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“Real Pirates”
Field Museum, 1400 S Lake Shore Dr (312-922-9410). Fri 27–Oct 25; $22, seniors $19, students and kids ages 4–11 $12. The exhibit explores the excavation of the real Whydah pirate ship that sank in 1717. Landlubbers can look through displays of booty originally captured from more than 50 ships, plus swords and pistols.
Unofficial mascot the Jolly Roger
Setting The Caribbean seas, where the Whydah spent her days until sinking off the coast of Cape Cod
Jargon “If ye introduce on board a woman in disguise, ye shall be punished by death.”—Noted in a display on the Pirate creed of ethics
The sinking ship? We’re skeptical about some of the overly PC content that claims pirates lived in a Robin Hood–esque democracy. Maybe, but pirates also had about a dozen synonyms for the word kill, which doesn’t make the Whydah sound like the merry Sherwood Forest.
The Chicago Maritime Festival
Chicago History Museum, 1601 N Clark St (773-576-7245). Sat 28, activities 10am–4:30pm, concert 7–10:30pm; $10, evening concert $20, all day $25. Gather ye working mariners, authors, divers, educators, explorers, artists and nautical notables from around the world for lectures, workshops and maritime ballads. Nautical novices also welcome.
Unofficial mascot Shanty singer Johnny Collins
Setting The Great Lakes
Jargon “Ahoy! All you Jack Tars, toe-the-line to stand your trick so we can cut loose to skylark.”—Dan Kasberger, leading a lecture called “More Nautical Expressions We Use Every Day”
The sinking ship? We can’t quite get on board with a new emo-marine music genre dubbed piratecore, touted at the festival by a Joel Madden look-alike.
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Model boats “Real Pirates” boasts several old handmade models of the Whydah; the Maritime Festival features workshops on model hull construction.
Marine painting Since the Whydah predated photography, the Field Museum captures its essence in dramatic painted displays; the Maritime Festival features new tall-ship paintings.
Knotty but nice Bone up on your sheepshank, cockscomb and sword knot during knot-tying demos.
Click here to unearth more pirate activities throughout the city.