St. Augustine Pirate & Treasure Museum

I had a great time at the St. Augustine Pirate and Treasure Museum! This place is a total gem for anyone into pirate history or just looking for a fun outing. The collection of over 800 authentic artifacts, like a real pirate treasure chest and a Jolly Roger flag, is seriously impressive. The interactive exhibits, like firing a cannon or exploring the replica pirate ship, make it feel like you’re stepping into the Golden Age of Piracy. The self-guided setup lets you go at your own pace, which I loved, and the info plaques are packed with cool facts about pirates like Blackbeard and Sir Francis Drake. My only gripe is that it can get a bit crowded, especially on weekends, wish it was a bit larger, and the gift shop prices are a little high. Still, it’s a super fun and educational spot that’s totally worth checking out .

Of all the pure museums in St. Augustine, this one has the most interesting artifacts, including coin clusters, movie props, and even the last remaining pirate chest on earth. It's themed well, informative, and interactive, making it great for kids and adults alike. Last time I went, they had a scavenger hunt as well, and its not one of those hunts that are meant to prolong your experience to give the illusion that they have more than they do. If you are in the area and are looking for something fun to do, this would be a great pick.

A Pirate’s Adventure You Can’t Miss My visit to the St. Augustine Pirate & Treasure Museum was a blast! From the moment I entered, the staff made me feel welcome and shared interesting facts about the exhibits with enthusiasm. The museum itself is packed with authentic pirate artifacts, like a real treasure chest and a Jolly Roger flag, which really brought history to life. The interactive displays, such as firing a replica cannon and exploring a pirate ship deck, kept things fun and engaging throughout. I loved how the museum balanced both entertainment and education, making it perfect for visitors of all ages. The friendly staff went above and beyond to make the experience even more enjoyable, providing helpful insights and answering all my questions.

Thank you for One-Eyed Willie! The best! This museum is great - plenty of interactive activities - a treasure hunt, setting off cannons - & I love the exhibits - a look inside the pris & cons of living a pirate's life. Great for kids & adults alike!

Really cool little museum. The tour guide Capt Mayham was super knowledgeable, fun and nice. His presentation was probably one of the best I've seen as a tour guide goes. You can tell he definitely loves what he's doing. The artifacts and story's were very interesting. We would definitely recommend to come here if you have the chance and DEFINITELY recommend Capt Mayhams tour!

This place is so worth the visit!!! They do have a guide in case you want entertainment and much more info. There is so much to look at and interact with. Great for all ages. Make sure to take part in gathering clues to win some treasure. There is an interactive section where you listen to a story on a headset and you are part of the crew. It was well worth it and the gift shop is very nice.

So I actually went here fully expecting some dumb roadside attraction thing and was super pleasantly surprised bc it was so cool! It's large and has so many pirate relics, from swords, to guns, to treasures! It even has one of the only Jolly Roger flags still left in existence. One of the things I really liked was that you could also do a scavenger hunt for a "dubloon" while you're walking the museum. It was really interesting and had a lot of interactive stuff! I'd recommend it for sure!

This was such an unexpected ARrrrr-MAZING St. Augustine find! So many literal HIDDEN treasures! It is one of the better museums--right by the Castillo. Friendly people running it. Great for all ages but some of the displays may be a little scary for younger pirates. Great spot. We'll done!

This place is awesome!! Hubs and the kiddo and I went, more so for him and because it was super hot out. The ambiance is super cool, lots of history and there's a fun treasure map that you can complete and you all get your own piece of "treasure". They had artifacts on loan and the visual effects were more than you would expect. There was a cannon that you could light off that the kiddo loved and a "cargo hold" that you could listen to a three minute scenario where a stowaway gets found by the pirate captain. Overall a great spot to see and an easy 1.5 hours for the kiddos trying to find the treasures.

