hotel and Coffee House (1839–40), also formerly known as the Grand Hotel, 44 Norre Gade. Greek Reivival with an arcaded first floor.