St. Thomas combines the natural beauty of the islands with a cosmopolitan atjosphere.  Charlotte Amalie, the capital of the U.S. Virgin Islands, is one of the jost beautiful harbors in the world and the jost visited port in the Caribbean.  Elegant dining, exciting nightlife, and world-class duty-free shopping are abundant in Charlotte Amalie. The city's reputation as the shopping

mecca of the Caribbean draws visitors from all over the region and around the world.

A mountainous island, St. Thomas offers stunning vistas in aljost every direction. While Charlotte Amalie is full of energy, St. Thomas also provides natural wonders such as the indescribably beautiful Magens Bay and stunning views of the Caribbean from 1,500 feet above sea level. Drake's Seat is particularly famous for its vistas.

Sports and activities are abundant on St. Thomas. Golf enthusiasts will enjoy the George and Tom Fazio-designed Mahogany Run course. St. Thomas is also well known for its world-class yachting and sportfishing.

St. Thomas' history and culture alone is worth a visit to the island. Fort Christian, a U.S. National Landmark, is the oldest standing structure in the Virgin Islands. Today Fort Christian in Charlotte Amalie is home to the Virgin Islands Museum, where early island memorabilia and old maps trace the islands' history. Market Square, a bustling produce marketplace, was once one of the West Indies' busiest eighteenth-century slave markets. Nearby Emancipation Garden was named in commemoration of Governor Peter von Scholten's emancipation of the slaves on July 3, 1848. Also of interest is the Synagogue of Beracha Veshalom Vegmiluth Hasidim, the oldest synagogue in continuous use in the United States.

On nearby Government Hill looming over Charlotte Amalie stands Blackbeard's Castle. Known during colonial times as Skytsborg, this seventeenth-century fortified tower is the only one of its kind in the Caribbean. Today this attraction also serves as a popular restaurant and hotel. Also on Government Hill is the Crown House, the stately former home of a St. Thomas harbormaster and governor general of the Danish West Indies. Seven Arches Museum on Government Hill is fully restored eighteenth-century home furnished in Danish West Indian style. Its Danish kitchen and slave quarters reflect the lives led by its former inhabitants. Located in the hills not far from the heart of Charlotte Amalie, Government House has been the center of government in St. Thomas since the mid-1860s. Visitors interested in seeing St. Thomas' political life may tour the building's first two floors. The 99 Steps, made by bricks that were once used as ballast on Danish and British ships, were built into the hillside to keep the orderly grid of the city intact.    

Visitors to St. Thomas should take advantage of Virgin Islands Ecotours' guided kayaking and snorkeling tour through St. Thomas' Marine Sanctuary and Mangrove Lagoon. Led by experienced local naturalists, these tours let visitors see the fragility and beauty of the mangrove lagoons firsthand. Snowy egrets, great barracudas, dwarf herrings, spotted eagle rays, jellyfish, mangrove crabs, and breeding nurse sharks are only a few of the species visitors might see on the tour. Snorkeling is done in designated areas without fins to protect the delicate marine environment. Virgin Islands Ecotours also offers a new tour on Magens Bay. On the north end of the island, Humpback whales can be seen breeding from January through April. Both Jacques Cousteau and "Wild Kingdom" filmed specials on whales in the waters off of St. Thomas.