Officials spotlight Gulf museum plans
MOBILE, Ala. (AP) — A trip to a maritime museum wouldn’t be complete without a ship experience, and that’s what designers aim to deliver with GulfQuest, a maritime museum set to open in spring 2011 on Mobile’s waterfront.
The 90,000-square-foot building will be shaped like a vessel, with interactive exhibits inside for learning about ships and Gulf of Mexico culture.
Construction begins this summer on the $36 million museum next to the city’s cruise ship terminal.
There are more than 60 maritime museums in the U.S. Most of them have a mixture of both hands-on interactive displays and historical artifacts.
The museum’s exhibits will be housed inside the stern of a full-sized container ship, displayed as if dockside. It will look like a real vessel. The museum also will offer a real Gulf of Mexico living experience with an exhibit that generates hurricane-force winds.