Learn about the islands’ long and colourful history at the Cayman Islands National Museum.

Boasting everything from a storytelling mannequin to simulated submarine dives, the museum offers a hands-on approach to history with a range of displays and artefacts, including old coins, a catboat, renditions of turtle nests, and local flora and fauna.

The building is not merely a repository of the islands’ history, but also an important part of it.
The first part of the building visitors enter once served as a prison for those who were to be tried in the old courthouse upstairs. In fact, even the steps leading up to the courthouse have become part of Cayman culture, immortalised in the saying “walking the 13 steps”, which means being taken to court.

The building also served as a schoolhouse, as well as a government office before becoming a museum.
Following Hurricane Ivan in 2004, an extensive restoration programme was needed to bring the building back to life. The new museum encompasses traditional building techniques and modern technology.

Let the Cayman Islands National Museum bring the islands’ history to life.