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Updated: April 16, 2025

From legends to Lady Gaga: World’s first digital lobster museum is a love letter to Maine

Maine Lobster Museum screen shot Image / Courtesy of the Maine Lobster Museum The world's first virtual lobster museum is set to debut on May 8.
Maine Lobster Museum screen shot Image / Courtesy of the Maine Lobster Museum The Maine Lobster Museum aims to offer interactive exhibits, lobster-themed games and crustacean lore in an immersive, virtual setting.
By Renee Cordes

The Maine Lobster Museum, set to open its digital doors on May 8, will offer visitors a virtual tour of all things lobster from biology to culinary traditions and Lady Gaga’s famous bejeweled headpiece.

Sebastian and Coral Crissey
Photo /. provided
Maine Lobster Museum founders Sebastian and Coral Crissey

Belfast native Sebastian Crissey teamed with his spouse and creative partner Coral Crissey on the self-funded business venture, which aims to appeal to food lovers, tourists, families, students and lifelong learners. 

“It’s also perfect for people who might not have the chance to visit Maine but want to experience its culture and lobster lore,” Sebastian Crissey told Mainebiz in an email. 

The couple currently lives overseas.

“Even from the other side of the world, I’m still deeply connected to  my roots and am a very proud native of Belfast, Maine,” he said. “The museum lets me share my hometown pride and stay connected to the Maine community.”

Screen shot from Maine Lobster Museum
Image / Courtesy of Maine Lobster Museum
A sample section of the virtual museum

Using interactive technology, the museum will offer curated exhibits with three-dimensional models, games, audio, video and even a virtual museum docent named Laurance the Lobster guiding visitors through the space.

The museum, touted as the first of its kind in the world, is operating as a small business whose proceeds will be used to support independent digital storytelling and ocean-focused education. 

Admission will be $10 for a one-day pass or $20 for a three-day pass, while true lobster lovers can get three- and one–year passes with unlimited access and exclusive perks. 

The museum will also be able to offer low-income visitors free admission via its institutional membership in Maine Archives & Museums and the Maine Tourism Association and affiliation with the Museums for All instinctive.

“We’re offering very affordable pricing - even less than the cost of a lobster roll,”  Crissey said. “And we’ve built the museum to feel like a fun, memorable experience that’s truly worth it.”

From class project to business startup  

Crissey said it took about eight months of planning, designing, researching and building to bring the project to life which he funded out of his own bank account.

"Every part of the museum has been built with care, creativity and a a lot of personal investment," he told Mainebiz. "It's a true labor of love, made possible through resourcefulness, strategic use of tools and a deep belief in the vision."

The entrepreneur studied food sovereignty science and technology in Australia and has long been fascinated by how food connects to culture, place and power, he said.

Later while pursuing his digital media degree at Champlain College in Burlington, Vt., Crissey took courses in emerging technology, consumer psychology and buyer behavior as well as usability in website and software design and creating real-time media. He said that all of those experiences challenged him to think creatively about how to engage people through digital experiences.

“Maine Lobster Museum started as a class project but quickly evolved into something much bigger,” he said. “I wanted to create something that felt both smart and silly, immersive and accessible - and something that could only exist in a digital space.”

More information

Access the Maine Lobster Museum here.

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