At the end of the tur you get samples and mixed drinks of your choice. Also, if you want to come back, no need to tour again but you can pay $5 for a couple of rounds of drinks.” 

Make time to go to the Cruzan Rum visitor pavilion.

The Cruzan Rum distillery is located at the West End of the island. The distillery is open to the public weekdays from 9am-4pm and Saturdays 10am-2pm. I read that they are also always open any day a cruise ship is in port. Always verify hours before making the trek out there.

You do not need to call to make reservations for a tour, just show up.  The tours leave regularly. If you are like us, you will get lucky by being the only ones there at the time. If so, you get a tour guide all to yourselves…I call that VIP!

It is hidden back off the road. Easy to miss if you are looking for big flashy signage.  We got lost on our search to find it then passed by the entrance.  Once we made it past the security entrance, we made our way to the lovely visitor pavilion. We were greeted with a friendly welcome by at least 3 employees.  The tour is inexpensive, informative, and fun!

Perk: A big thank you to the USVI Government and Dept of Tourism. The great team here will pack your rum safely into a travel box for you to take home. My favorite part of the deal is that it doesn’t count as one of your checked bags (so you don’t pay to fly it home).”

The tour really gives you an up-close and personal view of the rum-making process. Our guide was friendly, entertaining and very knowledgeable. Literally nothing is between you and the increasingly hot liquid. You get the chance to look in all the containers at all stages of the distilling process. Walking through the barrel warehouse you see the rum barrels stacked high to the ceiling. If the employees are unloading the barrels, you will have a chance to watch them uncork the barrels too.  Truly an amazing process to learn about.