Exploring Frederiksted, St. Croix with Kids

Hang out on the beach

Beaches on St. Croix are considered public, so if you see a beach you’d like to explore, do it. You just can’t trespass on private property to access them. While staying in our vacation rental, a number of day-trippers were walking along the beach from the cruise ships.

Rainbow Beach

The closest beach to our home was Rainbow Beach. It’s a small stretch of soft sand and calm water. It also happens to be home to one of our favorite little restaurants on the island. Beach chairs and umbrellas are available to rent for the day so take a good book, lots of sunscreen and let the kids play in the sand and the water.

Frederiksted Beach

This is the beach closest to the cruise ship pier. While it gets crowded when a cruise ship is in port, there are chairs and umbrellas available and it’s within walking distance of downtown with many bars and restaurants — that is, if they’re open. Local establishments tend to be on island time, which means sometimes they’re open and sometimes they’re not.

Snorkel

There are coral reefs all over the place, in some instances just 30 yards off the beach. That combined with crystal-clear water makes every spot ideal for snorkeling. Right off of our beach there were all kinds of fish and even a turtle! Our rental was well-stocked with gear but there are several locations in town that offer equipment rentals. In Frederiksted, check out the Sweet Bottom Dive Center or Sea Sports St. Croix. Sea Sports St. Croix also offers equipment delivery.

Take a private sailing tour

We’ve always had luck with boat tours all over the tropics. These adventures end up being the highlight of our trip. St. Croix was no exception. We booked a private half-day tour with Lyric Sails St. Croix and boarded the boat after lunch. After a safety lesson from Captain Mike and a brief history lesson about the boat (it used to be a drug-running vessel in the late '70s before the Coast Guard caught on and, thankfully, sold it later for a more joyful and legitimate purpose), we were off with pineapple juice for the kids and local beer for the grown-ups.

We sailed past the Sandy Point National Wildlife Refuge where leatherback turtles nest and the spot where the Zihuatanejo scene from Shawshank Redemption was filmed (the “small Mexican fishing village” was actually St. Croix. Crazy, right?). Then we sailed further west to Butler Bay for a guided snorkeling tour. This area is a popular snorkel and dive site due to the five intentionally sunken ships in the area. We snorkeled directly over a sunken tugboat and it was incredible.

We ended our tour with an anchor near Rainbow Beach where the kids got to jump off the boat and swim to shore. When we got back to the dock, Captain Mike sent us on our way with a couple of local beers to go. They offer full-day tours, half-day tours and sunset tours. Keeping with tradition, this adventure was the highlight of our trip. Remember to bring cash to tip the crew.

Explore Monk’s Bath

The Monk’s Bath in St. Croix is a cool little natural pool tucked into the island’s tropical scenery. The story goes that the baths were hand-carved in the mid-1600s by monks of the Knights of Malta, creating a calm, refreshing spot to take a dip and unwind. It’s a bit of a hidden gem, just off a quiet two-lane road. You may be the only people there. Just be cautious on the rocks approaching the pools, as they are very jagged and sharp. You don’t need water shoes but you’ll need some sort of footwear.

My kids weren’t terribly impressed with the baths, but they did find a spot on the beach where the waves came in between the rocks with relatively strong waves that they loved. I hovered nearby to make sure they were always aware of the sharp rocks on either side.

Paddleboard & kayak

The relatively calm waters make Frederiksted ideal for paddleboarding and kayaking. Again, our rental property had both. We kayaked from our rental to Rhythms on Rainbow Beach to grab a couple more beers. There are companies that offer kayak tours from Frederiksted and even clear-bottom kayaks on another part of the island.

Take a day trip to Christiansted

Christiansted is an easy 30-minute drive from Frederiksted. Here, you’ll get a little bit more history with your beach. It’s one of the island’s two waterfront towns, with historic churches, shady walkways, old stone arches and rows of colorful restored townhouses giving it a unique charm. Parking can be a little hard to come by so make sure you have water bottles for the hot walk to your destination in the event you have to park far away from the waterfront.

