Museum Guest Review

 On a few of my family's popular twice-yearly trips to Ocean City, Maryland, I was lucky enough to get a chance to explore the DiscoverSea Shipwreck Museum. It's not a very lengthy drive from the heart of Ocean City, and it was a great trip for me as I was just getting interested in pirates and maritime folklore.

Visitors enter through the gift shop and it's very hard not to buy a whole bunch of things and have huge bags to carry with you as you explore the museum! I remember the nice ship models the museum carried when I last visited. There are also ocean-related jewelry pieces, nautical items, and many other things.

The DiscoverSea Museum mixed folklore with fact, discussing the shipwrecks of the Delmarva (Delaware / Maryland / Virginia) Peninsula with big, tasteful displays of items found at the wreck sites. There was also plenty of pirate lore, including a full-length pirate dressed in authentic costume.

The shipwreck that interested me the most was that of the Nuestra Senora de Atocha, a Spanish treasure galleon that sank in 1622. Much of the Atocha treasure was recovered and some of it lies in this very museum. I was lucky enough to come by at the right time when the museum staff allowed certain visitors to see (and touch!) some of this Atocha treasure! It was an amazing experience that fueled my already-extensive interest in history.

I enjoyed displays from famous shipwrecks like the Titanic and the Edmund Fitzgerald, and the glittering display cases full of coins and fancy jewelry found on Spanish shipwrecks were especially interesting. There was even a small ship's cannon.

The DiscoverSea Shipwreck Museum is open in summer from 11:00 to 8:00, and from the beginning of fall to May from 11:00 to 3:30. The best part in my opinion is that itss free to get in! (Of course, you'll spend quite a bit in the gift shop).