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Looking for some really amazing things to do on St. Thomas with kids? I can help! We loved our trip to St. Thomas and found some really cool experiences there.

Our first vacation with a baby was a bit overwhelming, with lots of extra details to figure out. So we decided to try a vacation that was more mainstream than our pre-kid trips were.

A friend had recently honeymooned in the Virgin Islands and really enjoyed it. When I found a great price on flights, that cemented our choice. We would explore St Thomas with kids!

We’ve also kept up to speed on what’s happened since our last visit, so here’s everything you need to know for a great trip to St. Thomas with kids!

Where to Stay on St Thomas with Kids

During our visit to St Thomas, a separate room for Little Man to sleep in was really important to us. I know some families set their kids up in pack-n-plays in the bathroom, but we didn’t own one of those.

👉 We booked a 1-bedroom condo at Sapphire Beach Resort.

Although the beach restaurant was closed for remodeling during our visit, it wasn’t a big deal for us. There was another restaurant over by the Marina where we could dine as well as a BBQ food truck at the top of the hill.

Plus, the beach and the pool were our main reasons for booking there.

Because visiting St. Thomas with kids is popular with many families, there are hotels and resorts for every budget.

👉 Other popular hotels include Marriott Frenchman’s Cove and Belongo Bay Beach Resort.

However, there are a lot of Charlotte Amalie hotels and other locally owned places along Morningstar Beach that are great budget choices for the whole family to enjoy.

Things to Do on St Thomas with Kids

1. Sapphire Beach

☑️ Location: Smith Bay, St Thomas 00801, U.S. Virgin Islands
☑️ Hours: Sunrise to Sunset
☑️ Cost: Free; rental chairs, umbrellas, and snorkel gear are available.

The Virgin Islands have so many beaches and we visited many of them. However, the beach at our resort was one of the best we found on St Thomas with kids.

Soft sand, clean, small waves, and 85-degree water were all perfect for swimming and playing for hours! In fact, we spent our entire first day enjoying the hotel’s pool and beach.

The hotel even offers a discounted rate to guests who wanted to use snorkeling gear. There is some nice snorkeling right off the beach there.

2. Pirate’s Treasure Museum

☑️ Location: Inside Buccaneer Mall
☑️ Hours: 9 am – 5 pm, Tuesday through Saturday
☑️ Cost: Adults $12, Kids $12, Under Age 6 are Free

Growing up watching movies like Goonies, I know how much kids love the idea of pirates and buried treasure. The two-story building has hands-on, interactive exhibits that teach visitors the history of piracy in the Virgin Islands and Caribbean.

This museum show showcases authentic artifacts and treasures from the world-famous deep-ocean shipwreck discoveries of Odyssey Marine Exploration.

Located in downtown Charlotte Amelie, behind the Port of Sale Mall, the museum is easy to access from both the ferry dock and cruise terminal.

3. Snorkel at Coki Beach

☑️ Location: Coki Point, St Thomas 00802, U.S. Virgin Islands
☑️ Hours: Sunrise to Sunset
☑️ Cost: Free; rental chairs, umbrellas, and snorkel gear are available.

Coki is supposed to be the best snorkeling beach on St. Thomas. From what we saw, that’s very likely true! Because we have a kid now, we decided to take turns snorkeling so someone could stay with the baby.

Families with older kids could definitely do this excursion together. Even if you alternate snorkeling time as we did, you’ll enjoy comparing experiences and trying to find the cool stuff the other one had seen.

Pro Tip: Go to Coki Beach when there’s not a cruise ship in port. It’s THE place most cruisers go for excursions. Check the cruise ship schedule first.

If you go to Coki Beach, I don’t recommend Coral World Ocean Park. It’s possible to snorkel the area without paying to do so. In addition, they have several ethically-questionable captive animal experiences.

While we love seeing animals as we travel, we limit it to seeing wild animals in their native environments. Like Swimming with Whale Sharks in Isla Mujeres.

