ST. JOHN, US VIRGIN ISLANDS

Of all the US Virgin Islands, St. John is probably the most unspoiled, thanks to the contribution of one of the world's best known philanthropists, Laurence Rockefeller. Had it not been for Rockefeller's gift of money and his desire to preserve beautiful St. John, the landscape would probably look more commercial, much like the other Virgin Islands. More than half of the island is designated as a National Park, making for a wonderfully unspoiled tropical island with 22 preserved nature trails.

In 1956, Rockefeller donated 5,000 acres to the United States National Park Service to initiate this preservation project. The park contains many beautiful beaches, some of them among the most photographed in the Caribbean; it also has a bounty of wildlife, birds and marine life, and provides a clean nesting places for a variety of turtle species.

Throughout the island are the ruins of many sugar plantations, some of which have been preserved, such as the Annaberg Plantation, a National Park site that offers demonstrations and placards with background information. The... more