Tour guide, Anna Monica Villa, lead us up and down Step Streets like little mountain goats. Her…read morefriendships with neighbors and businesses ensured special access to historic villas, renovated historic hotels and inside the Government House. We learned about St. Thomas history, culture, foliage, and architecture. We ended at a fantastic Italian Restaurant--Virgilios. It was a perfect way to spend our day in Charlotte Amalia! Thank you, Anna Monica.

It's iconic! It may not be a big deal for someone living here, but that view of the harbor when…read morewalking up or down is absolutely stunning. It's way better in person than in pictures. Our walking tour started from Blackbeard's Castle. Fortunately, it is much easier walking down than up. They've added more sturdy hand rails which makes it so much safer. It had been closed for a while due to ongoing structural repairs. The Danes constructed it some time in the 1700s. The steps were needed to get from the harbor to the higher parts of Government Hill. The bricks come from the ballast used to balance the weight of cargo in the hull of merchant ships. Many Caribbean structures and even some cities on the US coastal mainland were built with these yellow bricks. They did a good job restoring it while keeping its historical look. It's a cool local experience that shouldn't be missed. A highly recognized landmark in Charlotte Amalie.

Tepid antiques and artifacts Old and not updated…read more Underwhelming historical experience Really just an empty old building Invective to my intelligence Spartan recreations Trap The first governors quarters were awesome and the view was great!

One of the highlights of our St Thomas adventure! My wife and I were lucky enough to be guided by…read moreLevi at Fort Christian, who provided a wealth of information about the island's history, the fort and its past usage, and the reconstruction efforts following the recent hurricanes. We learned a lot, and felt we were better able to understand the history of those who passed through these walls. If you are a history-obsessed kinda person (or simply prefer not to be ignorant on how we all got here) then you should definitely come for a guided tour. Get in a bit early so you can catch the tour with Levi - it wouldn't have been the same without him to provide even more details!

The "Three Queens of the Virgin Islands" statue is located on Government Hill at the foot of the…read morestairs leading down from Blackbeard's Castle. The bronze plaque shows the following incription: "In 1878 three former slave ladies on St. Croix led an insurrection against the Danish Government for improved working and living conditions. During this action, a major portion of Frederiksted was destroyed by fire. This revolt is known today as "FIREBURN" and the ladies are renowned as "Queen Mary, Queen Agnes and Queen Matilda" - The Three Queens of the Virgin Islands." It was cool to see it during Women's History Month. It was also interesting to hear that slavery was abolished in the Danish West Indies back on July 3, 1848, although they were still bound to plantations by yearly contracts. Is that really free? Flash forward to the Fireburn protest after 30 years of contracts. It was led by the Three Queens on Contract Day (October 1, 1878) in St. Croix due to poor working conditions, unfair treatment, and low wages. These ladies are memorialized in this sculpture by Richard Hallier. It depicts Queen Agnes lifting a lantern, Queen Mary holding a torch and a cane knife, and Queen Matilda raising the torch high and strong. A great symbol of strength & resilience! Unfortunately, there wasn't enough time to contemplate the image of it. We did get a thorough summary of the significance of this rebellion against the Danes. It's all very meaningful, and a great tribute. I'm so glad that we were able to see it on this beautiful day in Charlotte Amalie.

I've always wondered of what that the 3 queens were ( I've seen the sign by 99 steps and government…read morehill) and didn't know that it was a statute monument that is on the way to Blackbeard's Castle. If you are hiking from 99 steps and government hill this is quite a steep trek. I work out almost every day and this hike always makes me work up a good sweat. You might need to stop to catch your breath for the few moments so you might as well take a look at the monument before heading up to Blackbeard's Castle, it is in a very pretty setting that has grown back after the hurricanes. The reason of why it's called is 3 queens is because of the three women that lead a rebellion during the Danish colonial times due to the mistreatment of plantation workers after slavery was abolished. The women in the statues are holding machetes and torches because they burned down 50 plantations on St. Croix. Overall it's a nice tribute erected by the government and gives travelers a little insight into St. Thomas history. #St.Thomas #USVI

Lovely walk in downtown Charlotte Amalie. nice stores and friendly patrons just waiting to accept…read moreyour US dollars; said with a smile. This area has you wishing you lived on the island.

