Jimmy Buffett exhibit sets opening date at National Maritime Museum

Construction has officially started on a 6,000-square-foot exhibit honoring Jimmy Buffett inside the National Maritime Museum of the Gulf. The Jimmy Buffett Son of a Son of a Sailor Experience opens Saturday, Sept. 12, from 10AM to 4PM.

The exhibit has been nearly two years in the making, built on interviews with Buffett’s family, friends, musicians, business partners, photographers and artists.

What’s coming to the Jimmy Buffett exhibit at National Maritime Museum of the Gulf

The exhibit is organized into four galleries that trace Buffett’s life from his Gulf Coast roots to his lasting cultural footprint:

• A Sailor’s Roots — Buffett’s maritime heritage + the Gulf Coast that shaped him
• Songs That Sailed the World — The music, stories + lyrics behind his catalog
• A Way of Life — Buffett as entrepreneur, adventurer + entertainer
• We Are the People Our Parents Warned Us About — A Parrot Head confessional + interactive world map connecting fans globally

More than 130 artifacts will be on display, including:

• Buffett’s first performance contract
• Handwritten notes
• Family photos
• Guitars
• Platinum records
• One of his fishing rods
• His shark-fin tailcoat

One of the coolest things that will be in the exhibit: A model of his grandfather’s schooner, the Chiquimula, which inspired the “Son of a Son of a Sailor” song.

Read the full story from Mobile Bay Now + see how you can get tickets.