Bahamas Museums
If you like to explore other people and places, you might enjoy visiting a museum while on vacation in the Bahamas.
One popular destination is Wyannie Malone Museum. It is Hopetown, in northwestern the Bahamas. Named after Hope Town’s founder, this museum showcases the history of the area with photography and artifacts. They host events for the island’s Heritage Day and track the genealogy of the Malone family.
Many travelers also choose to visit Pirates of Nassau. It is found in downtown Nassau. Pirates of Nassau is open 9:00 am to 6:00 pm daily, except Sunday, when they close at noon.
Bahamas Historical Society Museum: Exhibits at the museum feature collections of historic relics including a coat of arms, the islands’ Declaration of Independence, stone slabs featuring petroglyphs, and scale models of historic ships.
The list below enables you to get more details on some museums to choose from in the area.
Balcony House Museum
Downtown Nassau
Balcony House Museum was restored in 1994 and then opened to the public as a Museum. The former owner and American Heiress named Josephine Bryce had furnished the house with antiques from across the globe, and even parts of the home are said to contain a ship’s mahogany staircase. This home was said to be the Heiress town cottage from the mid-1930s until late in the 1980s. This house is said to be dated back to approximately 1788. The Pink House was also said to have been home to the first Back elected official Stephen Dillet. If you are in town take a tour of down town’s great historical house.
This museum is housed in what is believed to be the oldest house on the island. Today it offers a look back into the early period of Nassau and to see how daily life was for some.
Balcony House Museum presents for out-of-towners an unequaled look regarding how the country’s people regard the subject. Part of the bounty of showcases at Balcony House Museum , visitors may notice a selection of permanent exhibits. These are this institution’s un-moving displays.
It is hard to miss this bright pink and white rimmed house. Built in the 1700’s, this colonial house shows the standard of living a well-off colonialist would have had.
Pompey Museum of Slavery & Emancipation
Bay Street , downtown Nassau, New Providence
Pompey Museum of Slavery & Emancipation is located in the historic Vendue House that dates back to the 1760s. The building has been home to many different things over the years including the market place, salve trade quarters, telegraph and Telephone department, and Electric Department and today it is the Museum. This museum pays homage to The Bahamas slave history. The Museum itself was named after Pompey, a slave who rose up and formed a revolt against the unfair conditions on the Rolle Plantation on Exuma. So for another great history lesson be sure to stop by for a visit.
This museum is dedicated to telling the story of the African experience in the Bahamas and occupies a building where slaves were once bought and sold. See artifacts from plantations and those of African origins as you discover the history of slavery in the Bahamas and the African cultural influences and experiences here.
Pirates of Nassau Museum
George Street, downtown Nassau, New Providence
Pirates of Nassau Museum is located in downtown Nassau and pays homage to the capital of Piracy and home to Black Beard. The period of Piracy lasted for about 30 years from 1690 until 1720 and The Bahamas and Nassau were in the heart of it all. Nassau was at the heart of it all due to its prime location. It allowed fast shallow water boats in and out easily yet was not deep enough for the larger vessels. This interactive Museum will allow you to step back in time and feel as though you are in the same era as Blackbeard was! There is a fee of $12.00 for adults and $6.00 for children to enter and is open seven days a week.
Pirates play a major roll in the history of the Caribbean, and the Bahamas are no exception. Now, in the heart of downtown Nassau, board a replica pirate ship and be transported back to 1716, where you’ll see how the life of a pirate transpired.
Learn what made Nassau a perfect pirate hangout during the early 1700’s and gain a new perspective on the city. Don’t forget to visit their onsite restaurant, Smugglers Cafe, where fresh conch salad is prepared each day. They serve breakfast and lunch daily, while dinner is offered Thursday – Saturday.
National Art Gallery of the Bahamas
Villa Doyle, West and West Hill Streets, downtown Nassau, New Providence
National Art Gallery of the Bahamas is also the premier Art Institute of The Bahamas that offers the history of the Bahamas Art and Visual Culture. The NAGB offers contemporary Art exhibit as well as extensive public programs and fellowships and grants too. The National Art Gallery of The Bahamas does charge $5.00 for adults, $3.00 for seniors and students, and then Children under 12 are free. The Gallery is open Tue -Sunday but closed on Mondays and most public holidays.
Committed to promoting the importance of art in the Bahamian culture, the National Art Gallery of The Bahamas stands as a home for many of the island’s most prominent works. The National Collection of Bahamian Artwork is housed here, and medias on display include sculpture, textiles, ceramics, photography, painting, and more. The collection is both contemporary and historical, and gives visitors an idea of how the islands’ aesthetic has changed through the years.
You will be able to see some of the greatest local works and some truly authentic, and contemporary art. You will also have the option to look around this gallery with or without a guide to help you.
