Derek At The Real Pirate Exhibit

Over the weekend I went to the "Real Pirates" exhibit at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science and it was pretty interesting. First things first, the exhibit is more about a certain ship called the Whydah than pirates. The first part of the exhibit tells the story of the Whydah, how it went from a slave ship to a pirate ship and about slavery and the role it played back then. It had a few items on display including shackles and other little items of the sort. The second part dove into the piracy aspect a little more, but in all honesty the information was more about the ship. They talked a little about the crew, but I would of liked to of had more information on them, more back history on why they did what they did. In the middle of the exhibit they have a replica ship that you go into which was pretty cool, but again I was kind of let down on the lack of info that they had.  They talked a little about what it was like to live on the ship, but they could of done more. After you go through the ship you walk out into a room that I would call the treasure room. I call it that because right in the center of it is a big treasure chest full of treasure that they say was last touched by real pirates and then surrounding that is little artifacts in different display cases. I think it would of been cool to see a little more artifacts from the ship that they recovered, but they still had some pretty cool stuff on display. Towards the end of the exhibit you learn about the perils of being a pirate and how some of them were punished. This part was pretty interesting because it kind of gave you an input into a pirates life and what they went through, but again, the info was limited and I think they could of done more.

All in all the exhibit is pretty cool, but I went in thinking I was going to learn about pirates. I wish they would of done more with the history of pirates and they way of life, why they dressed the way they did and more info about the crew. There was a lot of reading to be done so make sure you are wearing some comfy shoes and be prepared for the crowds. I think they could of spaced out the timing of the groups that went in a little better, it was really crowded at times. If you have kids and want to take them to this exhibit, make sure they don't have a short attention span. There were countless kids running around, bumping into people and exhibit walls. I even saw one try and hide from a security guard, by crouching behind a trash can. I don't think they got the full effect of the exhibit because all of the main stuff was on the walls to read.

I'd say it is definitely worth checking out, but just know it is more about the ship than pirates, at least to me it was. Also, be sure to give yourself enough time, as it does get pretty crowded and you are going to want to see everything. Call ahead to make a group reservation. It sells out pretty fast. My rating would be 3 out of 5 stars due to the lack of info on actual pirates and the kids that were running around with no parents watching them.