Pirates of Nassau

For about a decade from 1706 Nassau had no functioning government and was effectively run by pirates, with Blackbeard, Charles Vane, Benjamin Hornigold, Anne Bonny and Calico Jack Rackham all operating from it, until Woodes Rogers arrived as governor in 1718 with a royal pardon in one hand and a rope in the other. This museum covers that period in a walk-through reconstruction: a full-size replica of a pirate sloop that you board, a recreated waterfront, and displays on the reality behind the mythology, including the pirate codes, the punishments and the very short careers most of them had. It is aimed squarely at families and does that job well.

What you actually see

• The replica sloop - a full-size ship you walk aboard.
• The recreated waterfront - the town as it was in the 1710s.
• The pirate codes - the actual articles crews signed.
• Woodes Rogers - the governor who ended the republic in 1718.

When to go

Year-round. Cruise days bring queues in the middle of the day; mornings and late afternoons are quieter. It takes about ninety minutes. It is fully indoors and air-conditioned, which makes it a good hot-afternoon option.

Honest expectations

It is a commercial attraction rather than a scholarly museum, with mannequins, sound effects and a gift shop at the end, and the entry price is high for its size. Adults without children may find it thin. It does tell the actual history reasonably straight underneath the presentation, which is more than most pirate attractions manage.

Nearby

Parliament Square and the straw market are a short walk.