Visited here for Miracle on Main. All of the shops were open later and there was live music on…read moreevery corner. It was nice to walk the streets and hang out. There are definitely a few shops that I'll be coming back to.

It was one of our tour stops before heading to Blackbeard's Castle. Our group of 16 were all seated…read morecomfortably in Alvin's "Love Chariot" (an open-air safari bus/taxi). He gave us a great tour as we headed up the hill from the Havensight terminal. It was a fun & breezy ride! We stopped at the overlook which is technically a small rest stop, at a bend in the road, with a few parking spaces. The green seat that's named after Sir Francis Drake is across the street. It was built by Arthur Fairchild in 1933 for weary travelers walking up the hill. I was hoping to find a link between Arthur (the wealthy philanthropist) and David Fairchild (the famous Botanist), but there's no such connection. Apparently, the view at the overlook in the parking area is much better than the seat. This is where we stopped to see that beautiful view of Magens Bay, the shoreline, and some of the islands & cays that are the VI. It's such a great panoramic look from the north side of the island. I give it 5 stars because it's free to the public, and there's no one trying to sell you something here. It allows you to enjoy that beautiful view without interruptions. Is it worth a stop? It all depends on how you're getting there. There are just too many vehicles stopping at the bend and trying to make their own parking spots in tight spaces. IMO, just leave those worries to an expert who knows this place well.

It was actually suggested by a local guy after a couple of drinks the kind of island advice you'd…read morebe foolish not to take. "You gotta go see Drake's Seat," he said. So we grabbed a cab, and honestly, the ride up the hills of Saint Thomas might have been the best part. Our cab driver looked like he'd been doing this since pirates were still parking ships in the harbor dark hair, big glasses, this mischievous grin, and a thick island accent. The guy had jokes for days. At one point he glanced in the mirror and said, "You know why island taxis don't need GPS? Because if we get lost, we just call it a scenic tour and charge extra!" Then he laughed so hard he almost missed the turn. By the end of the ride he'd basically turned the whole thing into a narrated comedy tour, and later that night we even ran into him again and shared a couple drinks like old friends. And then you get to the top and wow. The view from Drake's Seat is pure Caribbean theater. From that little overlook you're staring down at Magens Bay, a perfect turquoise crescent framed by lush green hills, with islands scattered across the horizon like jewels dropped in the sea. Legend says the infamous English privateer Sir Francis Drake once used this very vantage point to watch for Spanish treasure ships sailing through the Caribbean, and whether that's myth or not, you can see why someone would keep lookout here. The overlook itself was created in 1933 as a scenic rest stop, and today it's still one of the most famous viewpoints on the island. It's the kind of place where you step out of the cab, the breeze hits your face, the water sparkles below... and you suddenly understand why people fall in love with the Virgin Islands in the first place.

Cute tourist spot with dozens of little shops and bars to spend your money in. Absolutely paradiseread more

Charlotte Amalie is the Capitol of the U.S Virgin Islands and a lovely city to visit while touring…read moreSt. Thomas. Some of the Architecture and streets sorta reminded me of New Orleans' French Quarter. There are a few landmarks in the area, 99 Steps, being one.. I'm a foodie and a sucka for a water / oceanview, so I was happy to find eateries located right across from the gorgeous waterfront!! I came across a few upscale jewelry and clothing stores while strolling the area on foot and while driving. But I wasn't there to shop, I was more interested in sight seeing and indulging in food from the local eateries on the island. The waterfront is very lively in the day time and filled with plenty tourists, locals, music and food stands..the entryway to some alleyways leading to restaurants were filled with music blasting, tourists dancing and drinking @ nearby bar booths. Walking thru is quite the experience lol.. the food aroma in the air from the locals grilling was also very enticing! My 1st day in town driving thru, I noticed there was a car show taking place at a spot across from the waterfront and a local mentioned of scheduled boat races for that weekend, but I did not witness..I had other places that I wanted to see, couldn't spend all my time in C.A. Bottom line, you can't come to St. Thomas and NOT visit Charlotte Amalie or the Waterfront! It's "Lit"! Lol

