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Nice Changes Happening Over at Cinnamon

cinnamon

About a week or so back, we told all of you how our friend Kevin McCarthy launched a new weather website. Well I think that Kevin, who owns Coconuts and Plumeria villas here on St. John, missed his calling as a blogging guru because he sent us the following info about Cinnamon Bay, and it’s pretty darn good. So here is a nice little update on the happenings over at Cinnamon Bay courtesy of Kevin…

Back in the day, campers at Cinnamon Bay were a more frugal crowd, and tended to use taxis or hitching when they wanted to go out on the town. These days, many campers rent cars, and that led to some tensions over available parking spots. This was addressed a few years ago with a number of parking spots being reserved for campers only, but of course that just meant a lot fewer spots for anyone else visiting for the day.

Well, the new concessionaire, Redwood Parks Company, just took some steps to address this issue. Starting last week, the aluminum bench seats of the Cinnamon Bay Amphitheater were pulled out, and the area has been converted into a large new gravel parking lot, with room for over thirty cars.

Nice Changes Happening Over at Cinnamon 1
Image credit: Kevin McCarthy
Nice Changes Happening Over at Cinnamon 2
Image credit: Kevin McCarthy

At present, none of the spots are reserved for campers. The new lot connects to the end of the old lot, as well as the exit from Cinnamon Bay. Given how infrequently the Amphitheater was being used for night-time presentations, the new use of this space makes a lot of sense. It also means that you get to linger a few more minutes over breakfast and coffee, and still score a spot on a spectacular North Shore beach.

In related Cinnamon Bay news, the aluminum frames of the new eco-tents are going up quickly, and “phased occupancy” is scheduled for February 2017.

Nice Changes Happening Over at Cinnamon 3
Image credit: Kevin McCarthy
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A finished eco tent – not at Cinnamon

The restaurant (formerly “T’ree Lizards”, renamed the “Raintree Cafe”) is also being extensively renovated, and the snack shop has been upgraded. Beware the hot “Premier” sandwiches at the snack shop; almost entirely bread (“Texas Toast”), with precious little else. Hopefully, the Raintree Cafe aspires to higher standards. (Kevin’s commentary folks, not mine. 🙂 )

The Park Service took over the remaining space in the building that houses the archeological museum, so no more beers or snorkel rentals there, but a mobile snack cart has appeared. Richard Metcalfe no longer manages the watersports concession, but is doing some transitional consulting for Redwood Parks. The watersports concession itself appears to be largely unchanged.

And there you have it folks. Thanks Kevin!

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