The Historical Museum of Aruba occupies the restored rooms of Fort Zoutman, making the setting as interesting as the contents. The exhibits cover Aruba's colonial history, the 19th-century gold rush that briefly made the island wealthy, and the rise of the oil refinery at San Nicolas that transformed Aruban society in the 20th century. There are maps, photographs, furniture, and artefacts from each era.
The museum is small enough to see in under an hour, and it works well as a complement to the National Archaeological Museum: where that institution covers the pre-Columbian period, this one picks up the story from European contact onward. Entry is inexpensive. The courtyard outside is used for the Tuesday evening Bon Bini Festival, which is free to attend.