After lunch at Chupacabra Tacos (highly recommended), we took a water taxi to a small island in the middle of downtown, the home of Hotel Cay and the Beach Bar. Visitors to the island can rent chairs and umbrellas and order food and beverages from the Beach Bar while having direct access to the ocean. You’re unable to do much exploring on the island unless you’re a guest of the hotel, but you still might see an iguana or two while relaxing on the beach and sipping a tropical cocktail.

When you need a break from the sun and you’re ready to explore, there are plenty of shops, cafes, galleries and restaurants to wander through. If history’s your thing, spots like Fort Christianvaern, the Customs House and the Old Scale House are worth a visit. Pop into the Courtyard for a smoothie or fresh juice or Cream and Co. Ice Cream before heading back to Frederiksted to see the sunset.

Chase the Green Flash

Ok, it’s not really a flash, but it’s only visible for a few seconds at sunset when all conditions are absolutely perfect. We found the most entertaining spot to watch the sunset and try to get a glimpse of this elusive event was Rhythms at Rainbow Beach. On Sundays, they have live music and a dance party steps away from the ocean. The crowd erupted in cheers on our first night there when the rare green flash made an appearance at sunset.

Stargaze

There is virtually no light pollution on the island so those of us that are used to the limited view of the stars from our homes in big cities will be amazed at how clearly visible the stars and planets are to the naked eye in St. Croix. My husband and daughter spent hours lying flat on the lounge chairs using Star Chart to identify planets, stars and solar systems. Pro tip: Make sure you have bug spray if you choose to engage in this activity, or really anything outside in the evening!

My kids will reliably eat about five menu items and my husband is vegan, so finding places to eat that will please everyone can be challenging. We found most of the dining options on the island to have essentially the same things, which meant a lot of fried food. Here’s some of the places we tried during our stay.

Rhythms at Rainbow Beach

I’ve mentioned Rhythms a couple of times already. They’re open for lunch and dinner, shoes optional. This place has a solid menu of bar food and seafood specials. They also have vegan options: a Beyond burger and a veggie burger. The coconut shrimp was delicious and my kids can vouch for the burger and mozzarella sticks. I can vouch for the mezcal margaritas. It has a great atmosphere, incredible views and quick service, and the kids can play on the beach while you’re waiting for your food!

Polly’s at the Pier

We stopped into Polly’s for a reasonably priced, no-frills breakfast. As the name suggests, this spot is near the pier where cruise ships anchor. There’s indoor and outdoor seating with chickens running around all over the place. They had vegan options and waffles for the kids. While I did not partake, I watched an epic bloody Mary go out to another patron, complete with jumbo shrimp, for those that might prefer to drink their breakfast. Service was a little chaotic but we all got our food eventually and everyone was happy.

Louie and Nacho's Beach Bar

This restaurant has incredible views of the ocean with a relaxed atmosphere that’s consistent all over the island. They offered standard pub food with the addition of shrimp and fish tacos. The shrimp tacos came with cheese, which was weird and surprising. I should have paid closer attention to the description. But they have good prices, friendly service and weren’t too busy, even with the cruise ship in port.

Beach Side Café

This spot is slightly more high-end and is part of the Sand Castle on the Beach Hotel. We were able to get in as a family of four at sunset without reservations, and were seated in a prime spot overlooking the water. The service here was very slow; I think it took almost 15 minutes just to get our beverages. But like Rhythms, the kids can entertain themselves on the beach while you wait. They had a vegan option that my husband reported as mediocre. The pasta alfredo was delicious and was large enough to provide leftovers for lunch the next day. My wedge salad was great! The steak (great flavor but a little tough) and veggies were good. The key lime cheesecake was the highlight of the meal.

Lost Dog Pub

From first appearances, this is a dive bar. The online order form wasn’t working so we had to wait until we could call them at 5:30. They had vegan cheese on the menu, but they were out. The windowless room with dark ceilings and multiple TV screens felt out of place in St. Croix, but that being said, it was one of my favorite meals on the trip. While waiting for our takeout pizzas to be ready, we had a beer and chatted with the bartender who poured us a shot of a liquor that was homemade on the island. The pizzas took longer than expected so one beer turned into two. The pizzas only came in one size so we ended up with a lot of food, but it was really good. I’d say give this place a shot and don’t judge a book by its cover.