Kudos to Karen Poth, the Executive Director of Mobile’s National Maritime Museum of the Gulf. She is setting a new course, overseeing the museum's transformation to include two new, extraordinary, groundbreaking educational exhibits. Linda and I recently visited with Karen to see what’s in store.

First, Karen reports that all the numbers at the Museum are trending in the right direction. Attendance is up 35%, event space rentals are up 120%, field trip bookings are up 31%, and revenue is up 98%! She tells us the new restaurant at the Museum, the Fresh Fruit Cafe, is also doing well. 

You may recall that Scenic 98 Coastal had a story a year ago about Mayor Sandy Stimpson recruiting Karen to breathe new life into the museum after an inauspicious beginning. Since then, she has rolled up her sleeves and is making things happen. The name changed from GulfQuest to The National Maritime Museum of the Gulf of Mexico. “Being politically prudent, we just say Gulf now,” she says. Smart lady.

Things have moved quickly since our last visit. The biggest news was that Mobile’s native son, Jimmy Buffett, sadly passed away. With the family’s blessing, Karen and the Museum’s Board began planning a 6,000 sf permanent, interactive exhibition with space for private events, “Parrothead-style.” 

The showpiece of the Jimmy Buffett Experience tribute will be a state-of-the-art immersive concert experience using cutting-edge 3D projection technology. The result will be another party with Jimmy! In addition to the Immersive Concert Experience, a gallery is planned for the interior, and a statue will be located outside along the waterfront.

“People are coming out of the woodwork with memorabilia from their personal experiences with Jimmy, things they’ve collected from all over the world. This will be the largest and most comprehensive exhibit about Jimmy Buffett’s life anywhere.”

Karen, who has created and designed exhibits for Disney World and the Museum of the Bible in Washington, DC, has just signed a contract with a design firm for the project. “All the possibilities are still whirling around in my head. This is what I love. I’m amazed at the artifacts and memorabilia we have received and been promised. People are excited!”

The scheduled opening is September 2026, just over a year from now. Space for the exhibit, which will be on two levels, is being prepared, and existing Museum exhibits are being reconfigured and relocated in preparation. To put it simply, there is a great deal of movement and activity taking place as the Museum continues to grow and prosper. 

The other major announcement is a new 3,000-square-foot exhibit on the Museum’s third floor, titled "Delta Mosaic: A Confluence of Life," scheduled to open in April 2027. The exhibit will be an immersive walk-through of the Mobile Tensaw Delta, one of the most biodiverse regions in North America. This incredible exhibit will showcase a unique educational experience long overdue.

As Karen reconfigures the National Maritime Museum of the Gulf to encompass more regional interests beyond the maritime shipping industry, it is expected that visitor numbers will increase exponentially. The Museum, which is shaped like a ship, is already correcting course and making good time on its voyage.

All the accomplishments of the last year have been achieved without incurring any new debt or increasing the budget. “We’ve operated on a shoestring so far to prove to Mobile that we have something truly special here,” she says. “Of course, these incredible new exhibits do come with a price tag, but we believe they are sound investments for the future.”

The Museum has launched a capital campaign to raise funds for the two new features. The combined goal is $5.5 million, with $3.2 million already pledged. Karen and her campaign team are happy to share information and believe the Jimmy Buffett Experience will have worldwide appeal.

“All the time, I get calls from people offering a bit of memorabilia, some of which is significant and will add tremendously to the Jimmy Buffett Experience. As the most comprehensive tribute in the world to Jimmy, we expect people will travel here to see it.” Parrotheads are a loyal bunch, rightfully so. 

Jimmy’s sisters tell the story of Jimmy waiting for his grandfather, who was  Captain of the sailing vessel Chiquimula, to return from sea. Jimmy loved to imagine the exotic places his grandfather had been. Thus began a lifetime of adventure, songs, and escapism for Jimmy and so many of us. There will never be another Jimmy Buffett, but the exhibit will honor all he meant to so many people, especially those of us living in the Scenic 98 Coastal area.

The Museum itself is a showstopper. With its Mobile River waterfront view, there is so much to see and do. It’s a perfect venue for all kinds of events, soon to be even better! How would your guests enjoy a wedding reception serenaded by none other than Jimmy himself? Soon, it can happen.

The impact of the two new exhibits on tourism is estimated by David Clark, President and CEO of Visit Mobile, to be $3.7 million annually.  Please consider being part of the National Maritime Museum of the Gulf’s next chapter with a contribution to these two amazing, important exhibits.

You can reach Karen at karen.poth@cityofmobile.org to learn more about how you can help bring these exhibits to life!