In a place with the finest beaches in the Caribbean, pristine parklands and well-preserved colonial towns, who would think that one of the top attractions in the U.S. Virgin Islands is found at a 40-year-old shack nestled deep in the rainforest cloaking the northwestern tip of St. Croix?

The enormous “everything” burgers at the Mt. Pellier Hut Domino Club, as well as proprietor Norma George’s good cheer and her “Mama Wanna” — a homebrewed elixir of dark island rum infused with honey, herbs and roots — are worth the half-hour drive from Christiansted, but they are secondary considerations. The real stars are Gem, Vic, Grunt and Hurricane Roger: the beer-drinking pigs guzzling down the suds like, well, pigs.

The surreal sight has been going on for more than 20 years since the late Buster, a family pet, ripped a can of Heineken from the hands of one of George’s friends and pounded it down. A sudsy star was born. After beloved Buster passed away — his well-tended grave on the premises — the club switched to nonalcoholic O’Doul’s.

But if you’re a porker, the near beer still tastes great. Standing on his hind legs, Gem lunges forward to snatch the swill, which he quickly tosses into his upturned snout. A metallic crunch of teeth cracking through the aluminum can, and then the frat-boy sounds of foaming beer being chugged at astounding speed, followed by hearty, satisfied burps. It’s like spring break for swine.

If enabling beer-drinking pigs isn’t your idea of Caribbean culture, no problem. The quirky history and superb tropical scenery of this U.S. territory offer countless vacation possibilities. Each of the three main islands — St. Thomas, St. John and St. Croix — has a distinct personality, allowing visitors to choose according to their interests. And if you’re a U.S. citizen, no passport is required for entry or departure.

History runs deep here. First settled by the indigenous Taino and Carib Indians, the islands were named by Christopher Columbus — who landed on St. Croix during his second voyage, in 1493 — and occupied at various times by the Spanish, British, Dutch, French and the Knights of Malta. The Danes later assumed control and converted the most arable land to sugar production; scores of old stone windmills still punctuate the landscape. The United States purchased the islands in 1917 for $25 million in gold, primarily to protect sea-lanes for the newly opened Panama Canal and to prevent the islands from falling into German hands during World War I.

With the advent of jet travel in the 1950s — making the Virgin Islands just a two-hour escape from Miami — tourism became a mainstay. The snowbirds included author Herman Wouk (The Caine Mutiny), who actually managed a hotel on St. Thomas for several years, an experience that inspired his classic island-time novel, Don’t Stop the Carnival. The Broadway actress Helen Hayes was a vacation fixture on St. Croix, while atomic physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer and billionaire Laurance S. Rockefeller were both beguiled by St. John — the latter so smitten he secretly bought up more than 4,600 acres, which he donated in 1956 to establish Virgin Islands National Park, one of the most beautiful preserves in the entire West Indies.

St. Thomas is the territory’s undisputed gateway. Its seaside airport is served by non-stop flights from more than 10 East Coast and Midwest cities, including Boston, New York, Atlanta, Chicago and Detroit. And during the winter and spring, several cruise ships a day tie up in the port of Havensight, nestled inside the snug harbor fronting the picturesque capital of Charlotte Amalie on the south side of the 32-square-mile island.

The Danes designated St. Thomas a free port in 1724; and almost three centuries later, one of its chief attractions remains duty-free shopping (the allowance here is $1,600 per person, double other Caribbean islands) with excellent deals on jewelry, watches, perfume, china and liquor. Visitors can bring back up to six bottles tax-free as long as one is locally made, such as Cruzan Rum. Most retail stores are found in Havensight or along the narrow, colonial-era streets of central Charlotte Amalie.

To get a good lay of this scenic land, head just east of Havensight and climb aboard a Paradise Point St. Thomas Skyride gondola; the Swiss-built cable lift delivers riders to the 700-foot summit of Flagg Hill. There are shops as well as a bar perfect for sundowners: reggae tunes, a cold beer and sweeping vistas that extend all the way to the big island of Puerto Rico, 40 miles to the west.

Another popular panorama is Drake’s Seat, overlooking the quieter north shore. Almost directly below lies Magens Bay, a mile-long stretch of sugary sand that consistently ranks in top 10 lists of the best Caribbean beaches. The bay itself is sheltered and sand-bottomed, while the family-friendly beach is backed by shady palm trees and picnic tables, changing rooms, a snack bar and an outfitter renting non-motorized water sports equipment. The place can feel overwhelming on cruise ship days, but two miles west you can kick back with the locals at Hull Bay, the spot where fishermen moor their boats and winter surfers grab the territory’s tastiest waves.

Just east of Magens Bay you can tee off at Mahogany Run Golf Course, a 6,022-yard, par-70 course designed by George and Tom Fazio with challenging terrain and trade winds, especially holes 13–15, the so-called “Devil’s Triangle.” Nearby Coki Point Beach has been renovated; amenities include a police substation, a bathhouse and chair and snorkel rentals. Adjacent to Coki is Coral World Ocean Park, with a three-tier underwater observatory offering a look at one of the island’s best reefs.

After the relative hubbub of St. Thomas, which counts 52,000 year-round residents, serene St. John seems a world away, despite lying just three miles to the east across Pillsbury Sound. Two-thirds of the 19-square-mile island is protected from development as Virgin Islands National Park, which also explains its tiny permanent population of 4,200 people.

