The Barbados Museum, housed in a British military prison from the 1820s, is the best museum in Barbados and one of the better historical museums in the English-speaking Caribbean. It sits inside the Garrison Historic Area south of the city centre, surrounded by the red-brick barrack buildings that are themselves a UNESCO-listed site.
The permanent collections cover Amerindian Barbados (pre-Columbian ceramics and tools), the sugar plantation era, the history of the Garrison itself, and a natural history gallery with coral, endemic birds, and marine life. The African heritage gallery is particularly strong, dealing directly with the slave trade and its impact on Barbados without euphemism. There is a good library and archive on the upper floor. Allow two hours for a proper visit; the café in the courtyard is a decent place for lunch. Closed Sundays.