Jimmy Buffett’s deep ties to the Gulf Coast run like a current through the National Maritime Museum of the Gulf—from the Alabama Dry Dock and Shipbuilding Company, where his father worked, to the waters near Spanish Fort, where his grandfather’s schooner rests.

So it’s only fitting that the museum, aiming to chart a bold future with immersive exhibits over the next two years, will anchor what may be the most comprehensive tribute ever assembled to the legendary songwriter and beloved “Parrot Head King.”

“When you talk to Lucy and Laurie (Buffett’s sisters), they will tell you that his love for the water came from his grandfather and his grandfather’s stories,” said Karen Poth, executive director of the National Maritime Museum of the Gulf. “We feel a special ownership to that. We’re the only museum that cares about this body of water.”

Plans are now full sail ahead: A 6,000-square-foot interactive exhibit honoring Buffett—complete with a statue facing the Mobile River—is set to open by Sept. 1, 2026, the third anniversary of his death.

“We want to touch upon the cultural touchstones that make the Gulf unique,” said Matt Anderson, the city’s director of civic, cultural and maritime affairs. “Jimmy was the one who sang that song first. No one made the Gulf part of their identity before he did.”

The opening will also coincide with what will be the third annual Son of a Sailor Fest. The inaugural festival, honoring Buffett and his musical legacy, took place last September in downtown Mobile. The second annual festival is scheduled for Sept. 20.

Exhibit progress

The Mobile City Council gave the project an early boost on Tuesday, approving a $60,000 contract with Cat Head Media Inc. to curate and compile concert footage for the exhibit.

“The primary thing behind this (contract) is to help us make sure we have adequate intellectual property for the Jimmy Buffett experience to come to the Maritime Museum,” Anderson said.

The contract’s approval comes ahead of a visit from Chicago-based Pinnacle Design Studios, which has been tapped to bring the exhibit to life through a plan to completely redo a portion of the museum’s first floor.

The exhibit will be built in the museum’s 1 and 1A sections near the entrance. Highlights include:

• In 1A, the museum’s temporary exhibit space, visitors will find galleries, an interactive Parrot Head Hall of Fame, and a replica of Shrimp Boat Sound Studio — the converted Key West commercial icehouse where Buffett recorded many of his albums.
• In Section 1, just down a short flight of stairs, guests will be immersed in a Buffett musical experience. Officials are working to secure rare, possibly never-before-seen concert footage. The goal includes finding footage of Buffett performances in and around the Mobile area including a surprise 2010 show Buffett performed at Lulu’s in Gulf Shores before approximately 2,000 attendees.  

Poth said the museum has already acquired key artifacts, including Buffett’s first music contract, and continues to collect memorabilia and stories that connect the artist to his coastal Alabama roots.

“Some of his first shows were at The Admiral (hotel in downtown Mobile), and he performed a lot at Judge Roy Bean (in Daphne),” Poth said. “There is just a lot of great history here and we are excited.”

She added, “I think what struck me the most is finding people everywhere, including people in Mobile, talking about when he was a kid, they would give him lemonade on their dock … there are a lot of these stories. Without exception, when they talk about Jimmy Buffett, there is a wonderful smile on their faces. We want to capture these wonderful stories about him as a person.”

Statue project

The entire project is estimated to cost around $2 million, Poth said. She said the museum’s board of directors is privately raising funds, and Anderson said the Mobile City Council will be asked to support the project with future contracts.

The council, later this year, will also be asked to vote on a contract with a sculptor that will design and build a statue of Buffett that will be located on the northeast side of the museum, facing the waterfront.

Anderson said there are five finalists for the project. He said the goal is to narrow down the artists to the final two within the next several weeks.

The statue’s budget is $400,000, but Anderson said he doesn’t believe the city will spend that much. He said most of applicants for the job proposed bids that came in “well under that.”

Rooftop restaurant

Longer term, the city could look at redesigning its rooftop to build a tropical-themed restaurant and bar that connects to the Buffett exhibit.

The space is currently empty, though it was originally designed to possibly accommodate a restaurant overlooking the Mobile River and downtown Mobile.

“It’s the best views of the city, period,” said Anderson, who has long wanted to redevelop the site into an attraction.

Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson, last month, said he hoped the venue would someday be a Margaritaville restaurant. However, city officials say they have not had any direct conversations with the Margaritaville entities about putting a restaurant into the museum’s rooftop.

“The mayor made the aspirational comment because we would love to see something like that there,” Anderson said.

He said there is a lot of potential in connecting the site with the adjacent Alabama Cruise Terminal, where Carnival Cruise Line will resume year-round operations in 2027.

“We can get cruisers coming in and thinking of Mobile in that tropic context,” Anderson said. “Everyone that comes into (the museum), I want them thinking this is Jimmy Buffett’s hometown. That’s one of my No. 1 cultural goals for the city is that there is this huge Jimmy Buffett hometown vibe (that you will experience) as soon as you get off a cruise ship.”