New World Museum
New World Museum was founded by Columbus scholar Ruth C. Walper Malvin. This museum is located in San Salvador and is on the small side, but has many artifacts from the Arawak Indians, maritime artifacts from the colonial are and plenty more. Since San Salvador was Christopher Columbus’s first landing location and home to the Pom ceremony in 1492, much of the museum is dedicated to him. Museum curator erected a beautiful monument close by Columbus. Since the Museum is small it is open by appointment only, so be sure to plan this in advance.
Albert Lowe Museum
6.1 mi. North-Northwest of Central Treasure Cay
Albert Lowe Museum is a beautifully restored loyalist home. This display is an amazingly raw and delicate history of the Out Islands and is named after the great shipbuilder Albert Lowe. Much of Albert’s son Alton Lowe’s artwork is on display in the basement of this museum. The Museum is located in Plymouth, on Green Turtle Cay. The Albert Lowe Museum is open Monday – Saturday and admission is $5.00 for adults, $3.00 for Students, then children under 5 are free.
Before islands like Green Turtle Cay were easily accessible through air travel and modern sailing, European colonist still lived on them. The Albert Lowe Museum takes a look at one families life and hardships on this tropical frontier.
Admission grants you to look around the museum and read about the artifacts, as well as a tour by the caretaker who will give you a narrative of life in the early time of the British Bahamas.
Wyannie Malone Historical Museum
Hopetown, Elbow Cay
Wyannie Malone Historical Museum is a nonprofit museum located in Hopetown. This Museum was started by Byrle Patterson, Shirley Higgs, and Vernon Malone with the town’s people help. Artifacts, photos, and furniture were all donated including the home of the late Mr. Harrington Albury. Today the museum is in a new building after the test of time and a hurricane forced the move. The Museum is open November until April Monday – Saturday so be sure to see more of the Islands History if you are in the area.
Named after Hope Town’s founder, this museum showcases the history of the area with photography and artifacts. They host events for the island’s Heritage Day and track the genealogy of the Malone family.
Most guests think that it is relevant to become informed about as much surrounding the culture and history of the Bahamas as is attainable, and this museum shares that occasion. Among the numbered presentations at this museum, travelers likely will make note of a collection of permanent exhibits. These are this attraction’s enduring expositions.
Sacred Space
Sacred Space is a created piece that is located on Paradise Island. When some of the sacred Casuarina trees were eroding the shoreline, so the artist Antonius Roberts transformed them into beautiful art. Roberts was able to transform the trees into the beautiful women that you see today. The site is also a significant location in Bahamian Slave history, as it was the landing ground for many slave ships and close to the former sugar plantations. It was created in 2006 and still stands today!
Cetacean Museum
Hopetown, Elbow Cay
This specialized museum is dedicated to the long and rich history of whaling. While the practices has for the most part died out over the years, whaling was a very influential industry for much of the early and pre-industrial era world, providing the world with oil. The Cetacean Museum will take you through this history.
There are a variety of different exhibits at the Cetacean Museum. Visitors should expect to see plenty of historic maps and whaling charts, stories of whalers, and a collection of whale bones on display. All guests are sure to leave with some new knowledge about this often overlooked aspect of maritime history.
Junkanoo Expo
Woodes Rogers Walk, downtown Nassau, New Providence
Explore the history and culture of Junkanoo, the carnival-party with bright colors, and intricate costumes. Junkanoo Expo houses some truly amazing costumes and masks and makes a great, quick attraction while in Nassau.
Guests are invited to walk through the small museum to view the many colorful costumes. While exploring the exhibits, you are likely to run into Mrs. Nash Ferguson, who owns the museum. Feel free to ask questions and talk about the costumes to make the most out of your experience.
The museum is actually a house re-purposed to showcase the many costumes and hats. As it is right off the cruise dock, you may need to look for it a bit. However, it is a popular attraction, and there are signs to help you spot it.
Bahamas Historical Society Museum
Elizabeth Avenue & Shirley Street, downtown Nassau, New Providence
As the main museum of the Bahamas Historical Society, this building maintains a large collection of artifacts and documents that span more than five hundred years of Bahamas history.
Exhibits at the museum feature collections of historic relics including a coat of arms, the islands’ Declaration of Independence, stone slabs featuring petroglyphs, and scale models of historic ships.
If you’ve worked up an appetite during your museum visit, don’t worry — you’ll find a concentration of lunch and dinner spots within traveling distance. Cafe Matisse, which dishes out Italian meals, will be of particular interest to visitors looking for a convenient meal. Balduccino Fine Foods and Taj Mahal are some of the other restaurant options close to Bahamas Historical Society Museum. At Taj Mahal you and your party should try a bite of Indian meals and enjoy the Bahamas scene.