Things to do in St. John, USVI - Insider's Guide

Author: stjohn guide

anegada-bvi

Spend a weekend on Anegada, BVI

Have you been to Jost van Dyke, Norman, Willy T. and Virgin Gorda already? Looking for something new/different? How about Anegada in the British Virgin Islands. It is about a 50 mile ride and the ocean can be rough, so it is a bit of a stretch, but it is ideal for a weekend trip.

Milk Food Coloring And Dish Soap Experiment

Here is a fun little experiment to do with your kids, when back home at the villa or on a rainy day. All you need is food coloring, milk, dish soap and a cotton swab (if you have, you can do it without to)

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Coral Bay Marina Proposal

The discussion on this is beyond the scope of this website, but if the proposed 145 slip marina came to life in Coral Bay it would change the face of the island forever so we feel this is relevant to share.

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Labor Day Trip to St. Croix

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For those of you looking for something to do for Labor Day Travel to the Agrifest St. Croix onboard the M/V Caribe Cay with Transportation Services of St. John, Inc.

More information here

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Read Mingo’s Cave

Mingo’s Cave is about adventure in the Caribbean. In it the reader gets to meet quirky island characters, search for hidden treasure, ride along on dangerous boat excursions, learn about the destruction of an Eco-sensitive camp, and seek revenge for a senseless murder.

FIsh Identification Database St. John, USVI

Try to identify the fish you saw!

Ok, snorkeling and freediving is great on St. John, we have established this. Now how about after your snorkel, you try to identify the fish & other marine life that you have seen? We came across this totally amazing website. This is a website with over 4000 (!) photos of fish and other marine life, all taken while snorkeling on St. John.

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Go Surfing on Tortola

You can find some great surfing in the Virgin Islands, especially in winter (key season: November to February but can extend into May). During summer you can have those odd days with world class surf after a tropical storm.

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50 Water Adventures To Do Before You Die

From paddle-boarding the Mississippi to big game fishing off Mexico, from floating in the Dead Sea to swimming with jellyfish in Palau, from iceboating in Russia to sailing non-stop round the world, this book promises to inspire dreamers to become doers

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Read “Land of Love and Drowning”

A major debut from an award-winning writer—an epic family saga set against the magic and the rhythms of the Virgin Islands.

2nd Annual Rib Cook Off – MOVED TO NOV 15th

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DUE TO WEATHER, THIS HAS BEEN MOVED TO NOV 15th

Please join us this Saturday, November 15th for the 2nd Annual Rib Cook Off! LIve Music, Corn Hole Tournament, Giant Jenga, $2 Ribs, $1 Sides, $3 Drinks – an evening of food, fun and community to benefit St. John Rescue!

St. John Rescue’s Second Annual St. John Rib Cook Off will be held Saturday, November 15, 2014, starting at 4:30pm at the Coral Bay Ball Field.

Rib tickets will be on sale at one of two ticket tables. Ten St. John Restaurants and Individuals will compete for the title of Best Ribs on St. John. Judging will be done by five willing St. Johnians, chosen out of a hat a week before the event.

In addition to the sale of ribs, there will be a raffle with many great prizes. All proceeds from the Second Annual St. John Rib Cook Off will go directly to St. John Rescue to aid in the purchase of training and medical supplies, vehicle maintenance and operating costs associated with the St. John Rescue Headquarters Building.

The Second Annual St. John Rib Cook Off kicks off at 4:30pm with live entertainment throughout the evening. There will be Community Information tables, a Giant Jenga and a Corn Hole Tournament.

OFFICIAL LIST OF 10 COMPETITORS – 1000 + lbs of ribs! Check for more updates, trash talk, and info throughout the week.

