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B M & T ••• September/October 2026 ••• www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com 54 USVI AREA GUIDES In the evening, Caribbean flavors fill the menu at Gladys' Café, while Red Hook and the Charlotte Amalie waterfront offer cocktails, and live music with island rhythms after dark. ST. CROIX Larger, quieter and culturally rich, St. Croix invites groups to look beyond the beach. At the 131-room Buccaneer, 3,300 sq. ft. of dedicated indoor meet- ing and event space is complemented by beachfront venues, oceanfront lawns and a historic sugar mill, creat- ing outdoor session opportunities. History runs deep in Christiansted, where Fort Christiansvaern recalls the island's colonial past, and Fort Frederik in Frederiksted links to both the 1848 emancipation uprising and the 1878 Fireburn labor revolt. At Estate Whim Museum, enslaved Africans' experiences share history with local Crucian traditions and folk- ways. Groups can sail across brilliant blue water to Buck Island Reef National Monument, dig into local favorites at La Reine Chicken Shack or watch the evening unfold along the Christian- sted Boardwalk. Another reason to consider the island is the former Carambola Beach Resort is undergoing a $75 million transformation, scheduled to reopen in late 2027 as the 150-room Club Med St. Croix. The luxury all- inclusive will bring restaurants, well- ness amenities and meeting facilities to the island, adding a new option for planners. ST. JOHN St. John slows the pace. Much of the island lies within Virgin Islands National Park, where forested hills descend toward secluded coves and startlingly blue water. Against that backdrop, the Westin St. John Resort Villas, with 252 accommodations, offers a 3,500 sq. ft. Great Cruz Bay Ballroom. Attendees can snorkel the clear waters of breathtaking Trunk Bay, explore Cinnamon Bay or reconnect over an afternoon beside the sea. At the Annaberg Sugar Plantation Ruins, groups can also encounter the history of enslaved Africans and St. John's powerful legacy of resist- ance. Come evening, Cruz Bay provides restaurants, cocktails and an easy- going social scene. For an executive retreat, incentive or leadership gathering, it completes the picture: a place where meaningful meetings can happen inside the conference room, but memorable conversa- tions can happen beyond it. WHO YOU GONNA CALL? U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Tourism – (340) 774-8784 VisitUSVI.com WHERE BUSINESS COMES WITH A SEA VIEW BY PATRICE A. KELLY Across the U.S. Virgin Islands, emer- ald hills spill toward white-sand beaches and turquoise seas shimmer beneath the Caribbean sun. Yet the islands pair a sense of escape with practical advantages: U.S. citizens arrive without passports, spend U.S. dollars and find a destination natural- ly scaled for smaller conferences, exec- utive sessions, leadership retreats, and incentives. Meetings here happen largely at resorts, where terraces, beaches and oceanfront lawns extend the agenda. And each island brings its own per- sonality: St. Thomas offers the strongest meeting infrastructure; St. Croix combines business with culture and history; and St. John wraps inti- mate gatherings in extraordinary nat- ural beauty. ST. THOMAS When your agenda requires meeting muscle, St. Thomas deliv- ers. The 392-room Westin St. Thomas Beach Resort & Spa at Frenchman's Reef pairs 25,000 sq. ft. of indoor meeting space with another 60,000 sq. ft. outdoors. Its Harbor View Ballroom seats 990 theater-style, while terraces, court- yards, waterfront decks and pool areas let attendees glide from gen- eral sessions to receptions beneath the Caribbean sky. Off property, attendees can slip into the calm, crystalline waters of Magens Bay, sail the surrounding seas or wander the streets of Charlotte Amalie. But behind the postcard views lies a deeper story. Fort Christian, Emancipation Garden and Market Square offer windows into the islands' Danish colonial and African-Caribbean history. USVI St John Cinnamon Bay photo credit: NPS Anne Finney