We heard about the St. Augustine Pirate & Treasure Museum on a TV show and were thinking of stopping in when we were in town. We toured the fort across the street and then stopped in via the Museum Treasure Shoppe Entrance. It's located right at the crosswalk from the fort. The gift shop has so many fun items at all price points! You can buy admission tickets to the Treasure Museum on-line at the following prices: Adult Pirate (age 13-59) $18.99 Adult Resident (St. John's County) $16.99 Military Adult $16.99 Family Annual Pass $99.99 Senior Pirate (60+) $15.99 Child (age 5-12) $9.99 Child (St. John's County) $8.99 It's fun to get your pirate on at the St. Augustine Pirate & Treasure Museum! Arghhh mateys!

It's expense for how small it is and not very exciting. The staff was super nice though and kids under 10 will love it

So fun and interactive! A great time to spend with family. All ages will enjoy it. But kids that can read and write will probably enjoy it most. Lots of fun places to learn more about the history of piracy. You go on a scavenger hunt through the museum searching for pucks of "skulls and crossbones" that open doors or drawers with the next clue to write down on your treasure map. My only complaint is that the map isn't identical to the path you take in the building so the spots don't line up and just make it feel a bit careless/janky. If the map could be updated so that you know where to write each found "title" on the map, it would be super helpful and more enjoyable. Whole family went. Ages 17-75 years old and we each enjoyed it. When you're done you get a gold plastic coin to commemorate the experience. Fun time! Kind staff. They offer military discounts with proof of military ID for retired and active duty. Very thoughtful.

In addition to exploring the Colonial Quarter, our itinerary included a visit to The Pirate & Treasure Museum--a captivating historical counterpart. Embarking on the guided tour of the museum, we were enthralled by the exhibits and a collection of historic documents, letters, and journals that vividly illustrated the intriguing history of pirates. Every facet of the museum was a delight, and our appreciation extended to every corner. Each exhibit, brimming with artifacts and stories, contributed to our immersive experience, leaving us thoroughly enamored with the rich tapestry of pirate history.

I took my sister in law to check out the Pirate and Treasure Museum. This was my first time, and I was excited to explore. It seemed geared a little more for children, but adults will also enjoy. For the kids, there was a treasure hunt. Pick up a pencil and a treasure map before entering. If kids find all the clues, they picked up a free from gift from a little treasure chest after they exit. There were some pretty cool pirate artifacts such as liquor dispensers, weapons and yes, even some treasures. Plus, you could read information at each exhibit to learn more about each item and its origin. There was a Blackhead exhibit. Beware, it's a talking head lol. They had a few lifelike replicas that were cool. You could shoot off a cannon. I'll warn you, this blast will have you jumping if you are not expecting the "BOOM." One section was like the deck of a ship. You'll see my picture holding the stern. This section had a display of many different ways to knot a rope. I would take out of town guests here again. I'm sure I missed a some things!

Fun! If you get a chance to take a tour with Captain Mayhem, it's definitely worth it! He knows his stuff and has a lot of character. I wish there was more interactive things and even more stuff to see would be good. It is a good museum, kid-friendly and there is a treasure map you can you to get some treasure at the end!

Awesome! Went with hubby to The Pirate & Treasure museum on our St. Augustine vacation. Pretty neat! Interactive, well done. Lots to read and learn. Who knew piracy was so big in FL! Historical documents, letters, exhibits, a ship deck, and apparently a scavenger type hunt for the little ones. There is a typical gift shop with stuff to buy if so desired. A little on the pricey side, but about average for the area attractions. If one reads everything probably can take a while to get through. If one does not read everything probably goes faster to get through! Would definitely recommend!

Our kids wanted to go to the museum and they won. We entered through the gift shop and they gave us a treasure map. A prize from the chest was given if all the hidden clues were found. They were pretty stoked about that and practically ran in there ;) There is a bunch of things to look at and it was quite interesting going through the rooms of the ship. Lots of pirate and shipwreck history knowledge is gained and it's a fun and interactive place for all ages. It takes everyone back to the Golden Age of Piracy at Port Royal, Jamaica and you will definitely be saying Arrrr when you get out of there. I was happy that we went and experienced it. The prices were a little high considering it's a small museum and we didn't spend no more than an hour there. The staff was great with the service and the kids got a gold coin for finding all the clues out of the treasure chest.

