We decided to spend the day in St. John. It would not be a proper trip if I did not incorporate some history in it, thanks to my mom. My mom suggested we stop and visit the Annaberg Sugar Plantation Ruins and walk the Trail. It is a historic landmark in the Virgin Islands National Park on St. John.
Established in the late 1700’s by Danish colonists Annaberg Plantation was farmed by enslaved workers. Producing 100,000 tons of sugar a year based on 1,300 acres of sugar cane. They also produced molasses and rum. Annaberg Plantation gives you a glimpse of the plantation’s role in the African slave trade.
Some parts of the plantation have been restored but, you will see mostly ruins. Everything is marked and you get a summary of the building that you are exploring. There is a map to follow and you can see the enslaved people’s quarters, where they worked and the guardhouse to prevent them from escaping.
The enslaved people at Annaberg Sugar Plantation were one of the first group to rebel and start the revolution of 1733 to fight for their freedom. It is a great tour to take and explore our history. The architecture is beautiful even though it is ruined. Visit the Annaberg Sugar Plantation if you can.
Day Trip Details: We left St. Thomas around 10:00am and caught the barge (car ferry) over to St. John to spend the day. There was a port fee and ticket fee per person traveling on the ferry. It was about $50/roundtrip for all of us. My mother, brother and bonus dad traveled that day.
In addition to visiting the Annaberg Sugar Plantation we drove around the island and visited a few beaches, stopped at a couple of overlooks and took many pictures. We also found the best roadside restaurant to get authentic island cuisine. The Hillside Terrace Bar & Restaurant did not disappoint!
For lunch I had stewed mutton, dumplings, plantains and fungi. I ate every bit of it and the food was DELICIOUS! After we ate, we stopped by Mongoose Junction to check out all the shops before ending our day and heading back to the port so we would not miss the ferry back to St. Thomas. It was a good day!
If you are visiting the Virgin Island, take an opportunity to island hop for a day or two. There is so much to see and do. My next stop will be St. Croix. I have only been to St. Thomas and St. John. I have also visited the British Virgin Islands in the past and am itching to return.
