Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Lawaetz Family Museum
MUSEUM
( 340-772-1539;
www.stcroixlandmarks.com
; Mahogany Rd (Rte 76); adult/child
$104; 10am-4pm Tue, Thu & Sat)
Less than a quarter-mile beyond the entrance to St
Croix Leap lies this plantation museum. Look for the light-blue sign for 'Little La Grange'
and follow the dirt track up the hill between ruins of the old sugar mill and factory to the
great house.
Set amid virtual jungle and steep hills, this plantation belies the myth that sugarcane
could only be raised on St Croix's coastal plain. For the most part, the place and its furnish-
ings retain the ambience of the plantation when it became the Lawaetz family homestead
slightly more than 100 years ago. Now, family heir Irene Lawaetz acts as your hostess,
giving you a guided tour of the house. New trails have been opened to make the grounds
an exceptional place for hiking, losing yourself in birdsong and kicking back for a picnic
lunch. It's a rustic place that stands in contrast to the grandeur of Whim Plantation.
Sandy Point National Wildlife Refuge
NATURE RESERVE
( 340-773-4554; 10am-4pm Sat & Sun)
In the 1980s, the US Fish & Wildlife Ser-
vice purchased almost 400 acres that included the peninsula and shores of Sandy Point at
the extreme southwest end of St Croix. The area is now a nature reserve with more than 3
miles of vacant beaches that are important nesting grounds for the mammoth leatherback
sea turtle. Hawksbill and green turtles nest here as well. The Fish & Wildlife rangers con-
stantly monitor the beaches during the nesting season from February to July, and the beach
may well be closed when the 1000lb leatherbacks are coming ashore at night to lay their
eggs.
By day, bird-watchers enjoy the area, as it is a nesting ground for endangered brown pel-
icans, terns and oyster catchers. To see the turtles, you may be able to join one of the night
tours sponsored by the Fish & Wildlife Service or perhaps even volunteer for beach patrol.
Check with the Fish & Wildlife Service or the
St Croix Environmental Association (
340-773-1989;
www.stxenvironmental.org
)
about guided tours and turtle-watching pro-
grams, especially during the April through August nesting season. While Sandy Point is a
wild and beautiful area, locals know it as a place that attracts a bad element. Car break-ins
do happen, so take precautions.
Doc James Race Track
RACE TRACK
( 340-778-1395; Rte 64)
This old, small-scale thoroughbred-racing operation is open
sporadically. Call for a racing schedule and post time. It stands just south of the airport.