St. John claims no cruise ships, no airport, no golf courses and certainly no skyride. Instead, there is an abundance of natural, easily accessible attractions that appeal to eco-conscious travelers. More than 20 well-marked hiking trails wind through the island’s verdant terrain, including the spectacular Reef Bay Trail. National Park Service rangers lead guided walks from the ridge-top trailhead on a shaded, two-mile descent that passes abandoned Danish-era plantations and pre-Columbian petroglyphs to a deserted beach. Other superlative strolls include Ram Head Trail, a 1.2-mile hike that skirts the gorgeous white sands of Salt Pond Bay and then winds through dry forest before climbing to a 200-foot-high promontory with 360-degree views; and Annaberg Historic Trail, a half-mile walk through a well-preserved 18th-century sugar plantation.

A succession of fine white-sand beaches scallops St. John’s north shore. It’s best to sample a few, from remote, frill-free Waterlemon Bay to Francis Bay, a local favorite. Famed Trunk Bay has a bathhouse, snack bar and lifeguards plus the marked, self-guided 225-yard Underwater Trail just offshore that is ideal for novice snorkelers.

St. John is also the staging point for day sails and powerboat tours to the adjacent British Virgin Islands; outfitters like Calypso Charters offer itineraries with stops at The Baths at Virgin Gorda and the funky barefoot bars of Jost Van Dyke. You just need to bring your passport for British Immigration, as well as cash for the customs fee and a few “Painkiller” cocktails. If you prefer to lime locally, the east-side community of Coral Bay, an eight-mile drive from the administrative hub of Cruz Bay, has a classic backwater Caribbean vibe with scores of live-aboard boaters; just as many crusty, land-based characters; and Skinny Legs, a perfect cheeseburger-in-paradise joint.

Situated 40 miles due south, St. Croix is the largest (84 square miles) of the U.S. Virgins, with a headcount approximating that of St. Thomas. Home to the Cruzan and Captain Morgan rum distilleries as well as a large oil refinery, its economy is less dependent on tourism than either St. Thomas or St. John. While the rolling terrain isn’t as dramatic as that of its sister islands, St. Croix can claim the richest mix of cultural and natural attractions.

A steady stream of cruise ships calls on west-side Frederiksted, a Danish-era settlement anchored by the blood-red ramparts of Fort Frederik. But the real architectural gem is the town of Christiansted on the north-central coast, which features an orderly grid of streets lined with elegant, 18th-century Neo-Classical structures. Many are part of Christiansted National Historic Site, including Government House (1830), which still serves as a municipal building; the Danish West India & Guinea Company Warehouse (1749); and waterfront Fort Christiansvaern (1749), erected to protect the booming colony from pirates and slave revolts. Unlike St. Thomas, the best shopping is bereft of brand names; you’ll find local shops such as IB Designs, a specialist in chaney jewelry, which incorporates shards of centuries-old porcelain salvaged from local ruins.

Casual restaurants and bars line the boardwalk that girdles Christiansted’s harbor, where you can book a daytrip with Big Beard’s Adventure Tours to Buck Island Reef National Monument, a 19,000-acre preserve five miles east of town protecting one of the finest marine gardens in the Caribbean. Behind a barrier reef of elkhorn coral, visitors can snorkel a shallow lagoon that attracts sea turtles, colorful reef fish and even spotted eagle rays.

Five miles west of town, eco-adventure companies such as Virgin Kayak Tours offer guided tours of 1,000-acre Salt River Bay National Historical Park and Ecological Preserve. The history-rich estuary holds Columbus’ landing site as well as the last remaining early earthwork fort (1642) in the West Indies. One of the largest mangrove stands in the territory, Salt River Bay also serves as a haven for birds including herons, kingfishers and ospreys.

An underrated underwater destination, St. Croix is considered one of the best islands in the Caribbean for shore diving, particularly along the Cane Bay section of the north shore, where the vertigo-inducing walls draw comparisons to the famed drops surrounding the Cayman Islands. Dive operators like Cane Bay Dive Shop can also deliver you to submarine canyons, a cluster of shipwrecks and even a nocturnal swim-through of Frederiksted Pier for rarely seen seahorses and frogfish.

On the extreme southwest tip of St. Croix, 360-acre Sandy Point National Wildlife Refuge protects the longest (four miles) beach in the territory, a broad swath of bone-white sand that is the second-most important nesting site in the Caribbean for endangered leatherback sea turtles. During the April–August nesting season, Fish & Wildlife Service rangers lead turtle-watch tours — an animal encounter that is far more natural (and far less alcoholic) than the beer-drinking pigs of Mt. Pellier.

Big Beard’s Adventure Tours
bigbeards.com

The Buccaneer Hotel
thebuccaneer.com

Calypso Charters
calypsovi.com

Cane Bay Dive Shop
canebayscuba.com

Caneel Bay, A

Rosewood Resort
rosewoodhotels.com

Coco Blue Restaurant
cocobluerestaurant.com

Coral World Ocean Park
coralworldvi.com

Eat @ Cane Bay
eatatcanebay.com

Frenchman’s Reef & Morning

Star Marriott Beach Resort
marriott.com

Mahogany Run Golf Course
mahoganyrungolf.com

National Park Service, U.S.V.I.
nps.gov/state/vi

Sandy Point National

Wildlife Refuge
fws.gov

La Tapa
latapastjohn.com

U.S. Virgin Islands

Department of Tourism
visitusvi.com

Virgin Kayak Tours
virginkayaktours.com