Though mostly known for his trompe l’oiel lettering, Portuguese street artist Odeith has recently been adding larger-than-life insects to his repertoire. Many of the wall-based works are placed in corners and require careful planning to achieve an anamorphic effect. You can see more from Odeith on Instagram.
Updated: 7/30/18 | July 30th, 2018
Two of the most-visited destinations in the Caribbean, the US and British Virgin Islands are what I expected them to be: white sand beaches, excellent diving and snorkeling, turquoise crystal-clear water, scenic hiking, lots of boating opportunities, and heavily poured rum drinks.
I spent a month traveling around the islands by boat. There is a fascinating number of things to do on the islands — life here is not all hammocks and piña coladas. From festivals to diving to strenuous hiking trails to hidden tide pools, each of the islands in the area has plenty to offer to keep you busy if a full day at the beach isn’t your thing.
The only marine national park in the United States, Buck Island is a half-day trip from St. Croix (though full-day trips that come with food and booze are also available). While the marine park and coral are slightly dead after years of overfishing and coral bleaching, there’s a fabulous beach on the island that couldn’t be more quintessentially Caribbean: empty, wide, and ringed with palm trees. The half-day trip is the greatest value and one of the best things to do on St. Croix.
Recommended Buck Island tiur companies:
Located on the easternmost point of the United States, these bays are two empty beaches on St. Croix. Difficult to access, after a steep hike down a very overgrown trail, you’ll come upon Isaac Bay (also home to nesting turtles), where you’ll be able to enjoy a thin slice of white sand, blue water, and snorkeling right from the shore. Jack Bay is connected by a poorly signed trail at the end of Isaac’s. The beaches aren’t maintained, but, while not the prettiest, they are one of the few spots on the island you can have to yourself. Bring your own water and food as there are no facilities in either bay.
This is my favorite bay on St. Croix, featuring a beautiful beach, a delicious restaurant (Eat @ Cane Bay), and snorkeling within swimming distance of the shore. Though the beach isn’t very wide and it’s located right near a road, the chilled-out atmosphere of the area, good snorkeling (there’s a steep dropoff out from shore, creating a lot of fish-viewing opportunities), and few crowds make it a place worth spending the day (and early evening when the restaurant has happy hour). Cane Bay is located on the north side of St. Croix.
The party island of the British Virgin Islands, Jost sees a lot of day trippers from St. John and yachties coming into the harbor and making a beeline for the Soggy Dollar Bar to drink Painkillers (rum, pineapple and orange juice, and fresh nutmeg), the bar’s famous drink and one that everyone on the Virgin Islands drinks (the best one I had was at Rudy’s on Jost; Soggy Dollar is overrated). White Bay is where all the action is, but I loved it early in the morning or late at night when all the day trippers (drunks) were gone and the extensive white sand beach was deserted. Be sure to visit the bubbly pools on the other side of the island where the incoming water rushing into this tiny tide pool creates a whirlpool effect.
At first, I couldn’t figure out why everyone loves this spot on Virgin Gorda. The beach was tiny, the water rough, and the crowds plentiful. Then I followed the sign to the caves, and it became clear why this is the most-visited spot in the Virgin Islands. After crawling through a tiny opening, you are surrounded by gigantic granite boulders nestled on each other with streams of water flowing all around them. It’s beautiful. There are nooks and crannies to explore everywhere. After wading through water and climbing over rocks, you find yourself in tide pools that collect between the boulders on your way to Dead Man’s Beach. It costs $3 USD to enter.
Looking to get away from the crowds? Anegada in the BVIs is a coral atoll with a few hundred people living on it. Few ferries go to the island (only three per week), and most people who get up here tend to come via their own boats. This keeps the crowds down. You can go hours without seeing anyone on the beaches. The island is ringed by a reef, making it perfect for snorkeling right from the shore (you can see a lot of rays here too!) The island is famous for its lobster, and each restaurant has its own signature dish (Neptune’s Treasure and Potters by the Sea were my favorites). If you come in November, be sure to catch the lobster festival that occurs the last weekend of the month. It’s lobster heaven.
This port town on St. Thomas has some of the better restaurants and bars on the island. You’ll find lively music, a delicious beer and burger bar called Tap and Still, and energetic clubs. If you’re on the island and looking to have a night out, this is the place to be. You can also get ferry service to/from Cruz Bay on St. John and to/from the British Virgin Islands.
Want fun? $1 happy hour specials? Amazing drinks? St. John is for you. With only 2,000 people living on the island, it has a small-town feel, but it heaves with tourists who want to escape the stuffy and expensive prices of St. Thomas. Since the main town of Cruz Bay is so small, bar hopping is really easy, and most bars feature live bands.
Note: Hurricane Irma and Maria really did a number on St. John and much of the island is still recovering. At the time of writing, the town was still rebuilding.
This bay on St. John is home to the only campground on the USVIs. It’s a wide bay that stays pretty empty and calm, making it one of my favorite beaches on the island.
Note: Hurricane Irma and Maria really did a number on St. John and much of the island is still recovering. At the time of writing, the campground on this beach was still closed.
Cutting through St. John, this trail begins in the center of the island and takes you through the forest featuring old sugar plantations, stone ruins, ancient petroglyphs, and a deserted sugar factory by the water. It’s beautiful, easy, and the beach at the end is a perfect place for a dip (you’re going to work up a sweat!). Combine it with Cinnamon Trail that begins at Cinnamon Bay on the top of the island, and you can cut across the entire width of the island in about four hours.
Located near the airport on St. Thomas, this beach is near the USVI university and a locals-only beach — for the sole reason tourists just don’t seem to ever make it here. You’ll see local families BBQing, people exercising their dogs, and planes coming to and going from the airport.
