U.S. VIRGIN ISLA N DS
Virgin Islands National Park Occupying the majority of the U.S. Virgin Island of St. John, Virgin Islands National Park is more than stunning white sand beaches — though there are plenty of those. Whether you hike to historic plantation sites — gaining insight into the park’s complex (and troubling) past — or observe the indigenous Taino’s ancient petroglyphs, an education in scenic surrounds is in store. Nomadic hunter-gatherers first arrived on the island from South America between 2,500 and 3,000 years ago. Then, between 1,000 and 1,300 years ago, the Taino people — who spoke an Arawakan language — established a unique culture all their own, building communal villages; farming cassava, potatoes and corn; using stone tools; and practicing a complex religion based on ancestor worship. By the early 1600s, European slave ships transported millions of African people from their homes to the Caribbean, a brutal legacy that echoes throughout the island today.
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UNITED VAN LINES NATIONAL PARKS GUIDE
SOUTHEAST
