national museum of bermuda

This is a must see place when traveling to Bermuda! Learn the history so you may better understand the Islands civilians & economy.

From its high perch, this spot affords great views of the ocean and reefs. The Commodore's house has excellent exhibits with well chosen items and informative signage: topics include slavery, the Portuguese connection, development of tourism, military, coinage, and an elaborate historical mural in the stairwell. The top floor is closed for hurricane repairs. In the "cave" area were displays about Bermuda's history as a penal colony and a POW station during the Boer War and WW1. Another building had maritime history. More than we could absorb in the time we had, well worth a visit.

The National Museum of Bermuda is the result of a recent rebranding of the Bermuda Maritime Museum to include a wider variety of exhibits and more fully explain Bermuda's history, although the maritime aspect is still dominant. It is located totally inside the keep of the Royal Naval Dockyard and is completely surrounded by what were once heavily fortified defensive walls and bastions. Cannons, mortars and howitzers are still in evidence everywhere. Admission is $12.00 for adults and expect to spend at least two hours if you want to see everything. The museum map indicates eleven distinct areas or buildings to visit, but a number are not yet open. However, those that are open, such as the Commissioner's House contain many different rooms and types of exhibits, making up for the ones that are closed.After crossing the dried up moat and passing through the museum gate where the entrance fee is collected you can tour the place in either direction, but counterclockwise made more sense to us as it took us to the principal exhibits on the lower level first. After crossing through into a central courtyard there is a great view of the Commissioner's House above and a large statue of King Neptune below that just invites picture taking. Here is a list of the exhibits in the order that we toured them with comments.1. Queen's Exhibition Hall - This is a huge building with brick barrel vaulted ceilings that are impressive just as works of architecture, but the exhibits in this building under the title Shipwreck Island explain the history of Bermuda from a place originally shunned because of its treacherous reefs to a place of refuge for colonists and others. There are hundreds of items on display that have been salvaged from the shipwrecks of Bermuda.2. The Boat Loft - Another large ordnance building that houses a number of exhibits including many types of boats used in Bermudian waters over the years. Some are beautiful works of craftsmanship. Also in this building is the ultra dull exhibit - History of Electricity in Bermuda.3. Dolphin Quest - this is housed within the museum walls but appears to be a private operation that lets people get up close and personal with dolphins. Not my cup of tea, but certainly popular with little girls.4. The Ramparts - after visiting the lower part of the keep you ascend to the upper level via stairs and an ancient gate. Great views from here of the entrance to the Dockyard and Hamilton Sound. A couple of cannons in really good shape for more pictures sitting astride them.5. Commissioner's House - The building itself is interesting, but even more so the various exhibit rooms which are housed on three different levels. Most interesting ones to me were the Slave Trade in Bermuda, the history of the Bermuda yacht race, the connection between Bermuda and the West Indies (did you know Bermudians were the first to settle the Bahamas?), the history of tourism in Bermuda and the Hall of History mural which is two stories high and contains a remarkable depiction of Bermuda's history. It's kind of like a Where's Waldo with hundreds of distinct images and scenes that blend together. Great shots of the Dockyard are to be had from the verandah of the house.6. The High Cave and the exhibit within the nearby magazine, Prisoners in Paradise which depicts the history of POWs on Bermuda starting with the Boers. Interesting stuff that I really had no clue about before visiting. That's what a museum should do.All in all well worth a visit. If you are not on a cruise ship try to visit when they are not in port. Sunday morning is a very good time.

It was interesting to see what Bermuda was made up of. It was very informative. The way it was set out was very inviting and also allowed you to reflect on both the positive and negative aspects of its history. I would recommend a visit, definitely

Large 3-story house filled with well-signaged pieces from history, slavery, and development of Bermuda and its people. Part is closed now to repair hurricane damage, but there's still lots to see, plus the whole fort is interesting to explore. Located Close to Dockyard where cruise ships, ferry and buses come.