Yar, Mate! Swashbuckler Tours!(pirate haunts)

Cruise ships have been dropping anchor for years near tiny Catalina Island in the Dominican Republic. But visitors lolling in the island's crystalline water are blissfully unaware that they've crossed paths with Captain Kidd. The infamous buccaneer most likely abandoned a ship there in 1699, according to Richard Zacks, author of the recently released "The Pirate Hunter: The True Story of Captain Kidd." It's a historical gem Zacks has kept buried--until now.

Add Catalina Island to what you might call the pirate-tourism circuit. The swashbuckling men (and women) who sailed under the Jolly Roger have captured a lasting place in our imagination--from Robert Louis Stevenson's "Treasure Island" to Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean ride. Pirates are still hot: in his entertaining history, Zacks argues that Kidd wasn't a pirate at all, but rather a misunderstood bounty hunter. Two recently discovered shipwrecks, presumed to be the vessels of Edward Teach (better known as Blackbeard) and another belonging to Kidd, have also made headlines. This fall director Jerry Bruckheimer will start on "Pirates of the Caribbean" (the movie).

Most pirates vanished by 1790, but you can still visit their haunts in the United States and the Caribbean, where the rogues preyed on Spanish galleons and where there are plenty of nonbuccaneer activities to enjoy:

Bahamas: Nassau was once the realm of rogues like Blackbeard. Exhibits at the Pirates of Nassau Museum (pirates-of-nassau.com) re-create life at sea. Tour Fort Charlotte--built to defend against pirates, complete with underground dungeons.

Jamaica: Port Royal, near Kingston, was the headquarters of buccaneer Sir Henry Morgan and a place known ...