Real Pirates at Union Station

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"Experience the Golden Age of Piracy aboard the Whydah, one of the most successful pirate ships of her day, and learn about her roots as a slave ship and subsequent takeover and conversion into a pirate ship in the early 1700s."

One of the most eagerly anticipated exhibits to come to Kansas City is here!

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The Facts:

Union Station 30 West Pershing Road Kansas City, MO 64108 816.460.2020

Exhibit Hours: Sun & Mon June 24-Aug. 5 11 a.m. to 5:00 p.m; Tues - Thurs 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; Fri & Sat 9:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m; Exhibit is closed on Mondays after August 5, but will be open on the following holiday Mondays: September 2; December 23; December 30. The Exhibit will be in Kansas City thru January 5, 2014.

Ticket Prices: Anytime Ticket $20.00; Adults (ages 13 +) [Time-specific ticket] $18.95; Child (3-12) $14.50; Member Adults $12.50; Member Child $10.00; Student and Adult Group prices available for groups of 15 or more; Student groups: $12.00; Adult groups: $15.00

Tips:

• Plan to spend about 2 Hours in the exhibit.
• Cameras are not permitted in the exhibit.
• No food or drink in the exhibit.
• The exhibit is an in depth exploration of the real life of pirates, life aboard the slave ship Whydah, and the deep see adventure to excavate the sunken ship from the depths of the sea. The ideal audience for the exhibit would be older elementary, teens, and adults. This is a great date or outing with teens!
• Visit Science City, catch a film on the Extreme Screen, or walk over to Crown Center to make a complete day of it!
• This weekend (June 23-24) visit Maker Faire at Union Station as well!

Real Pirates: The Exhibit

Pirates.... bandits of the seas... the life of a pirate conjures up intrigue, mystery, and adventure. What was life really like aboard a pirate ship? Often the stuff of legends, it is hard for historians to discern truth from "Big Fish Tale" - what was life truly like aboard a pirate ship? In the 1980s, explorer Barry Clifford embarked on an unprecedented adventure - he and his crew sought pirate treasure.... pirate treasure from the depths of the sea. Never before had a real pirate ship been recovered from the ocean, could it be done?

The Whydah, a slave ship on her maiden voyage was overtaken by pirate Sam Bellamy and his crew. They transformed her into a pirate ship where she led raids throughout Caribbean waters and up the Atlantic coastline conquering more than 50 ships and harboring their treasures. On April 26, 1717, in the aftermath of a treacherous storm, the Whydah and most of the crew sank to the depths of the sea where she remained for more than 300 years.

In 1984, Barry Clifford and his team, having heard tales of the sunken ship, successfully found and excavated the treasures of the Whydah from the sea - the only sunken pirate ship to ever be recovered. And now, visitors may explore the exhibit and learn her story - first as a slave ship, then as a pirate ship, and finally as treasure.

This past weekend, my husband and I saw the exhibit firsthand. It began with a short documentary telling the story of the Whydah and her discovery as a genuine sunken pirate treasure. We entered the exhibit expecting to learn about the life of a pirate - and we did, from the story of a young boy signed on to a life of piracy, to women, the captain and crew and the responsibilities of the crew (you hoped for a physician aboard ship, if there were none a carpenter would do). The exhibit explored the motives of pirates and their relationship with one another including the articles they all signed and their form of government and their own moral code. The story also included a pirate's fate.... for the few survivors of the Whydah's shipwreck they were met with a court trial and the subsequent consequences for their lives as thieves. And we were able to see and touch real pirate treasure!

But more than that we learned about the Whydah - the slave ship. The horrors of slavery are profound. The crowded and inhumane conditions - the circumstances of slavery - it was truly horrific and the exhibit did not neglect this part of the Whydah's tale. 

Finally, the ship became a modern treasure. The third and final aspect of the exhibit detailed the process for unearthing her treasures from the ocean floor, recovering them, and preserving and restoring them as lessons for future generations.

Pirates, long the stuff of legend and lore and more recently Hollywood Blockbuster films - this exhibit was a worthwhile and educational exploration into the real life of a pirate - the gruesome, the lonely, the desperate, and yes, the adventurous. Real Pirates tells the tale in an authentic and fresh way apart from movie special effects and an author's imagination as it explores the gritty and raw through displays that are both educational and compelling.