  • The Tourist Trap (reigning champion)
  • Asolare
  • Aqua Bistro
  • Boozie
  • Cafe Concordia
  • Dan & Jeff
  • East West Catering
  • MOTU Bar
  • Sam & Jack’s Deli
  • Skinny Legs

More information:

More St. John and Virgin Island Events in our Event Calendar

http://www.stjohn-guide.com/stjohn-event-calendar/ 

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Read “Don’t stop the carnival”

This book is a great holiday read it will make you laugh very hard and give you some insight into “island culture”.

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Go on a Sunset Cruise or Sail

Sunsets on St. John are spectacular and even more beautiful from the water. Imagine sitting on the boat, sipping a cold drink and seeing the sun drop into the water or behind the rock.

Back Time on Love City: The Carnival Never Stopped

Torn between the relative safety of doing what was expected, living and working close to home in middle America farmland, or blindly plunging into ‘sharky’ waters (literally), our young hero readily chose the sharks. It was bold choices like this early on that helped to shape his great adventure that wafted him far beyond the cornfields of Illinois and onto an island in the Caribbean – a pirate’s paradise

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St. John Map – Activities Overview

Check out this map with Island Activities

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2015 Painkiller Cup SUP Race 10000$ Prize Money

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The date for the 2015 Painkiller Cup has just been announced: January 17. Full event details or in our event calendar!

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Go on a day sail with Sail Pepper

The Pepper is a wooden island sloop built on St. John, USVI. She is modeled after the traditonal sloops used by islanders long ago throughout the Caribbean. Join sail pepper on a one-of-a-kind, family friendly sail for a taste of St. John’s history while exploring beautiful island waters.

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St. John Webcams & Virgin Island Webcams

Follow the action live! There are a number of webcams on St. John and the other islands. Click on the photo to start the webcam!

usmail-book

Read “USMAIL”

In USMAÍL, Pedro Juan Soto gives us a masterful description of life on the small Puerto Rican Island of Vieques during the 1930s, 40s and 50s as seen through the eyes of the islanders themselves. The story follows the life of a boy born to a poor, black woman from the rural countryside, whose American lover, sent to Vieques to manage a government assistance program, abandons her upon learning that she is expecting his child. But before her death, she bestows upon her newborn son a mysterious name, a name which will prove to haunt him for the rest of this life.

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Bird: The Definitive Visual Guide

Unrivaled in scope for a single-volume reference work, this visual guide to every bird order and family profiles more than 1,400 species, photographed in their native environment by photographers around the globe.

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Fish Identification Field Guide

The most comprehensive field guide available to the tropical fishes of the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico, Florida, the Bahamas, and Bermuda.

St. John Holiday Read: Thunder Point

When Henry Baker leaves his home on St. John to deep-sea dive in the beautiful waters of the Caribbean, he has no idea that this is not going to be a routine day.

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Read “A trip to the beach”

This is the true story of a trip to the beach that never ends. It’s about a husband and wife who escape civilization to build a small restaurant on an island paradise — and discover that even paradise has its pitfalls.

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Read “Desiring Paradise”

Desiring Paradise is the true story of two New Englanders who followed their dream. Despite obstacles and setbacks at every turn,they moved to St. John in the US Virgin Islands to start a new life.

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Magical Mangroves Tour with Island Roots

Mangroves are flowering trees that live in saltwater or brackish water in mudflats near shorelines. Red Mangroves (Rhizophora mangle) are the most distinctive, with their complex ariel prop roots. These root systems, when submerged, support a diverse community of sponges, ascidians, algae, corals and crabs

Create your own T-Shirt at Sloop Jones

Head to the tranquil East End and visit Sloop Jones, the islands most colorful artist. It’s a studio gallery with great artwork but there are also workshops where you can create your own piece of art. More information is here.

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Read “Caribbean”

In this acclaimed classic novel, James A. Michener sweeps readers off to the Caribbean, bringing to life the eternal allure and tumultuous history of this glittering string of islands.

