The museum is currently closed. Our hours are Wed - Sat, 10AM - 4PM. General Admission - Only $14!

Deck 1

Above Mobile Bay

In its three-story atrium, GulfQuest presents this exquisite work of batik art on silk created by nationally-renowned artist Mary Edna Fraser. The three sail-shaped sections depict the Mobile-Tensaw Delta, Mobile Bay, and the open Gulf beyond. Mary Edna Fraser specializes in batiks based on maps, satellite images and aerial photographs.

America's Sea

The Grand Lobby’s centerpiece is “America’s Sea,” a large, interactive map that allows visitors to explore many “points of interest” around the Gulf of Mexico while they become more familiar with its geography. Each station features an interactive touch-screen where visitors can explore one of four topics (Exploration, Combat, Commerce and Environment) and highlight geographic locations on the large map with color-coded points of light.

Shores of the Gulf

In this introductory gallery, visitors take a tour through the Gulf of Mexico as viewed through displays of natural wildlife and man-made items that represent the region’s diverse environments and cultures. Displays feature items from the entire Gulf of Mexico, from Florida to Texas, and including the Yucatan Peninsula and Cuba. Cultural and maritime artifacts and items are displayed against a natural shoreline backdrop that features sand and materials collected from the actual beaches in each of seven different Gulf areas (on the west side, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and North Florida; on the east, South Florida, Cuba/Mexico and Texas). The soundtrack (entitled “Songs of the Gulf”) is a lively mix of sea shanties, folk, jazz, blues and zydeco music that reinforces the gallery’s regional tone. 

Theater

A three-screen, multi-media theater.

The Container Ship

The museum’s most prominent exhibit is the full-sized container ship that houses the museum’s exhibits. This unique container ship will entice visitors to explore the maritime world by stepping aboard. A realistic replica — from its actual size with containers stacked high, to the water surrounding its hull, and the vibration of its engines — this ship commemorates the development of “containerization”, a revolutionary idea pioneered by Malcom McLean in the 1950’s as owner of Waterman Steamship Corporation in Mobile.

Welcome Aboard!

This multi-screen media presentation shows what happens on the working waterfront every day, from port and Coast Guard activities to shipbuilding, stevedoring and oystering. Visitors can walk through the exhibit on their way to the rampway. Inside, kids can play with the industrial-style buttons on the “control panels” to turn on colored lights.