Where 300 years of buried history surfaces every day.
Shipwreck Discovered
On April 26, 1717, a ferocious nor’easter slammed the Whydah Galley into the shoals off Cape Cod, taking nearly 150 men and millions in plundered treasure to the bottom — a story the ocean kept secret for nearly 300 years.
In 1984, explorer Barry Clifford changed history, locating the wreck and authenticating the world’s only confirmed pirate shipwreck. The pirates were real. Now you can experience their story.
Who were the Pirates?
Samuel Bellamy’s crew were not the swashbuckling fantasies of Hollywood — they were a brotherhood of sailors, formerly enslaved men, and political exiles who captured more than 50 ships across the Caribbean and American coast.
The Whydah began life as a slave ship before Bellamy’s crew seized and transformed it into their flagship — placing them at the center of one of history’s most misunderstood chapters.
History in Your Hands
The Whydah Pirate Museum houses the largest collection of pirate artifacts ever recovered from a single shipwreck — every gold coin and silver piece a direct connection to the men who sailed her. Touch real 300-year-old pirate coins, step aboard a replica of the Whydah Gally, and watch archaeologists excavate artifacts from the wreck site in our onsite SeaLab. New discoveries arrive every dive season — and so do new exhibits.
Rated #1 on TripAdvisor · Cape Cod
It was so cool to read true pirate stories! If you’ve ever been interested in pirates, ships, etc- I 1000% recommend a stop by this awesome TREASURE ARRGGHH!
The Whydah Pirate Museum is a great experience for fans of history and pirate tales. Hundreds of artifacts have been cleaned and restored, giving a glimpse into pirate life of the 1700s...
One of the best, most true-to-history pirate-related museums/exhibits. A great number of original artifacts are presented with detailed descriptions and in historical context...
It is awesome! Real artifacts they have found from that ship, including a chest full of pirate treasure!!! It was very informative and interesting... GO HERE!!
This was surprisingly excellent and a hidden gem. Very good layout, narrative and presentation. They’ve done excellent work here!
This museum has the only known real artifacts from the pirate ship Whydah, including silver coins and the ships bell... If your are a pirate, come see this display!
The collection of pirate artifacts was absolutely stunning, and the museum itself a delight to walk through. I could have spent all day in the exhibits!
This place is amazing!!! Loved that we were able to speak with a member of the expedition team who went above and beyond answering all of our questions and provided us with so many interesting facts!