This was better than I thought! Came here as a combo ticket with the skylift (found no savings by…read morebuying the combo). The museum starts either a quick video explaining what you're about to see. Then the doors open and you walk into a well done exhibit hall. Exhibits include vases, weapons, tools and coins found from various shipwrecks. The centerpiece is the Odyssey which is an in underwater robot used to collect artifacts. There is a second floor accessible by a slow elevator or stairs which tells a little bit about some of the pirates in the area. There are a few photo spots, hands on exhibits and a hurricane simulator with wind speeds up to 75 mph. I felt the $20 admission fee was reasonable compared to the $30 for the skylift. The museum is located next to the skylift and about a 15 minute walk from the cruise ships.

Fun museum if you like pirates and treasures. We had fun very educational with two levels and…read more interactive activities to explore. Loved dressing up in the pirates attire. The museum guide lady was very helpful and answered any questions that was needed. It's actually a small museum but we stayed there a bit longer than most. They had a hurricane simulator booth which we had fun with. Also had a gift shop which I picked up a St.Thomas Christmas ornament. To take back home for my Christmas tree. We enjoyed our visit. I recommend checking them out if this is your sort of thing.

What a beautiful synagogue!! It was worth the trip up the steep hill. We went in because we were…read morehot and tired and this was one of the few places on our self-guided historic walking tour that allowed you to go in. Inside we found a beautiful facility filled with so much history. There's a museum with lots of information and photos that tell the synagogue's story. The rabbi was there and actually greeted us and answered questions. The sand floor and why it has a sand floor was fascinating information. We stayed for quite awhile to take it all in.

OK, I have a soft spot for the synagogue, seeing how we were married here 10 years ago. My (now)…read morewife, her daughter and my mom cruised to the island, spent the day getting married and seeing the sights, and then back to the ship. That day was crazy (I won't get into it), but the rabbi at the time made us welcome and had a smooth ceremony. We came back 10 years later for our anniversary and wanted to visit the synagogue again. It is a lovely but small synagogue. The actually building is not the original dating back to the 1600s, but it is quite old. There is a sand floor, probably a tradition that was carried forward from Jews on hiding during the Inquisition to muffle the sounds of footsteps. Coming back, we got to look around and picked up a few things from the gift shop.

First class! This is one of the most distant United States…read morePost Offices I've ever been to! It looks old and historic, but is still part of the USPS. Be sure to check out the murals inside- they depict some historic scenes of the island, with cannons and tropical scenery. The clerk was extremely friendly and courteous. I managed to get some postcard stamps, and they even were nice enough to hand-cancel the stamps showing the USVI cancellation on them. Parking is easy with spaces right out front of the post office. Be sure to check out the back gate to the post office- it has a big metal eagle in the ironwork. The post office is named after the first postmaster general of the island. Imagine what a great deal it is to be able to send a postcard for under a dollar, from here, all the way to US Samoa, on the other side of the world. What a deal!

Wow, this is possibly the worst post office in the USA! We arrived on a cruise and went there to…read moremail my daughter a postcard. There were two clerks working, if you could call it that. One female and one male. The female clerk took a break when I got to the front of the line and the other clerk allowed someone to cut in front of us. He was very rude. It wasn't busy, but it still took 20 minutes to buy a stamp and mail a card. After the male Clerk finally called me to the counter, the female clerk came back to handle other customers. She made it a point to let us know that she was not going to help us. Customer service here is a sad joke! This was a terrible experience after we were treated so wonderfully in Dominica and Antigua.