Kickboxing Classes St. John

There are kickboxing classes on St. John (Tuesday and Thursday morning and Monday and Wednesday afternoon – subject to change) in the  gym across from the fire station and baseball field in Cruz Bay. Just bring a drink and towel/mat and pay 8$ per session. It is a fitness-oriented class and ladies are welcome!

A great alternative on those few days where it rains in paradise.

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Horseback Riding

Horseback Riding with Carolina Coral offers you a great view of the BVIs (yes, the British Virgin Islands without a passport. They have horses for every skill and take you into the hills of St. John. Aside from the horses, they have donkeys, goats, sheep, chickens, ducks, dogs and cats.

Meet Ziggy

UPDATE: Ziggy the pig left St. John and is now travelling the world. Follow the adventures of Ziggy the pig.

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St. John Carnival 2014

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In June every year begin month long activities including lots of music, parades, and caribbean food! Carnival season is a time for celebrations joined in by the young and old.

A live stream of the event is here.

Check out these 2013 Carnival Photos from Yelena Rogers Photography:

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Drift Away Day Spa St. John

Drift Away Day Spa invites you to immerse yourself in our serene oasis. A blend of experienced professionals and modern luxury, Drift Away is St. John’s premiere day spa.

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Charter a boat on St. John

The best way to explore the Virgin Islands is via boat and getting out on the water is the top priority of most visitors. With its warm, crystal clear, turquiose  waters, St. John is a paradise for boating.

go diving with low key watersports on st. john, usvi

Go Diving from St. John

Join Low Key Watersports on their daily scuba diving  tours and discover why St. John is more fun UNDER the water.

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Rent a dinghy on St. John

Want to explore St. John’s beaches and shoreline but don’t like a captained powerboat charter? Prefer to be  your own Captain? Rent a Dinghy from Noah’s Little Arks Dingy Rental right on the Beach in Cruz Bay, St. John and you will be able to spend the entire day cruising the waters of St. John’s North Shore as your own captain!

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Paddleboard to Salomon Beach

If you’re a free, active spirit , and would rather not use a car to get to the beach, but don’t fancy a mile-long hike then a paddle to Salomon beach might be for you.

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Hike to Salomon Beach

If you’re a free, active spirit , and would rather not use a car to get to the beach, then a hike to Salomon beach might be for you. It’s a beautiful, palm-fringed beach with turquoise water and can be reached from Cruz Bay via a mile-long hike. If you get really lucky, you might even have the beach to yourself.

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Tennis on St. John

There are public tennis courts on St. John, across the car barge dock.  You don’t have to reserve or pay, just go and play! Aside from the public courts there are a few courts at resorts for example at the Westin or Caneel Bay Resort.

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Westin Gym and Spa

Find a balance of physical wellness and pure relaxation as you work out in paradise at the Westin’s state-of-the-art spa & fitness center, complete with sauna, massage therapy and full spa services. You can use it even if you are not staying at the Westin. The free is 130$ per month.

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Core Pilates on St. John

Pilates is a unique method of body conditioning named after German-born Joseph H. Pilates.

crystal blue book

Read “Crystal Blue”

Paid trip to the Caribbean sound good? Buck Reilly thinks so–flying rock stars and celebrities to a remote island for a charity concert seems a breeze–until all hell breaks loose when the promoter disappears and one of the A-list stars is kidnapped.

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Get an Amazon Kindle

Seriously, maybe the single most useful item on St. John (well, after suncreen and bug spray). You might have heard about “island time”, so yes waiting will be part of your trip. Like for the ferries, which are never on time (and everywhere else where 5 minutes are, well, 5 island minutes which is something like bubble gum.  It can magically extend. When you have something to read it is half as bad.

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Read “Adrift on St. John”

No one knows better than resort manager Pen Hoffstra that the idea of a tropical paradise is an illusion. So when a young woman named Hannah Sheridan disappears off the island of St. John, she is not surprised that all is not what it seems to be.

