Council and Media Take Tour of the Future GulfQuest

Aug 1st, 2012

As you step foot on the construction site of the future GulfQuest Maritime Museum, you can tell one thing immediately: this is no ordinary museum. With dozens of interactive exhibits, lifelike simulators, and a proximity to its subject that is unsurpassed, GulfQuest is sure to be a huge draw for visitors to Mobile.

Construction of the $58 million dollar public/private project located along Mobile’s waterfront is on budget. Building the structure of the museum should be completed in early 2013. While the building continues to come up from the Mobile River, the exhibits are being created off site. Installation of fixtures and the exhibits will take a few months, so an opening date in late Summer 2013 is still projected.

When opened, the GulfQuest is expected to receive about 300,000 visitors per year, with an annual economic impact of about $19 million for Mobile.

“There is nothing like this in the entire nation. We look forward to GulfQuest serving as a premier attraction to our waterfront,” said Mayor Sam Jones. “Visitors from around the country will be coming to Mobile specifically to see this exquisite museum.”

Visitors will discover an array of topics including early settlements and trade routes, marine archeology and shipwrecks, Gulf animal and plant life, weather and hurricanes, marine and coastal environments, maritime commerce and shipbuilding, ship navigation and communication, offshore oil/gas platforms, and much more.

Traveling exhibitions will expand the visitor experience. These exhibitions will feature a combination of maritime artifacts and interactive elements, and will change frequently to attract new and repeat visitors to GulfQuest.

Members of the Mobile City Council and the media got a tour of the construction of GulfQuest. See below for pictures.