4. Fort Christian

☑️ Location: St. Thomas, Forte Strade, Charlotte Amalie, St Thomas 00802, U.S. Virgin Islands
☑️ Hours: 9 am – 3 pm, Monday to Friday
☑️ Cost: $10

Fort Christian is the oldest standing structure in the Virgin Islands. For over 300 years, the building has overlooked Charlotte Amalie Harbor. At first, it was used as the base for the Danish outpost in St. Thomas. But by the late 1800s, the town was well established. The fort became the island’s prison.

Fun Fact: Visitors who climb to the roof will get excellent panoramic views of the harbor.

In 1977, the fort was made into a National Historic Landmark. As such, its rooms were converted to exhibits for period furniture, historical photos and documents, a cane press, and displays of local plants and animals.

Today, the museum has exhibits on the history of the Virgin Islands from the Stone Age to the present, as well as a natural history section, a furniture collection from the Danish period and an art gallery.

5. Take a Day Trip to St. John

The St. John ferry leaves out of Red Hook and is a very pleasant 20-minute ride. It leaves every hour in both directions, but only certain times accommodate cars. So we were slightly more limited in our scheduling.

We stopped at the Annaberg Sugar Plantation Ruins for a self-guided walking tour. In addition, we stopped off at a few beaches to enjoy the view and swim for a bit.

If you’re driving the island as we did, the furthest you’ll likely make it before returning for the last car ferry is Miss Lucy’s restaurant. This place is the perfect spot to enjoy a meal while overlooking the scenic Coral Bay. The patio breezes are divine!

Our son’s favorite part was the goats in the parking lot. They just wander in the area and are really cute!

6. Virgin Island’s Children’s Museum

☑️ Location: Inside Buccaneer Mall
☑️ Hours: 10 am – 5 pm, Tuesday to Saturday; 11 am – 4 pm Sundays
☑️ Cost: $10 for adults and kids; babies under 2 are free

The Virgin Island’s Children’s Museum is located adjacent to the Pirate’s Museum. They’re great to pair up on a rainy day in St Thomas with kids.

The main draw of this museum is the hands-on, interactive exhibits that teach kids about various topics, like electricity or engineering. However, there are some fun indoor play areas as well.

7. Day Trip to Virgin Gorda

Toward the end of our trip, we took a day ferry to Virgin Gorda in the British Virgin Islands to see The Baths National Park.

This experience was our favorite of the week, not just because our son got his first passport stamp but because the Baths are truly a unique experience.

They’re the most well know attraction on the small island and are basically giant boulders brought to the surface by volcanos that are scattered around forming a beautiful grotto and peaceful pools.

When you weave your way through to the end, there is a lovely white sand beach to enjoy called Devil’s Bay! Although our pictures are pretty, they will never do justice to seeing them in person. It was well worth the $70/pp 90-minute one-way ferry ride.

8. Skyride to Paradise Point

☑️ Location: 9617 Estate Thomas Charlotte Amalie, St Thomas 00802, U.S. Virgin Islands
☑️ Hours: 11 am – 5 pm Saturday; 9 am – 6 pm Tuesday and Wednesday
☑️ Cost: Adults $25; Kids 6-12 $16; Kids under 6 are free

Also near the Pirate’s Treasure Museum, the Skyride to Paradise Point goes up to the top of the mountain where Paradise Point is located. The view of Charlotte Amelie from 700 feet above is very impressive!

The Skyride opens at 9 am and makes a trip up the mountain every seven minutes. Each set of trams can hold 24 people at a time.

Note: The trams are fully enclosed and safe for kids, but the ride goes high in the air. People with a fear of heights might want to skip this experience.

Once at the top, you can shop and enjoy a cold beverage in addition to enjoying the view. There’s even a restaurant up there!