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Wounded Warriors Picnic

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American Legion Post 131 is hosting a community picnic for visiting Wounded Warriors; Saturday, Nov. 8, 2014, 1 pm in Coral Bay at Legion headquarters (at the Agriculture Center complex, near the Love City Mini Mart). These visiting veterans are recovering from physical and emotional service-related injuries; kayaking here in local waters is part of their continued therapy and recovery. The picnic is a community event. All are invited.

We ask that you bring a food item to share, if possible. Others have asked about making a small monetary donation toward the event; that is also appreciated.

For more information, please contact Doug (Crabby) Benton, Post Commander, at 340 201-1837.

More St. John and Virgin Island Events in our Event Calendar

http://www.stjohn-guide.com/stjohn-event-calendar/ 

St. John Arts Festival 2015

Feb 14th – 18th the 15th Annual St. John Arts Festival takes place in Cruz Bay and surrounds. Kicking off with Love City Pan Dragons Youth Steel Orchestra on Saturday at 12.30pm and filled with other performances including dance, film, music and crafts. See http://stjohnartsfestival.org/ for more information!

2015-stjohn-arts-festival-schedule

More St. John Events

http://www.stjohn-guide.com/stjohn-event-calendar/

golf-stjohn-usvi

NO Golf on St. John, but…

There are no golf courses on St. John, however a short ferry ride away on St. Thomas is Mahogany Run Golf Course.

Kayak Tour St. John, USVI

Kayak Snorkeling Adventures

A great way to explore St. John is to go on a Kayak Snorkel Tour with Virgin Island Ecotours!

Read “Undocumented Visitors in a Pirate Sea”

A dead Marine washed ashore on a Caribbean island leads investigators to otherworldly perpetrators in historic pirate waters and high level abuses in Washington. An intrepid maritime historian working the case for U.S. Naval Intelligence discovers a 60-year record of extraterrestrial activity in the Caribbean basin. History and national security politics meet science fiction in this mystery based on exhaustive factual research and informed conjecture.

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Mongoose Junction Fundraiser

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The Mongoose Junction Fire destoyed business and many employees have been affected

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Anegada Lobster Festival November 29th

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The Anegada Lobster Festival is for everyone who loves food, loves lobster, loves the Caribbean and dreams of the British Virgin Islands!

Anegada Lobster Festival 2014 Participating Restaurants Map is a two-day culinary event held on the shores of Anegada on November 29th and 30th. The event was created to entice our community, visitors, new travellers and the niche market of food connoisseurs to the shores of the British Virgin Islands to experience our versatile tourism product.

The British Virgin Islands Tourist Board, together with the population of Anegada, will feature talented local chefs who will be on hand to prepare, cook, and serve plated sample lobster dishes at participating Anegada restaurants. Over the course of two days, attendees will embark on an island adventure that will take them on a culinary journey via safari, scooter or rental car. Participants will dine on three different lobster samplers at each restaurant at a cost of $10-$12 per sampler plate.

Along with spectacular sightseeing, great food, drink, and a sunset party, attendees will have a unique Anegada experience unlike any other in the Caribbean.

Culinary tourism has increasingly sparked interest amongst travellers worldwide that seek to experience a destination’s local culture through authentic dining opportunities.

How to get to Anegada Lobster Festival:

by Ferry

Inter-Island Ferry – $100RT Adult – $50RT Children
Tel. USVI 340-776-6597 – Tel. BVI 284-495-4166

  • Saturday, November 29
    Departs Red Hook 7:30am Departs Cruz Bay 8:00am Returns at 4:00pm
  • Sunday, November 30
    Departs Red Hook 7:30am Departs Cruz Bay 8:00am Returns at 4:00pm

by Powerboat

we hear www.rockhoppin.com is going there and has some spaces

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More St. John and Virgin Island Events in our Event Calendar

http://www.stjohn-guide.com/stjohn-event-calendar/ 

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