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I walked down to Cinnamon Bay Monday morning, and I was surprised to see that the old Danish warehouse was fenced off. I walked a little closer, and I learned that the building – one of the oldest Danish buildings on St. John – is undergoing historic preservation.

Some history…

The first inhabitants of Cinnamon Bay were the Taino. It is believed that they lived at Cinnamon Bay from about 1000 AD until the end of the 15th Century. The Danes settled St. John in 1718 and soon began building sugar plantations. The warehouse that is being preserved is part of a sugar plantation that was once located at Cinnamon Bay.

Cinnamon Bay was originally named Store Caneel Bay, which means Big Cinnamon. Caneel Bay used to be Klein Caneel, or Little Cinnamon. They were named due to the abundance of cinnamon trees (bay rum) in the area. The bays were then translated into English and became known as Cinnamon Bay and Caneel Bay.

Cinnamon Bay was devoted to sugar production in the 18th and 19th centuries. Production ceased, however, due to the emancipation of slaves in 1848, the depletion of the soil and increased competition. Once sugar production ended, the land was used mostly for cattle production. Cinnamon Bay was sold to the Jackson Hole Preserve in 1955 and later donated to the National Park.

Crews are expected to complete a variety of tasks including clearing vegetation around the structure; rebuilding some of the stone structure; fixing cracks; and more. Work is expected to be complete next month. Here is the scope of the work in its entirety:

And here are a few more pics:

I will share photos once it’s done. Have a great day, everyone!

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I was outside doing a little gardening yesterday when I saw something low to the ground slowing moving across my lawn. I walked over to get a closer look, and to my surprise, it was an adorable little tortoise! I watched him (or perhaps her) wander over to the gut, and I continued planting.

Fast forward to this morning… I was just outside again when my cat darted across the yard. We live in Fish Bay, so we have numerous iguanas and deer out here. I figured she must have seen one. I walked over to her, and there he was again – the tortoise!

So many people who come to St. John are fixated on our turtles (rightfully so!), but did you know that tortoises live here too? The one I keep seeing is red-footed tortoise, which was native to South America. According to Coral World, the aquarium over in St. Thomas, it is believed that the Carib Indians introduced the red-footed tortoise to St. John as a food source hundreds of years ago. Apparently they were a great animal to take on a canoe because they can go days without food or water.

We’re clearly not eating them out in Fish Bay, but I enjoy watching them, and I know you do too. Check out this quick video I took:

Want to learn more about St. John? Take an island tour with me!

Learn more here –> www.explorestj.com/tour

See the island of St. John with a resident. See the nooks and crannies that many visitors miss. Explore the beaches, historical sites, perhaps a tiki bar or two, and much more. Full & half days available. Rated “Excellent” on TripAdvisor.

Click Here to Book Now. 

It’s been a bit since I provided a little St. John island update, so here we go!

As you know, high season is right around the corner! Vacationers are slowly starting to trickle back to the island, but overall, it remains nice and quiet here in St. John. The beaches are anything but crowded, parking is easy to come by and you can get a seat at just about any barstool on island. That’s a win-win!

The majority of the restaurants have reopened or are reopening soon. Extra Virgin Bistro opens tonight, and I could not be more excited for that! Lime Inn and Lime Out reopened last week, and Morgan’s Mango is back open too. In Cruz Bay, the only spots that remain closed are Banana Deck, Drink and La Tapa. Skinny Legs, Pizzabar in Paradise and Miss Lucy’s all remain closed in Coral Bay. The campground at Cinnamon Bay reopens November 1st and ZoZo’s at Caneel Bay will reopen in December. Pizza Pi reopens next month and Lovango Resort + Beach Club reopens in December.

The former Joe’s Rum Hut and Quiet Mon Pub are still undergoing renovations. Rum Hut will now be called Karma, from what I hear, and Quiet Mon Pub is now The Blind Donkey. I will keep you posted on both of those spots.

As I mentioned last week, we are currently in the midst of sea turtle nesting season. Dalton and I took a walk on the beach over the weekend, and we stumbled on not one, but two marked nests! How exciting!

The St. John Cancer Fund held a Block Party over the weekend, and it was a great success! It’s so nice to see our longtime events happening again!

Ok, well I think I will end today’s post here. Have a fantastic day, everyone!

Want to learn more about St. John? Take an island tour with me!

Learn more here –> www.explorestj.com/tour

See the island of St. John with a resident. See the nooks and crannies that many visitors miss. Explore the beaches, historical sites, perhaps a tiki bar or two, and much more. Full & half days available. Rated “Excellent” on TripAdvisor.

Click Here to Book Now.