During our school field trip to the museum, our tour guide's approach left much to be desired. Prior to entering the museum, she was overly stern, with both kids and adults, when giving us the rules of the museum. While we recognized the necessity of the speech, her lack of kindness stood out. Once inside, she scolded kids, reprimanded two children with special needs for not raising their hands, and raised her voice when a child interacted with a touch screen display. Disappointed in her behavior. With that said, the museum is very cool with many interesting exhibits. Some were a bit gruesome to the 10 year olds in our group.

I thought this was a really fun activity for my children (3, 5, and 7). They love pirates. It was not too long, but just long enough to enjoy their time on a pirate ship. Unfortunately for us, a few minutes in to the sail it started pouring pretty badly. But luckily it didn't last too long and the show went on and the kids still had a good time learning to fight pirates. They took their pictures with the pirates and got a little "treasure" box with a few little toys inside (kinds of things kids like). I did feel it was a little expensive, but again, you are sailing on a boat which costs money to run so I don't know that it could have been much cheaper. Only thing that was annoying was that the online booking would not permit me to select the senior tickets for the senior members in my group so they didn't get that discount. And when I brought it to the attention of the girl in the shop when I went in to get the boarding passes she just looked at me with a blank stare and did nothing. I left it alone...I wasn't going to get worked up over $10. But some acknowledgment of the inconvenience (or offering a refund for the difference I should have been able to get in the discount) would have been nice. The crew on the ship were really fun and playful with the kids. Totally worth it for them. They loved it.

This is like Disney level exhibits. I was astounded at the intricate details of the exhibits which made the experience very immersive. I am a local tour guide and public school teacher -make sure you do this with your kids. It is worth every dime. You earn a gold coin if you complete your map answers. Plus they can launch off cannons with full auto do booms. As adults it is fun as well to do. There is so much to read and soak up. I would highly recommend this be one of your first stops in the city.

For how small of a building and museum there really is such much information packed into the whole walk about. So many neat and interesting information. Very cool vibe as you walk around and find yourself in different parts of the boat.

Our friends wanted to check this out so we went along for the ride. It turned out to be better than I thought because their interactive "books" that share summaries of several different pirates was really great. We also liked the display at the end featuring pirate movies. I think this would be fun for all ages. A plus is that if you keep your entrance sticker you can come back and use the bathroom any time that day. We didn't because we ended up on another side of town but if you were in the area it would be convenient.

This place is so high-quality, it's ridiculous. I really can't say enough so I won't make this long. Every inch of the place is interesting. Everything is presented with Disney-level quality and attention to detail. Just wonderful. Im blown away.

This place is not only enormous, but extremely entertaining! We were given a little map to find 12 secret locations for a little prize at the end. There was so much rich history with the pirates on display, some of which I recognized. This is definitely a wonderful place to visit. Very interactive and fascinating to explore!

BLUF: a Hidden Gem among all the kitschy other attractions in Saint Augustine When I first saw that sign for this Museum I wrote it off as probably just another artificial, poorly done attraction. Luckily I took the time to speak to some Park Rangers who said that it was legitimate. In short, it was a wonderful experience. The owners have managed to create a highly interactive, entertaining, educational and informative Museum all in one. Other than one room, which is a little nod to popular culture references to Pirates, the rest of the museum is firmly rooted in actual history. Definitely worth a visit.

Great for kids and adults. Very interactive and engaging. Fun scavenger type hunt for kids and good mix of physical artifacts and digital entertainment.

The museum was very interesting as well as interactive. There is a lot to look at especially if you have an interest in historical pirates. I did find the movie portion to feel thrown together and lacking, almost an after thought and somewhat out of place. The price was on the higher side, but for a one time visit I found it to be tolerable. Great affordable gift shop.

