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Photo by: Zach Stovall

It’s dangled and perched, posted and propped, wall to wall and ceiling to floor. Almost seven decades of historical miscellany, mostly the possessions of patrons past, encrusts pretty much every square inch of Charlie’s Bar & Restaurant, Aruba’s unofficial historical museum and a hoarder’s dream come true.

Although it was Holland-born Charlie and Marie Brouns who opened Charlie’s back in 1941, the place — still family owned and operated — was built by every visiting sailor, tradesman, artist, writer and island vacationer who left behind a piece of themselves: a porthole from a salvaged vessel that spent its last minutes teetering on an Aruban reef, a hard hat donated by an oil worker who drowned his sorrows when the nearby Valero refinery sealed its pipes last year, a fading photo of some pasty tourists who wandered away from the hotel zone long enough to hop behind the bar for a cheesy pose.

There are drawings, photographs, newspaper clippings, maps and license plates affixed to every surface, mixed with bric-a-brac the sea spit up, including ships’ rigging, flags, pennants and life preservers, real-deal knickknacks made all the more authentic by almost 70 years of accumulated rust and dust. And there’s plenty of living history too, including a third-generation Brouns serving up locally brewed Balashi beer and a regular cast of locals in their golden years who’ll share their personal tales with anyone who cares to listen. Just consider the menu of costly Creole, Latin and local specialities — all ready to receive a splash of Charlie’s spicy Honeymoon Sauce — the price of admission.

56 Main St., San Nicolas, Aruba; 297-584-5086; charliesbararuba.com

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MIX IT UP – BOOZER COLADA

– 1 oz. coconut rum
– 1 oz. cup pineapple juice
– Dash of grenadine
– Dash of strawberry juice
– Dash of cranberry juice

Mix all ingredients together in a cocktail shaker; serve over ice.

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