MOBILE, Ala. - While prominent maritime museums have been established on the nation's east and west coasts, until now no maritime museum of national significance has been created to preserve and interpret the maritime history, culture and traditions of the Gulf of Mexico and its environs.

Projected to open in 2009, the $30+ million National Maritime Museum of the Gulf of Mexico will become the first museum designed to inspire people of all ages and backgrounds to understand and appreciate the Gulf Coast?s rich maritime heritage through exhibits, programs and activities.

That alone would make the Maritime Museum in downtown Mobile a one-of-a-kind project ? but the National Maritime Museum of the Gulf of Mexico will be even more distinctive based on its unique architectural design and hands-on, interactive exhibits.

The Maritime Museum?s 90,000 sq. ft. structure is shaped liked a ship headed out to Mobile Bay, a design that will establish the building as an architectural icon in downtown Mobile. Inside this structure, the museum?s exhibits will be housed inside the stern of a full-sized container ship, displayed as if dockside. The container ship will look like a real vessel ? from its actual size to the water surrounding its hull, enticing visitors to explore the maritime world by stepping on board.

In addition, the Maritime Museum will inspire visitors in a unique manner, as only the third maritime museum in the world to feature hands-on, interactive exhibits rather than a collection of maritime artifacts and memorabilia. Maritime artifacts will be utilized to complement the interactive exhibits. The other two interactive maritime museums are Nauticus in Norfolk, Va., and Odyssey Maritime Discovery Center in Seattle, Wash.

"The vision for this Maritime Museum is to create a place in which people will experience the maritime world of the Gulf of Mexico," E. B. Peebles III, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, said. "In researching other museums, the trustees found that a museum?s long-term viability depends upon its ability to immerse visitors in the learning experience, which encourages repeat visits."

The Maritime Museum?s hands-on exhibits will address topics such as early Gulf settlements, marine archeology, deep sea exploration, modern shipbuilding, maritime commerce and industry, navigation techniques, weather and hurricanes, the river systems, and coastal stewardship.

World-class exhibits designers are planning the interactive exhibits: Lyons/Zaremba, designers of the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga, Tenn., and the National Mississippi River Museum in Dubuque, Iowa; and Monadnock Media, award-winning producers of multi-media content for the National World War II Museum in New Orleans, and the Ellis Island Immigration Museum.

"Our designers are taking an innovative approach, applying the latest multi-media technology to establish a distinctive identity for the Maritime Museum?s interactive experiences," Tony Zodrow, Executive Director of the Maritime Museum, said. "These exhibits are not just about maritime history. They will illuminate the past but also highlight the present and point to the future of the Gulf Coast."

Traveling exhibitions will play an important role in broadening the visitor experience even further. Unlike the permanent exhibits, traveling exhibits will showcase primarily maritime artifacts, artwork and memorabilia. Hands-on components will be utilized to complement the displays.

"Through rotating exhibits, the Maritime Museum will showcase maritime artifacts, but these exhibits will change regularly so the artifacts displayed will not become static to our visitors," Zodrow said. Possible traveling exhibitions include Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition, Treasures of NOAA's Ark, Pirates of the Gulf of Mexico, and Extreme Deep: Journey to the Abyss.

Beyond exhibits, the Maritime Museum will offer a wide range of educational programs, presentations and events for families, schools and groups that provide opportunities to explore maritime topics in greater depth. Through these offerings, the Maritime Museum will become an important educational resource for schools, families and visitors throughout the Gulf Coast region.

The Maritime Museum is a public-private partnership, made possible through collaboration between the City of Mobile and a non-profit organization that is planning the museum and will operate the facility under a long-term agreement with the City of Mobile. The non-profit is governed by a Board of Trustees comprised of community and state leaders. Trustees represent a variety of professional disciplines including maritime business and industry, banking, law, education, military service, accounting, engineering, commercial real estate, and public utilities.