Exhibits topics include: trade routes, military history, early Gulf settlements, archaeology, marine life, weather, ship navigation, coastal environments, and nautical commerce.
AMERICA'S SEA
The Grand Lobby's centerpiece is America's Sea, an interactive map that highlights points of interest around the Gulf of Mexico when users select an area and a topic using a touch pad.
CONTAINER SHIP
GulfQuest's most unmistakable feature is the full-sized container ship that houses most of the museum's exhibits. It is 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 by Malcom McLean in the early part of the 20th century. The process allows for faster delivery of larger cargos.
GULFQUEST THEATER
This three-screen, multi-media theater presentation, entitled The Gulf Coast: A Place Like No Other, explores the rich maritime history and culture of the Gulf of Mexico and Mobile Bay. A tapestry of panoramic images and voices captures what it's like to live and work on the Gulf Coast. Local voices narrate the 16-minute film.
FULL STEAM AHEAD
The mechanical propulsion of the steam engine changed maritime travel. At this exhibit, users can emulate steamboat operators.
OCEAN PLANET
Science On a Sphere® (SOS) is a room sized, global display system that uses computers and video projectors to display planetary data onto a six-foot diameter sphere, analogous to a giant animated globe. Animated images of atmospheric storms, climate change, and ocean temperature can be shown on the sphere, which is used to explain complex environmental processes in a way that is simultaneously intuitive and captivating.
TAKE THE HELM SHIP SIMULATOR
This simulator is identical to those used to train professional boat pilots. Users can test their skills in simulations that were created from models of actual Mobile Bay locations.
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I must go down to the sea again, to the lonely sea and the sky. And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by.
John Masefield