Fun museum for the whole family, not only kids. My husband and I enjoyed our time here. The entrance fee is not cheap, $16 per each adult but the displays and stories are fascinating. I highly recommend to take the time to read everything.

Tons of cool stuff to look at! Kids get a treasure map and find stuff along the way and get a piece of gold at the end. Small kids I don't think would be that interested- lots of reading what things are. Overall pretty cool!

We really enjoyed this museum. They have a lot of neat artifacts and a lot of history packed in here. They also have a fun little scavenger hunt that you can do as you go through the museum. The front desk gentleman was not friendly at all and it would have been nice to get some more information regarding the little demonstrations that they do throughout the day. Other than him, it was a great experience.

Really great time and even has a treasure hunt through the museum. My kids loved the gift shop, which was reasonably priced, and the 'real' pirate but parts of the museum were too scary for them. They are 4 and 2. They did actually love being able to 'fire' cannons!

Pretty fun, informative and interactive. Definitely designed for kids, but it was worth seeing as an adult also. Self guided tour, takes anywhere from 20 minutes to 2 hours depending on if you stop to read and do everything. Kids under 5 are free.

We bought tickets on sale in advance of our trip to St Augustine to visit the Pirate and Treasure Museum. It fits perfectly with St Augustine and we enjoyed passing an hour or two there while exploring the city! There is lots to see and read throughout the museum. We particularly liked seeing the authentic Jolly Roger. There is also a great little gift shop onsite which is worth a look.

Fun museum for the kids, staff is so nice, helpful and friendly . We really enjoyed the experience.

Great! We were on our honeymoon, had a fun time. The gentleman at the front was awesome. Lots of cool history, things to see and do. Interactive pieces as well. Walking through the different rooms of the ship was interesting. There was so much treasure- gold and silver bars, pearls, jewels. Pieces of eight. ;) We did the treasure hunt and won our prize. The people were helpful and kind.

In our St Augustine trip, me and my Sister and Brother-in-Law stopped here. We figured it might be fun for both the kids and us adults. We were absolutely right! The Pirate & Treasure Museum was a fantastic experience full of real Pirate History, including a real Jolly Roger flag, and a Matchlock Musket, and stories. Being a huge Rum connessieur, I was delighted to read about Captain Henry Morgan, who inspired the Captain Morgan brand and ironically died of alcohol poisioning. They had documents from court trials of real pirates and props from the sets of pirate movies as well! Please do ask the pirate character(s) about the Treasure Hunt you can do throughout the museum! And to hear the story of how Blackbeard died! If you are even remotely interested in Pirate history or if you just have a sense of adventure and like to try new things, and no matter how young or old you are, you're going to have fun at the Pirate & Treasure Museum!

Super nice staff and let me tell you I was surprised. I thought it was going to be all replicas and a cheesy tourist trap. It really is a museum and while not the biggest it did take us a while to go thru. Interactive areas which were a nice surprise... hand sanitizer all over.. treasure hunt game.. themed beautifully. I would recommend to anyone.

Ernie and I spent Fri-Sun in the St George Hotel. I bought tickets to this Museum. We loved the tour and the Tour Guide was dressed as a Pirate. He looked the part and also talked like a Pirate. We loved the gift shop as well. This is where you purchase your tix. I highly recommend this to anyone who might be interested in the history of St. Augustine.

Really great museum, price is reasonable, staff is very friendly, exhibits are beautifully done and laid out nicely, lots of interaction for the kids. The souvenir shop is reasonable as well.

We decided to check out this museum based off the reviews to entertain the kids. The main entrance is through the gift shop and it's so small and cluttered with children involved I felt anxiety then the cashier that was there that day was not nice at all or helpful. She reminded me of Squidward from spongebob ("congratulations, you found the treasure"). The treasure map was cool and ideal to educate everyone but I feel like it could of been a longer museum for the price. My son who is 7 yrs old was upset about how short it was and upset about his grand price at the end.

