Tuckerton Seaport Privateers & Pirates Festival

This post is sponsored by the Tuckerton Seaport

Growing up on Long Beach Island was quite interesting. Summers were busy but during the winter it became a ghost town. Once the traffic lights were turned off, there wasn’t much to do but ride your bike to the Surf City five and dime to buy some candy. I complained about this a lot then, but now I see it as a blessing. I miss living at the beach, and I wish my kids could have the same experiences.

Even though I never really took an in-depth look at Tuckerton Seaport, I’ve always been intrigued by maritime history. It’s funny how you’re never a tourist in your town. But that changed today, when me crew arrived at the Privateers & Pirates Festival. The schedule of events:

10 am: Pirate Meet & Greet

11 am: Piratology 101

11:30 am: Cannon Demo

12 pm: Scurvy Mutineers Sword Fight Show

1 pm: Pirate Pistol Duello

2 pm: Captain’s Mast Show

3 pm: Cannon Demo

3:30 pm: Whip Show

4 pm: Grand Finale Scurvy Mutineers Sword Fight Show

My husband woke up with symptoms of the flu but he stuck it out so that we could still go. We ended up leaving early, but we made sure to hit every spot on our treasure map and we already have plans to return. Emma told us she had the best time, and Kevin and I really want to return to the museum. You could spend hours in there reading the stories and examining all of the artifacts.

 

The history of Tucker’s light was very interesting. I thought it was especially cool how someone was able to capture it’s demise on camera when it fell into the sea in 1927.

We met an area historical buff and talked with employees about ship wrecks in the museum and learned that there are 9,000 known wrecks just off the coast of New Jersey. There is one buried in the sand in Barnegat Light that I have been visiting for years. All that can be seen is its staff.

Arghhh! We met several pirates like this one, who had a real talking parrot!

 

The Canon demonstrations were also very cool, not to mention loud! If you want to see more photos from our visit, check out my Instagram stream.

The Tuckerton Seaport, a working maritime village, is located along the Tuckerton Creek. This one-of-a-kind attraction, in the heart of historic Tuckerton NJ, brings the Jersey Shore’s maritime traditions of the past and present to life through people, exhibits and hands-on activities. There are several other events coming to the Seaport this summer; check the website for more information and dates. This is a non-profit organization. Schedule your visit – you won’t be disappointed!