Spend any time at all in the Ozarks region, and quickly, everyone will start asking if you have been to the Bass Pro Shop yet. As an Ozark's transplant, it’s easy to brush this off as a ‘they’re REALLY outdoorsy here’ type of inquiry.
In fact, it took nine months of being asked if I had been to the Bass Pro Shops before I finally stepped foot inside THE ONE -- the 'Grandaddy' Bass Pro Shop in Springfield, Missouri.
Located in Springfield, Missouri, is the Bass Pro Shops HQ–a 500k-square-foot experience filled with shopping, museums, and opportunities to learn about the great outdoors.
Hear me when I say–THIS IS NOT AN ORDINARY OUTDOOR ENTHUSIAST RETAIL EXPERIENCE. In fact, a very small part of the Bass Pro Shops HQ experience is a retail experience at all.
What is It?
The Bass Pro Shops HQ is located in Springfield, Missouri. It’s colloquially known as The Grandaddy of All Outdoors Stores. But even that title doesn’t do it justice. Imagine a large retail mall perfectly staged inside museum exhibits designed to make hunters feel like they’re walking through the woods as they shop for hunting gear.
In the camping section, you walk back and forth over a babbling brook to look at grills, tents, sleeping bags, and more. There are entire store-sized departments filled with archery equipment, pocket knives, hiking shoes, everyday clothes from outdoor brands, and much more.
So yes, there is shopping, but there’s also more. It’s a 500k-square-foot complex!
At the Bass Pro Shops HQ, you will find:
National Archery Hall of Fame
National Rifle Association Sporting Arms Museum
Wonders of Wildlife Museum & Aquarium
John A. and Genny Morris Conservation Education Center
White River Conference Center
Black Rifle Coffee Company
Hemingway’s Blue Water Cafe
Fish Cafe
Angler’s Lodge by Bass Pro Shops
The American Museum of Fly Fishing
Bass Pro Shops Motorsports Museum
A family can easily spend an entire day at the Bass Pro Shops HQ in Springfield, Missouri.
Many of these attractions, like the NRA museum and the Bass Pro Shops Motorsports museum, are free to the public. However, admission to the Wonders of Wildlife Museum and Aquarium requires a season pass or general admission ticket. However, it’s well worth it!
The Bass Pro Shops HQ in Springfield, Missouri, is much more than we were expecting. Still, we found time to explore a good portion of it. Here is what we saw...
What to Expect
The Grandaddy is simply something you need to experience to really understand. I would recommend setting a day aside for the entire experience, including time in the Wonders of Wildlife Museum and Aquarium.
Outdoor World at Bass Pro Shops
For starters, the actual Bass Pro Shops retail experience is something unlike anything else we have ever seen. It's akin to an enormous outdoor trade show filled with every type and variety of outdoor gear for hunting, camping, fishing, and exploring.
Inside Outdoor World, we found a shooting range and an archery range so that shoppers could try out the gear before making a big purchase. They also had a knife shop offering professional sharpening services. We spent about 1.5-2 hours wandering around the store in in awe.
NRA Museum
From inside Outdoor World, you can climb a staircase with a unique banister fashioned from rifles that leads to the National Rifle Association museum. Once inside the museum, we found elaborate displays of rifles and muskets by time period, with a special room dedicated to guns once owned by Theodore Roosevelt. We enjoyed our stop in here, although it was brief. It holds a good bit of history that is worth checking out if you're in the store.
Bass Pro Motorsports Museum
Another free-to-access museum inside the Bass Pro Shop is the motorsports museum. Bass Pro Shops has been a prominent Nascar sponsor over the years, and as such, you'll find a collection of race cars, driver gear, and memorabilia here. We enjoyed the well-done displays and would put this attraction on the list for anyone who loves Nascar--or who is looking to fill their day without draining their wallet.
Wonders of Wildlife Museum
The real draw is the Wonders of Wildlife Museum and Aquarium, of which, the museum is the first experience. Here you will find thousands of taxidermied animals staged in their natural environments for an impressive walk through the animals of the world.
I enjoyed WoW much more than any zoo I have ever visited because you could actually see the animals. The detail and quality of the displays are breathtaking.
Wonders of Wildlife Aquarium
The second half of the immersive WoW experience is an aquarium--and boy does it not disappoint! Drop in on select days for storytime with the fish, pet the sting rays, or color your own addition to the digital aquarium! In addition to an impressive collection of fish, sting rays, sharks, penguins, alligators, and the many other perfectly-themed live animal exhibits...we also found a staged narwhal exhibit that made our six year old's biggest wish come true! Read more about the aquarium here >>
WoW Gift Shop
And, of course, no trip to the aquarium would be complete with a stop in the gift shop. As expected, the Wonders of Wildlife gift shop was packed full of an impressive collection of animal-themed toys from brands like Wild Republic and National Geographic. We found an adorable sloth stuffed animal for soft sensory play and a bag full of mermaids for bath time.
Plan Your Trip to the 'Grandaddy' Bass Pro Shops in Springfield, Missouri
When to Visit: The attractions at the Grandaddy Bass Pro Shops in Springfield, Missouri are all indoors making this destination perfect for any time of year.
Where to Stay: Bass Pro Shops offers clean, comfortable accommodations that match the nature conservation and outdoor enthusiast theme you'll find in their store. Anglers Lodge is located directly across the street in Springfield, Missouri.
What to Do: Definitely don't miss out on the Wonders of Wildlife Museum and Aquarium (about a half day event). Fill the rest of your day exploring Outdoor World, including a handful of curated in-house museums. For multi-day trips, consider an explorer pass which provides admission to five different attractions including the Wonders of Wildlife.
What to Bring: You'll definitely want a comfortable pair of walking shoes and a water bottle. There are a few fountains, but bottles of water are priced at a premium inside the attractions so bringing your own is a must.