The stories of the region’s history and fast-paced growth are on display at the Museum of the Gulf Coast. Visitors learn about the lifeways of Port Arthur’s early Native American groups and the region’s European explorers in educational displays on the extensive ground floor. One of the more interesting panels includes details about town founder Arthur Stilwell’s occult-related visions and development inspirations. Upstairs, the museum contains several captivating pop-culture wings, including areas dedicated to regional music, entertainment and sports celebrities. The music wing is particularly impressive, with exhibits related to famous native Janis Joplin — including a replica of her eyepopping psychedelic Porsche (the original is in Cleveland’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame) — along with memorabilia from other regional artists, including George Jones, J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson and Tex Ritter. The adjacent local legends wing features a surprising number of notable natives, including sports stars like Babe Didrikson Zaharias, Jimmy Johnson, Bud and Wade Phillips and Charles “Bubba” Smith alongside well-known public figures such as Price Daniel, Allan Shivers, cowboy showman Rudy Robbins and actor G.W. Bailey (“Police Academy”).