Inspiration for the musical

President George Washington’s future U.S. Treasury Secretary spent his boyhood on St. Croix. A couple of centuries later, Hamilton’s story inspired Lin-Manuel Miranda to create the critically acclaimed musical that became a cultural phenomenon.

In the 10 years since Hamilton splashed onto the Broadway theater scene — making fast fans of the modern music score blending hip-hop, R&B and traditional show tunes — people around the world remain enamored with this vibrant spectacle.

While the current Broadway cast will celebrate Hamilton’s 10th anniversary with a special performance in New York City in August, you don’t need a theater ticket to learn more about Hamilton’s life in a place that helped shape his opinions about enslaved people, trade and currency, and influenced him in later life.

It’s easy to uncover Hamilton’s history right on St. Croix!

A group is gathered around cannons at Fort Christiansvaern, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands
Fort Christiansvaern

Tour St. Croix the Hamilton way

Book a tour with entertaining historical ambassador Wayne Nichols, who takes visitors on a first-person, two-hour Eyes of Hamilton experience, showing what 1760s island life was like for the young man who became a U.S. leader. Known as the island’s expert about Hamilton, Nichols dresses in a period costume for twice-a-day tours that reveal secrets about Hamilton, who lived and worked on St. Croix until age 17.

Put on your walking shoes and a hat to join the Alexander Hamilton Walking Tour in Christiansted offered by Crucian Heritage & Nature Tourism (CHANT). Tours set off every Tuesday from the yellow Danish Customs House, where Hamilton apprenticed as a clerk. Guides take visitors on a 2.5-hour walk to see places like the Scale House, where he worked on island imports and exports. The home where he lived with his mother, Rachel Lavien, isn’t there anymore, but Company Street and the cobblestone streets and sidewalks surrounding it still showcase Danish architecture in original buildings like St. John’s Anglican Church.

Another must-do is a self-guided tour of Christiansted National Historic Site and the nearby Christiansted Boardwalk. The yellow brick Fort Christiansvaern, built in 1749 to protect the island from invaders, later became a prison. The seven-acre property fronting Christiansted Harbor offers sights like five cannons stationed on an upper deck overlooking the harbor. Inside the dark fortress, you can peer inside a holding cell where Hamilton’s mother, Rachel, was imprisoned for adultery. She later met Alexander’s father.

On Friday and Saturday mornings, join a guided tour of the home and gardens at The Grange Estate, a former sugar plantation where Hamilton spent his formative years. Step inside the beautifully preserved home that includes the elegant Great Room, where guests once gathered for balls. The estate is where Rachel married and was later laid to rest in 1762 — you’ll see her tombstone on the tour.

Aerial view of Fort Christiansvaern on St. Croix, USVI
Christiansted

Food and entertainment

Dine at the high-end Hamilton’s restaurant, named after both Alexander Hamilton and David Hamilton Jackson, a labor and civil rights advocate, who both lived the “Service First” motto. From your seat on the terrace, take in views of historic Christiansted and peruse a menu heavy on steaks, seafood and locally sourced ingredients in items like a blackened filet mignon or freshly caught steamed lobster tail and pan-seared mahi. Pair your meal with The Hamilton Paloma made with tequila and house-made pink grapefruit liqueur.

Domino Club St. Croix, an outdoor bar in a Frederiksted rainforest, is a fun diversion while you’re on the island exploring Hamilton’s past. Buy a can of nonalcoholic beer for beer-drinking pigs with names like Hamilton Hammy, Kevin Bacon and Chester. Then relax with a beer for yourself while eating curry chicken salad, breadfruit tostones or fried fish.

Pig drinking beer at the Domino Club, St. Croix. U.S. Virgin Islands
Domino Club

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Check out two new promotions — Experience St. Croix: A Vibe Like No Other offering hotel room credits and STX Vibe Sail with discounts in local shops for cruise ship passengers.

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