5 Best Nightlife in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands

Locals and visitors come here to drink freshly brewed mango lager and listen to live music several nights a week. Oh, and there are crab races on Mondays. A nice selection of appetizers and sandwiches, plus shareable build-your-own salads make this waterfront microbrewery a fun place to nosh while you work your way through beer flights and people-watch on the boardwalk.

St. Croix’s first large-scale brewing operation has a plant and tasting room near the oil refinery by the airport; drop by to try some of the more than two dozen beers produced here, including the popular Island Life lager and a saison inspired by local bush tea and flavored with basil, lemongrass, ginger, and sorrel. The kitchen serves appetizers, wraps, pizzas, and calzones.

You can find the beers at bars throughout the USVI and BVI, but they can't be shipped to the mainland.

Classic rum-based drinks in decorative tiki glasses (think: zombies, mai tais and hurricanes) star at this dark, atmospheric bar with indoor and outdoor space. For something local, try the Iloilo, made with Mutiny vodka, or the Merciful Mistress, a tiki drink built around light Cruzan Diamond Estate rum. Small plates are available for noshing, including a pupu platter, of course.

The larger of St. Croix's two casinos (the other is in downtown Christiansted) is located across the street from the Divi Carina Bay resort. For a night out on the island's East End the casino has reel-type slot machines, video poker, and table games including blackjack, poker, roulette, and craps. Guests of the all-inclusive Divi Carina Bay eat and drink free at the Carina Cafe.

For a mini adventure in downtown Christiansted, hop the two-minute ferry to this hotel bar on Protestant Cay for trivia Wednesdays, live music on weekends, and periodic Tiki Tuesday parties with a luau-style buffet, steel pan bands, fire dancers, and moko jumbie performers. The beach bar is open until 10, and the ferry from the Christiansted boardwalk—normally $5 per person for non–hotel guests—is free after 5 pm.