Savannah Pirates and Treasure Museum

Embark on an adventure like no other at this most nautical of museums, where authentic artifacts and multimedia exhibits combine to bring the history of crime on the high seas to life. 

Located in City Market, the museum speaks to Savannah’s rich maritime history, including the motley crew of marauders that once filled its ports. It’s also right below the Savannah Prohibition Museum, making it the perfect spot for history buffs to take in different periods of the city’s past in one day. 

Visitors can engage with interpretive panels and audio recordings that reveal the nitty gritty details of pirate life or peruse primary documents to discover the secrets of history’s most infamous voyages. Real weapons, treasures, and tools—including Spanish coins from the El Cazador shipwreck and five carats of emeralds from the Atocha—immerse you in the Golden Age of Piracy. The museum’s strikingly life-like wax figures also allow you to meet (or even strike a pose with) heroes and scoundrels alike.

An interactive map shows how pirate history has unfolded around the world; however, the museum places special focus on Savannah’s own pirate ties, including the exploits of Captain Caleb Davis, an infamous smuggler and privateer with Georgia ties. Women pirates such as Anne Bonny and Mary Read are also highlighted, dispelling the misconception that only men could find fortunes on the high seas. 

After brushing up on your history, you can drop anchor and grab a drink at the on-site Pirates Tavern. With its barrels of ale, wood-beamed ceilings, skulls, ropes, and more, it feels like entering into a real buccaneer’s bar—without the perils, thankfully. It even serves up time-tested pirate recipes, including “Hard Tack,” a rock-hard cracker just as salty as the sea.

The bartending ne’er-do-wells, Scarlett Redd and John Boy, sling up brews, wines, and themed cocktails like West Indian Rum Punch, and may even treat you to a traditional sea shanty or two. If the pirate’s life is for you, round off your visit with a toast, and pop into the gift store for your booty.