I went there this past week with family and friends. We received a wonderful tour from Captain Mayhem. He really showed a passion and love for what he was showing us and I could really feel myself starting to love what I was learning as well. They have the largest selection of pirate artifacts in the world which was just amazing to see so many different pieces all with stories behind them. Overall it was a great experience and Captain Mayhem just made it even more enjoyable. Would definitely recommend checking the place out, even if you aren't into pirates, there's something for everyone.

Want to make your vacation vaguely educational? The Pirate & Treasure Museum appeals to adults and kids alike! This museum has a lot of informational plaques and interactive screens to click through, so you'll get more out of it if you can actually spend the time reading the materials, but even a half hour will allow for a decent visit to take in most of the items. The space is fairly small but cleverly designed like a ship. Treasure (gold, coins, fine china), weapons (guns and swords), and many navigational tools are on display. The biography area covers more than just the usual Black Beard and Kidd with section dedicated to female pirates Anne Bonny and Mary Read, as well as extensive details about the history of privateering. My favorite areas allowed you to practice tying nautical knots or to sniff stolen shipments!

If you have kids, The Pirate & Treasure Museum might be a must. Kids seem to love it as it does evoke feelings of wonderment and adventure associated with the days of piracy. However, maybe because I tend to be somewhat of a skeptic, to my mind the museum is based more upon folklore, conjecture and fantasy than it is upon facts, which as such is just fine. For kids, as with Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny, just fine as well as a lot of fun. It's just not for those serious about the actual history of piracy. This is a small museum but well set up and well laid out. There are plenty of displays and sets. Even one with a helm that makes you feel you're steersperson aboard an actual ship. There are some actual coins and a silver bar taken from the very much for real treasure ship, Atocha, which is truly representative of the booty the pirates were seeking though the sinking of the Atocha had nothing to do with piracy. Besides the displays within the museum, it also offers an in-class educational curriculum based upon Florida history and piracy. Also, group tours and party hosting that is done with what might be best termed as a Disney quality entertainment.

My husband was looking forward to this attraction so we made the stop on the trolley tour. Unless you like to push a lot of buttons to listen to an explanation of every single picture or exhibit I would pass on the one. Not much pirate treasure to see and a lot of cheesy looking exhibits that were not at all realistic.

Pretty small museum, our kids are younger so they weren't interested in the interactive screens throughout so we got around it pretty quickly. There are bits which are a bit gruesome for young kids like the ghost/story section and there's no warning for parents. When the voice started talking about slitting throats and plunging his knife into someone I quickly removed their headsets. Gift shop was pretty reasonable though.

one of most interesting and informative tour. Captain Mayhem was right on point with his whole presentation. I would like to pick his brain one day. He has so much knowledge

Not a bad experience for price. We just took a day trip with two adults, a 5 year old and a 3 year old. Our 3 year old was free and we got a discount for being local ($31 total). That being said, there wasn't tons for littles. It's pretty cool if your little is super interested in pirates, but I wouldn't recommend it for kids under 8ish. I heard there is a guided tour, but that wasn't offered to us so I'm not sure about that experience. Over all the kids enjoyed it some, but we were through in about 45 minutes. You need to be able to read all the interactions and not be scared of the occasional cannon blasting and creepy wax pirates. Arrrrg! We enjoyed the ships wheel and the cannon firing. We had the most fun in the gift shop exploring fake knives, guns, etc.

I recommend this lighthouse for sure! It was a gorgeous time of day that we visited and we loved it! My husband is very knowledgeable about boating and I swear they were going to offer him a job there! The kids loved it too (ages 9 and 11). The pirate ship and the hidden telescope Were a for sure stop with the kids! The museum part is quite interesting as well!to me this was well worth it-far more than some of the other attractions in the area.

Definitely a place that you need to stop and be a total tourist. Though it was a fun place to discover, paying $25 to be in the group tour is a bit much. The tour guide was awesome, but while on the tour and he was talking other visitors who didn't pay for the tour was running around and things. If the place was bigger it wouldn't be such a nuisance. The tour guide was full of information and was fun throughout. After the tour you're able to go through the place and read whatever you missed. I found that the shop ended with Pirate culture in Hollywood. They stole my heart when I found out they have Willie!!!!!!!! So if you just take your time, you really wouldn't have to pay for the $25 tour.