9. Shop at Mountain Top

☑️ Location: 9343+5FQ, Saint Peter, St Thomas 00802, U.S. Virgin Islands
☑️ Hours: 9 am – 5 pm daily
☑️ Cost: Free to enter

Because St. Thomas is so hilly, no trip to the island is complete without a visit to Mountain Top! This giant store is a gift shop, bar, and scenic overlook all in one.

Pro Tip: Try the banana daiquiri. It’s a bit sweet but worth it!

The prices here tend to be better than shops in Charlotte Amelie near the cruise port. So don’t be afraid to do some shopping. Of course, you need to enjoy the view, too.

Little Man’s favorite view was the pirate statues in the gift shop. So there’s definitely something for everyone here.

Fun Fact: All purchases at Mountain Top are Duty-Free!

The only tough thing is finding the store because being at the top of the highest peak in the Virgin Islands, the roads are small and twisty. Being in the Caribbean they aren’t marked as well as they are in the Continental US.

10. Phantasea Tropical Botanical Garden

☑️ Location: 7D-5, ST THOMAS, VI 00802, U.S. Virgin Islands
☑️ Hours: 9 am – 4 pm Tuesday to Sunday
☑️ Cost: Adults $10; Kids 5-12 $5; kids under 5 are free

Located next to Mountain Top, Phantasea Tropical Botanical Garden covers a lush two acres. Most visitors tend to spend about an hour here. It’s a great place to let the littles wander the paths while you enjoy the beautiful surroundings.

Fun Fact: Phantasea is a women-owned, local business!

The large variety of flowers also attracts birds and other wildlife, such as hummingbirds. They even have a shop selling snacks and cold drinks to enjoy as you wander.

11. Magen’s Bay

☑️ Location: St Thomas 00802, U.S. Virgin Islands
☑️ Hours: 7 am – 5 pm daily
☑️ Cost: Non-Island residents $5; Island Residents $2; kids under 12 are free

The one-mile-long Magen’s Bay beach is the most popular beach on St. Thomas. It’s a public park and is also one of two beaches that has an entrance fee. It’s worth it though! Because the beach is set inside a long bay, the water is typically very calm.

With no waves or currents, it’s great for floating and swimming. In addition, because the bay deepens gradually from shore, it’s perfect for spending a day at the beach on St Thomas with kids.

Pro Tip: Skip snorkeling here because there isn’t much to see.

However, there are plentiful water sports activities for rent including paddle boats, sunfish, and kayaks. In addition to food at the concession area, visitors can also rent water floats and beach chairs.

If you want a quiet day at the beach, Magen’s Bay is not for you. However, it’s a great place to enjoy calm waters for the kids to play the day away.

Just don’t forget to check the cruise ship schedule before going. If there are three or more ships in port, I’d recommend visiting on a different day so you can find a place to sit.

12. Go On a Tropical Treasure Hunt

What kid doesn’t dream of actually finding pirates’ treasure?

👉 In this half-day activity you get to search the island following clues to famous spots like the Pirate’s Museum and Magen’s Bay.

Participants even get to keep accessories like the pirate’s hats and eye patches to play pirate any time they want. There’s even a souvenir pouch of replica pirate booty included in the treasure hunt fee.

Don’t worry if you didn’t rent a car because transportation is included from place to place during the hunt. So are snacks! Between a solid five-star rating on Viator and on Trip Advisor, I can guarantee this is an activity the whole family will enjoy!

Conclusion: Things to Do in St. Thomas with Kids

The Virgin Islands are beautiful! In our week exploring St. Thomas with kids, we only scratched the surface. It would be lovely to go back and spend some time really exploring all the beaches and coves for a few weeks.

Especially if you can coordinate visits to the major tourist areas on days that cruise ships aren’t in port, you can really enjoy them without being surrounded by several hundred more people.

This is a best practice we learned on early in our travels and will continue to follow whenever we visit a popular cruise destination.

Never travel without good travel insurance. While we have global health insurance, we also elect travel insurance for short trips.
👉 For travel insurance, we like to use Safety Wing.
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