Come to the Virgin Islands to get away from the stress of life. On the islands there is almost anything for anyone to do. You can enjoy a day with the family: shopping, eating, and swimming or you can spend the day getting a professional massage or laying peacefully on the beach. Spend the day learning about culture and history, and if work is your thing, then there are plenty of facilities for that.
The Virgin Islands are a group of three main islands, St. Thomas, St. John and St.Croix. As historians recall, the original inhabitance of the Virgin Islands were the Inerí tribe, which is sometimes mistaken as the Arawak indians, which joined the Inerí soon after the islands were discovered by indians. Both of the tribes were later taken over by the original Caribbean Indians (Caribs) which took over the Islands a few years before Columbus' second voyage. After Columbus' visit, not many people went to the Virgin Islands except to find slaves to work in their mines in the Dominica. This led to taking over the entire population of the islands which totally terminated the Inerí and the Arawak Indians. Around the year 1625, plenty of Dutch and English settlers made St. Croix their home for years. There was a few fights over St. Croix which led the control of the island to the French. The second island would be St. Thomas which was first conquered by the Danish, but later taken over by the English who deserted the island soon that year (1667). African slaves were being brought to the islands in the late 1600s around 1670. In the early 1700s trade was taking a huge role in the Islands economic activity. Besides slaves being starved, they were taken away their privileges to have plays, dances or feast, nor even to watch either of them. Trade throughout the Islands made the founding of Charlotte Amalie, the capital of the Virgin Islands and a free port for trade. Soon enough slaves out numbered the Eroupean settlers. In the mid 1700s there was a drought, a plague of bugs, and two hurricanes within only a years time. In 1917 the United States decided to buy the Virgin Islands from Denmark. The islanders were given complete freedom only until the late 1960s when they were allowed to elect there own Governor. Currently the people of the Islands mostly are American Citizens, but there are sometimes nearly out numbered by the number of tourists.
The fantastic life of culture in the Virgin Islands is very unique. Just as many other countries, the Virgin Islands have many fine artists which live or visit the islands year round. The paintings and sculptures a laid out perfectly on the streets and even in the museums. You can visit one of the many museums to learn about history and current information on art and artists. Within the art, the artists use different techniques, such as numerous brush strokes or using charcoal or acrylic paints. The art of the Virgin Islands is very similar to regular American art.
The music in the Virgin Islands is mostly rock and new age soul, but there is plenty of jazz and Caribbean music left on the islands. Now the islands are modernizing into the U.S. music.
The Virgin Islands are the place to be if your into History and Culture. If your traveling near St. John or St. Thomas you can visit Trunk bay. Trunk bay is the place to be for snorkeling in their underwater national coral reef park. You can spend your time shopping on any of the islands, using the U.S dollar. Take your family to one of the many museums or historic sites to learn the interesting facts of the past. You can spend time in one of their top rated hotels or even camp out in the wilderness. You should visit the Virgin Islands to bring out the playful spirit inside of you, or your family and friends. The best time to visit the Islands would be in the winter months (December-March) and the spring to summer time. Do NOT visit the Islands during the fall because that is hurricane season.