The Top 10 reasons to see Real Pirates! at HMNS: Cannons, silver, bumboo, smells & more

The holidays are here and so are the out-of-town guests. There’s only so much togetherness even the closest of families can handle, so after the presents are opened and the pie’s passed around, spend some time with another family that may be even more ... ahem ... interesting than your own.

The pirate crew of the Whydah, led by Captain Sam Bellamy, has docked at the Houston Museum of Natural Science for theReal Pirates!exhibit and if you were wondering where to go with friends and family, here’s our Top 10 reasons to see Real Pirates! But beware mateys. Your guests will enjoy Real Pirates! so much, they’ll probably come back next year.

Top 10 Reasons to See Real Pirates! at the Houston Museum of Natural Science

10) You finally have a place to speak pirate with like-minded landlubbers. Throw around those argghs with reckless abandon and while you’re at it, go ahead and work drivelswigger (one who reads about nautical terms too much) and picaroon (a rascal) into conversation.

9) You couldn't get away to a tropical vacation this holiday season, so have an island staycation at the Real Pirates!exhibit instead. Unlike pirates who couldn’t use latitude and longitude, you have that handy GPS system.

8) Can't stand one more bite of fruitcake? Many pirates ate salmagundi, a dish made with chopped meat mixed with eggs, anchovies, onions, grapes, cabbage or herring, seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic, oil, vinegar. The meat could have been beef, fish, chicken, pork or turtle.

7) Over the eggnog? A pirate’s cocktail of choice was bumboo, a drink made with watered rum, sugar and nutmeg, originating in the West Indies.

6) Indulge your olfactory senses with Real Pirates! creative use of smellovision. We won’t tell you where, but prepare for the scent of wood smoke and wet wood. Museum curators wisely passed on the rum and vomit scent for the exhibit.

5) Want some booty of your own? The Real Pirates! gift shop is brimming with hats, swords and other kitschy bounty, but to relive the golden age of piracy, the books about pirates are the true score.

4) Think Texans are tough stuff with concealed handgun licenses and gun racks on the back of their trucks? Pirates carried their pistols on ribbons. Slung around their necks. Check out those delicate ribbons, plus a whole arsenal of guns, grenades, cannons and swords.

3) Let’s face it. The recession has been hard on everybody. Take the edge off at theReal Pirates! exhibit and touch real silver pieces discovered in the ocean’s depths.

2) You can finally wear guyliner a la Captain Jack Sparrow without shame. Pirates liked the finer things in life and would often take the nicer clothing off a ship they captured.

1) And the most important reason to see Real Pirates? The exhibit is only docked at the Houston Museum of Natural Science until Feb. 6, 2011 and missing it might land you on the water side of a plank.