The National Maritime Museum sits beside the Mobile River on the city's waterfront. It is in sight of the mouth of the river as it enters Mobile Bay which, in turn, enters the Gulf of America.
The museum is already busy developing a Jimmy Buffett exhibit with a music and video venue. It has also commissioned a sculptor to erect a larger-than-life sculpture of the late Mobile-raised singer/songwriter.
Now, the museum is seeking an additional Buffett attraction – a Margaritaville Bar on the building's rooftop overlooking the waterfront. The public would be able to sip a margarita while viewing the gateway to the Gulf.
Retiring Mayor Sandy Stimpson announced the proposal Wednesday at his last "Breakfast with the Mayor" event for the Downtown Mobile Alliance. He leaves office in November 2025.
The proposal is coming from the City of Mobile, not from the estate of the late Jimmy Buffett, who died Sept. 1, 2023. No details of the Margaritaville proposal have been developed, and no timeframe has been announced.
An exhibit showcasing the life of the Mobile singer-songwriter will be on display inside the museum, opening in September 2026. It will occupy two floors of the facility.
The City of Mobile and the Mobile Arts Council will erect a bronze statue of hometown music icon Buffett. It will not be just a life-size image of Buffett. He was a larger-than-life entertainer and writer, so this will be a larger-than-life-sized sculpture.
Both the Buffett exhibit and sculpture are scheduled for debut in September 2026 during the fourth annual "Son of a Sailor Festival."
The description of the sculpture project from the Mobile Arts Council reads:
A pioneering artist behind the tropical rock musical genre, Buffett spent his formative years in Mobile and graduated from McGill Institute (now McGill-Toolen) in 1964. Though he lived in and wrote about communities across the Gulf Coast, Mobile was a place Buffett always called home.
Inspired by the Port City’s coastal charm, maritime culture, and laid-back lifestyle, Buffett’s music encapsulated the spirit of the Gulf Coast, earning him a devoted fan base worldwide. His songs, including A Pirate Looks at Forty, Son of a Son of a Sailor, and Biloxi, immortalized the region’s nautical heritage, making him an iconic ambassador of the coastal lifestyle that remains a crucial part of our culture.
As part of Mobile’s riverfront revitalization, the City of Mobile and the National Maritime Museum of the Gulf of America will commemorate Buffett’s legacy with an immersive exhibition and a bronze sculpture of Buffett facing the waterfront in downtown Mobile.
The one-of-a-kind exhibit will encompass two floors of the museum—showcasing Buffett’s life and musical career as well as his impact on the Gulf Coast. Thanks to a partnership with the Buffett family, the exhibition will feature numerous artifacts from the musician’s life, along with unreleased recordings, videos, and behind-the-scenes footage captured throughout his nearly 60-year career.
The sculpture outside the museum will depict a realistic, larger-than-life representation of Buffett, including a pedestal or, if seated, a bench or low wall.
Buffett has been memorialized by sand sculptures in Key West and central Florida's Clearwater.
Jim' Zig' Zeigler writes about Alabama's people, places, events, groups and prominent deaths. He is a former Alabama Public Service Commissioner and State Auditor. You can reach him for comments at [email protected].
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