Nassau Pirate Museum

Rebecca JonesJanuary 24, 2017At the corner of King Street and George Street in Nassau, you’ll find a bright purple building filled with stories of looting and thievery, but also loyalty and fairness. The Pirates of Nassau Museum and Gift Shop is a great place to spend an hour, or even more, during your cruise’s port day in Nassau, Bahamas.Upon entering a sign directs you to the year 1716, when piracy was in full force throughout the Caribbean. You escape the blinding sun and enter into a dark area with full-sized replicas of a ship and port city. As you walk along, you can hear the shopkeepers tending their stores from behind frosted windowpanes.  The pirates are talking on the ship, and you hear their plans for the night, plans of debauchery and fun.As you turn the corner, you enter the ship itself, and are privy to the storage system and food stores for the ship.  There is also a rather gruesome depiction of a medical treatment, complete with graphic removal of a limb due to some incurable disease of the time.All along the exhibit, there are signs that give you history and examples of what it was like in that time period. They talk about life at sea, what weapons were used, why people were drawn to the pirate lifestyle, and how they worked together to determine their code of conduct.Some of the signs have questions on them, with the answers covered by torn black fabric, and are especially popular with the kids.  There are also drawn portraits of actual pirates, with their histories and accomplishments.Finally, you reach the point when King George I of England wanted the pirates gone.  You learn how he appointed a governor of Nassau, and that person worked with the merchant navy to capture the pirates.  Those who were captured were either tried or killed, so many went into hiding, and piracy came to a virtual end in 1720.I definitely recommend the Pirate Museum as an easy addition to your day in Nassau, whether you have a scheduled excursion or not.  It’s easy to walk to from the main shopping street, and worth spending some time learning about the history of the region you’re visiting.