In the winter of 2025, we visited Thing 1 at Flagler College in St. Augustine, Florida. We decided to visit the St. Augustine Pirate & Treasure Museum located in the historic district. I’ve never been particularly interested in pirates and couldn’t tell you who Blackbeard was, but I learned a lot and found the museum to be worthwhile.

Pat Croce, pirate scholar, diver, and former president of the Philadelphia 76ers, began this museum in 2005. Located in Key West, the collection included many of Croce’s artifacts from his dives. The museum moved to St. Augustine in 2010 and boasts over 800 heirlooms, exhibits created by Disney imagineers, and multiple “Book of Pirates” interactive touch-screen displays.

St. Augustine Pirate & Treasure Museum

We began our self-guided visit, which started with a display of rudimentary maritime instruments. Navigational tools, as we know them, didn’t exist for early seafarers. To measure latitude (the distance from the Equator), captains used a quadrant or backstaff to find the distance of the sun from the horizon. Around 1730, the octant replaced the backstaff, as it utilized mirrors, enabling latitude measurements at night with the aid of the stars and moon. Other artifacts included a dry-card compass from the 19th century and a signal book from 1773. 

Pirate Activities

Pirating has been around for centuries, but the most prominent period occurred from 1650 to 1750. Because of ships traveling to and from the New World, the Caribbean became a hotbed of pirate activity. Towns such as Port Royal, Jamaica, sprang up as a trading center and hangout for these pirates.

But did you know there were “legal” pirates called privateers? Sir Francis Drake and Jean Lafitte are two well-known privateers who had the backing of their governments (England and Spain, respectively) to attack enemy ships. They would also share the loot with their country’s rulers.

Pirates, on the other hand, didn’t have any royal backing and went out on their own to attack ships. They shared the loot with no government and often murdered, kidnapped, and committed other crimes on the high seas.

We walked into Rogue’s Tavern, surrounded by pirate art, parts of Sir Francis Drake’s ship, and mannequins of Drake and Robert Searles with Spanish coins, a Spanish helmet, two Spanish rapiers (swords), and a Queen Anne flintlock (pistol). Touch-screen displays provided us with biographical information about famous pirates, including Blackbeard, Captain Kidd, Anne Bonney, and Calico Jack Rackham.

Pirate Ship

Our next stop was a pirate ship. In the Captain’s Quarters, we saw one of only two original Jolly Roger flags in the world. Many times, ships would surrender to the pirates without a fight when they saw this flag. A captain mannequin slept in his bed, tightly holding his blunderbuss. Surrounding him were a medicine box, ceramic bowls, and bottles from the period.

On the Main Deck, visitors could take the helm and hoist the pirate flag. An exhibit allowed us to try tying various sailors’ knots. The Gun Deck boasted interactive cannons that guests could fire.

One of my favorite exhibits was called Disney’s Blackbeard’s Show. We entered a small ship room called Below Deck and donned headphones. The lights went out, and we heard Blackbeard coming aboard and capturing the ship. Disney Imagineers created the show, and it is not to be missed. 

Pirate Treasures

Obtaining treasures from ships was every pirate’s goal. While some buried it, others traded it in towns such as Port Royal. The Shipwreck Island section featured multiple cases of treasures obtained all over the world.

A rare find was the Taj Mahal Treasure, discovered in 1961 from a shipwreck near the Great Basses Reef. Silver rupees dated 1702, during the reign of Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, are on display. Other treasures included rare pearls from the Santa Margarita shipwreck, a silver bar, and a gold bar.

Thomas Tew’s treasure chest, purportedly the last known pirate treasure chest, weighs 150 pounds. Upon closer inspection, we could see a smaller box inside where more valuable treasures could be stored. A large key on the wall opens the chest, but not via the fake keyhole on the front.

Before anyone considers a career as a pirate, an exhibit features original wanted posters for pirates such as Henry Avery. Various punishments are shown, and an animatronic head of Blackbeard tells stories about his three-year reign of terror.

Pirates in the Movies

The last exhibit before the gift shop was a collection of memorabilia from Hollywood Films. We saw the Aztec coin and sword used in Pirates of the Caribbean, the hook from the movie Hook, and numerous movie posters.

Conclusion

For more information about the St. Augustine Pirate & Treasure Museum, click the site’s link here.