Fun museum with pirate and treasure and memorabilia. It's nicely set up with interactive exhibits. I like the room at the end where it highlights many of the pirate movies that have been made. $14.99 for adults and $7.99 for kids. Seniors and military are $11.99. We were only there for about 45 minutes so in that respect I feel it was a little overpriced but that might have been because of the limited attention span of my children. St Augustine is pretty expensive everywhere. They did spend 30 minites in their wonderful gift shop. There is no parking lot attached to the museum so you would need to park downtown or at the fort and walk over. You could also visit via trolley.

This is really a fun and great museum. You can spend 30 minutes or up to an hour and a half there depending on how in depth do you want to go into your learning experience. We spent probably at least an hour inside there and had a wonderful time with it!

A very interesting museum. Small, but done well in keeping our interest. It is $14.99 for adults to get in, but we had one free as a comp from iTrips. I think it's a bit high if we actually paid for two. Doesn't take that long to go through...they give everyone a map to search for treasure in drawers which makes it last longer. There is a section that's interactive, but more for kids. I did like the "firing" of the cannon & learning more about some of the well known pirates. Really loved seeing the real artifacts. Nice little gift shop at the end.

A little pricy for the adults, but a nice place to duck in to cool off and see some very unique history, including real pirate treasure, the world's oldest wanted poster (easily missed because it's a written document, no image of the person's face) and a historical pirate's treasure chest (perhaps the only one still in existence). There are also some interesting swords, firearms, and other relics from the period. If you're the type of person who quickly looks at everything at a strolling pace without reading the history plaques or closely examining the pieces you'll rush through the exhibit in less than fifteen minutes. If you take time to read the history and really take in the pieces you can easily stretch it to an hour. The treasure section is very cool, and I don't just mean it's interesting to look at. The AC is awesome in this section. You feel like you're in a cave. Great place to cool off. The gift shop is a delight for children, especially the pirate pistols.

Enjoyed this neat museum. My grandson saw it and wanted to visit. It was a good selection. The exhibits were good and informative. All in all the Museum takes about 1-1 1/2 hours but it really helps to take you out of the heat and to cool down. They have some interactive parts in the museum for both young and old. For my 5 year old grandson they provided a scavenger hunt for him which helped to keep him interested in the exhibits although he was in to it anyway. Overall I would recommend this stop you may actually learn something if you take the time to read. Good place which I highly recommend.

We had a great time visiting this museum. I have always been OBSESSED with pirates since I was a kid. Don't know why, can't explain it. But everything that had to do with them, from their cartoon depictions and owning the Lego sets as a kid to dressing up as a buccaneer for last Halloween, you name it. Love their anti-hero roles in the history of the Caribbean and the development of the colonial Americas. That, coupled with a general love of history and museums made this a must see stop. Was not disappointed. Well worth the money. Some people here have commented that it is a quick walk-through, but I disagree if you are the kind of person who likes to read and see absolutely everything when you see a museum. I would allow anywhere from an hour to an hour and a half to make it through at a steady pace, taking pictures, and reading all the descriptions. Very well done, very well-kept, nice staff, reasonable price of admission. I recommend it.

Very entertaining museum! I felt like a little kid exploring the different "rooms" in the ship. This museum has several pieces from different shipwrecks and tons of information on pirates of the past. It's a great time for all ages. They have a scavenger hunt set up around the museum and my personal favorite, light a cannon! Don't worry, nothing gets blown up.

Cool artifacts and displays, but it is very quick to get through- in and out in 20 minutes. Good history on the pirates specific to the town and the famous ones. Also interesting how they show the truth of fact vs fiction from what has been shown in popular pirate movies.!Probably not a good adult activity but I'm sure kids enjoy it. (Warning: some graphic content though like a decapitated pirate, and another getting his eyeball removed)