With an area as small as Bermuda — just over 20 square miles (53 square kilometres) — one might conclude it wouldn’t need a lot of museums. Well, as it turned out, a lot of history happened there. Plus the tourists needed something to do. Maybe they couldn’t golf or lounge at the beach the whole time. Sometimes it rained. People needed indoor diversions.
I went to several museums and even left a few for the next trip.
National Museum of Bermuda
I might as well start with the biggest and most important site of them all, the National Museum of Bermuda at the former Royal Naval Dockyard (map). It occupied the Dockyard’s Keep, the main fortification. The old Commissioner’s House held the most prestigious Bermudian artifacts. However, the museum spread across an entire complex of fortifications, ramparts, magazines and out-buildings.
Exhibits covered pretty much the entire history of Bermuda, from initial discovery through modern tourism and banking days. I enjoyed walking through the old buildings and savoring the spectacular ocean views just as much as the exhibits.
Dolphin Quest
No, Dolphin Quest wasn’t a museum. Nonetheless, it existed within the walls of the same Keep as the National Museum (map). That made it “close enough” for me to include on this page. The military used to unload munitions from ships there. They floated their cargo over to the docks on a small pond within the protected Keep. Now dolphins use the pond for swimming and putting on shows.
The whole “swim with the dolphins” thing doesn’t really appeal to me on a number of levels. We did happen to walk by just as a show began and I don’t mind watching dolphins flip through the air. So there was that.
Few people seemed to be visiting in mid-February except for us and a busload of Bermudian school kids on a field trip. The kids really got into it.
Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute
Combining Bermuda with Triangle always seems a popular option. The Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute hyped that too (map). Roughly, the triangle where ships and aircraft allegedly encountered unusual dangers connected Bermuda to Miami to San Juan. A display at the institute examined various theories within that wedge ranging from the mundane to the outlandish.
While I supposed the institute couldn’t leave the triangle unaddressed, it actually focused more of its attention on other topics. I particularly liked all of the shipwreck artifacts and treasure gathered from Bermudian waters.
Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo
We got to see three attractions in one at the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo in Hamilton Parish (map). However, Bermuda doesn’t have a lot of available land. Don’t go expect to see the equivalent of the U.S.’s National Aquarium, Smithsonian Institution and San Diego Zoo here. Visitors get a small aquarium, a small museum and a small zoo.
I thought about getting my older son (who loves zoos) a T-shirt. Then I remembered he only likes shirts from zoos he’s actually experienced in person. I could sympathize with that. I’m the same way with brewery shirts.
They called the museum portion the Bermuda Natural History Museum. It had a bit of a different twist than all the others because of its specific focus on the natural world. To me, one of its more humble displays had the greatest impact, a preserved specimen of a Bermuda Cicada. Those likely went extinct after people introduced a non-native bird called the Great Kiskadee in the late 1950’s.
Bermuda National Trust Museum
I felt really tired the first day because of the long airline delay. That must be the reason why I didn’t take any photos of the Bermuda National Trust Museum in the Town of St. George. Maybe they didn’t allow photography. I don’t remember. Instead, enjoy these flags on a building around the corner. The museum occupied the old Globe Hotel, built circa 1700 (map).
The primary exhibit focused great attention on blockade runners. Many Bermudians based in St. George made a fortune during the U.S. Civil War. Bermuda sat at a perfect spot to trade with the Confederacy. All they had to do was outrun Union ships trying enforcing the blockade. Sometimes their fast boats succeeded; sometimes they got caught and went to prison.
The Bermuda National Trust actually owned 82 properties, “a variety of traditional historic houses, islands, gardens, cemeteries, nature reserves and coastline.” That left a lot more places that I needed to see.
Articles in the Bermuda Shorts Series:
- Follow the Leader
- Shoreline Scenery
- The Outsider
- Bermuda Railway Trail
- St. George
- Forts
- Architectural Details
- Museums & More
- Lists
See Also: The Complete Photo Album on Flickr
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