This tiny, deserted, out-of-the-way island is filled with once-important salt ponds. There’s snorkeling around the island, and you can take a dinghy to visit the deserted town near the salt pools. The island is owned by a family that pays an annual rent to the Queen of England of a single one-pound bag of salt. You’ll need to get here with your own boat; there are no ferries.
Considered one of the most impressive dive and snorkel sites in the world, the RMS Rhone was a mail ship that crashed in the nearby reef and is now its own artificial reef, home to thousands of different fish and coral. It’s a must for every diver. Most dive trips leave from Tortola. You’ll be able to enter the wreck too.
Located at its new home on Peter Island, this old boat turned floating bar is where everyone goes wild in the British Virgin Islands. I’ve seen old ladies doing body shots here, while young guys chug beer and jump off the boat naked. It’s always a wild day on Willy T’s. But if the water is calm on weekends, the place gets very busy as locals take boats over for some Sunday Funday. There is no ferry service to this party barge. You’ll either need your own boat or pay to go with the Dolphin Water Taxi.
Famously home to Sir Richard Branson, you can stay on this island for a cool $50,000 a night. Don’t have that much money? No problem. You can take a day trip with Gumption on the Sea It Clear Glass Bottom Boat Tour. Tours leave from the Bitter End resort on northern Virgin Gorda and feature fish spotting and a walk around the island. Branson has been known to say hello.
It may be expensive, but you can’t visit these islands and not sail around them. It would be a sin. Whether for one day or multiple days, be sure to jet around the islands. It’s the only way to see the more remote islands that ferries don’t visit, get away from the crowds, and discover your own hidden snorkeling spots. Here’s how you can sail around the islands on the cheap (or for free!)
When I visited the islands, I imagined myself wasting away the days on beaches and reading and writing at night. It turned out there was simply too much to do on this area to “waste a day.” No matter what island you end up on, there will be dozens of options to choose from. This list of amazing things to do in the Virgin Islands can help guide you, but don’t think for a second that these islands are boring. Even non–beach bums will fill their days.
My detailed, 60+ page guidebook is made for budget travelers like you! It cuts out the fluff found in other guidebooks and gets straight to the practical information you need to travel and save money while in the Virgin Islands, a country I enjoyed traveling through so much. You’ll find suggested itineraries, budgets, ways to save money, on and off the beaten path things to see and do, non-touristy restaurants, markets, and bars, and much more!! Click here to learn more and get started.
Book Your Flight
Find a cheap flight to the Virgin Islands by using Skyscanner or Momondo. They are my two favorite search engines. Start with Momondo.
Book Your Accommodation
You can book your hostel in the Virgin Islands with Hostelworld. If you want to stay elsewhere, use Booking.com as they consistently return the cheapest rates. (Here’s the proof.)
Don’t Forget Travel Insurance
Travel insurance will protect you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. I never ever go on a trip without it. I’ve been using World Nomads for ten years. You should too.
Need Some Gear?
Check out our resource page for the best companies to use!
Want More Information on the Virgin Islands?
Be sure to visit our robust destination guide on the British Virgin Islands for even more planning tips!
The post My 16 Favorite Things to Do in the Virgin Islands appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.
All images courtesy of Van Gogh Museum
The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam has partnered with footwear and apparel brand Vans for a collaborative collection based on Vincent van Gogh’s iconic paintings. Drawing from his famed Almond Tree, Sunflowers, and Skull paintings, the collection includes sneakers in Vans’ classic silhouettes as well as shirts, bomber jackets, hats, and a backpack. Some of the profits from the project will be donated to preserving van Gogh’s legacy and artwork. All items in the Vans x Van Gogh Museum collection are available for sale starting August 3, 2018 from Vans and the Van Gogh Museum. For those concerned about the styled photos containing the artworks, the museum assures Colossal that the framed works shown are extremely high quality reproductions.
During his last few months in school, recent University of Maryland graduate Josh Sheldon built a light animation robot scaled to the size of his small college bedroom. For the personal project, Sheldon taught himself Blender, Python, and Dragonframe in just under two weeks. The device allowed him to create dazzling effects around spheres and cubes, with each animation taking between four and twelve hours to shoot. You can view the process behind Sheldon’s robot in the view below, and take a look at the code he used for each of his light paintings over on Github. More of Josh’s work, including these light portraits, can be found on his Instagram. (via Prosthetic Knowledge)
St. Louis-based artist Ali Cavanaugh paints dreamlike watercolors of female subjects on wet clay panels. She refers to her works as “modern frescos,” due to their similarity to the fresco-secco style of painting, and the luminosity she creates through a method of layering translucent pigments on bright white surfaces. In each portrait Cavanaugh aims to paint the minute details of her subject’s physical appearance, while also evoking a “tender unseen presence that transcends understanding in the depth of a soul.”
Her work is currently included in the group exhibition Painting the Figure Now at the Wausau Museum of Contemporary Art in Wausau, Wisonsin through September 28, 2018. Her new book Modern Frescoes, published by Unicorn Press, will be available for preorders this fall. You can see more of Cavanaugh’s work on Instagram and Facebook.
Russian designer Maria Chernakova, who uses Mary Komary as her professional name, created a unique pop-up interpretation of one of her favorite books. The original beloved tome by Caspar Henderson, titled The Book of Barely Imagined Beings, is a comprehensive guide to the natural history of real animals that are so fantastic they seem to be a product of mythology. In Chernakova’s imaginative interpretation, pop-ups, hand-drawn illustrations, and charts and diagrams depict charming aquatic animals from the nautilus to the axolotl. She created just one copy of the book, which is divided into two volumes and contains a total of ten pop-up structures. You can see more of the St. Petersburg-based designer’s commercial and personal work on Behance and Instagram.
