Bass Pro Shops Original Store

The Bass Pro Shops story begins in 1971 when Johnny Morris — then 23 years old, a Springfield native, and an avid Ozark fisherman — began selling fishing tackle out of the back of his father's liquor store on Glenstone Avenue in Springfield. Morris had grown up fishing in Ozark rivers and lakes around Springfield, and his early frustration with the lack of specialty fishing gear available in the region motivated the original business. He stocked premium fishing lures, specialty fly-fishing equipment, and gear that local hardware stores and general stores didn't carry.

The operation grew quickly. By 1974 Morris had moved the fishing-tackle business out of the liquor store and into its own retail location; by the late 1970s the business had expanded to include hunting equipment, camping gear, and broader outdoor merchandise. The current Campbell Avenue flagship store opened in stages across the 1980s and 1990s, with each expansion adding new categories and the destination retail elements (aquariums, taxidermy, restaurants) that have made the store famous.

Morris's vision from early in the company's history was that outdoor retail should be experiential rather than transactional. Customers shouldn't just come to the store to buy a fishing rod — they should come because the store itself is a destination experience. The aquariums, the taxidermy displays, the indoor archery range, and the restaurants all serve this vision. The model has been broadly copied across the outdoor retail industry, but the original Springfield Bass Pro store remains the most fully realized expression of the concept.

The main retail floor is organized around several substantial aquariums featuring live freshwater and saltwater fish. The largest is the central aquarium — a multi-story freshwater tank holding largemouth bass, catfish, and various Ozark river species that customers can watch while shopping for fishing gear. Smaller saltwater tanks scattered throughout the store hold tropical reef fish, sharks, and various marine species. The aquariums are maintained to public-aquarium standards and are genuinely a destination feature.

Taxidermy displays cover much of the store's wall space and ceiling overhead. North American wildlife — elk, moose, bears, deer, mountain lions, and various waterfowl — is heavily represented. African game (lions, leopards, zebras, various antelope) and other global species appear in dedicated display areas. The taxidermy quality is unusually strong; many specimens were prepared by leading wildlife taxidermists and are technically equivalent to museum-quality work.

The indoor archery range is one of the store's most-used customer amenities — a full-distance range where customers can test compound and traditional bows before purchasing. Staff are on hand to provide setup assistance and basic instruction; the range is free for customers and is popular with both serious hunters and casual visitors curious to try archery. The fishing-rod test pond (a small indoor pond where customers can test fishing rods and reels by casting and reeling) is another distinctive customer amenity.

The store includes multiple restaurants. Hemingway's Blue Water Cafe is the anchor — a substantial sit-down restaurant with a nautical-themed dining room overlooking a large aquarium, serving seafood, steaks, and burgers. Hemingway's is genuinely good for a retail-store restaurant and many Springfield locals eat there for casual dinners separately from any Bass Pro shopping visit. Reservations are recommended on weekend evenings.

Tracker Boat Center, the store's boat showroom, is a destination attraction in its own right for boating enthusiasts. Tracker is the Bass Pro Shops in-house boat brand and the Springfield showroom typically displays 50-100 boats across the full Tracker product line — bass boats, pontoon boats, deep-V fishing boats, and various smaller specialty designs. The boats are available for purchase but the showroom is genuinely walkable for non-buyers as a free attraction.

The NASCAR exhibit displays vintage and modern NASCAR vehicles and memorabilia connected to the Bass Pro Shops NASCAR sponsorship history. Several full-size race cars are on display along with driver memorabilia, racing equipment, and trophies. The exhibit is small but is a popular photo stop for visitors of all ages.

Bass Pro Shops is one of the substantive 20th-century Springfield business stories alongside Steak 'n Shake (founded 1934 on East St. Louis Street) and the various Route 66-era enterprises that grew up during the Mother Road's commercial peak. While Bass Pro is not directly tied to Route 66 — the company was founded in 1971, decades after Route 66's commercial peak — it represents the continuation of Springfield's identity as a small-business entrepreneurial center capable of producing nationally significant companies.

The Wonders of Wildlife National Museum & Aquarium adjacent to the original store is Johnny Morris's broader cultural and conservation project, and it has cemented Springfield's status as a destination for outdoor-recreation tourism beyond the Route 66 heritage. Many visitors plan Springfield trips primarily around the Bass Pro + Wonders of Wildlife complex with Route 66 stops as secondary content; the reverse pattern (Route 66 primary, Bass Pro secondary) is also common.

For Route 66 travelers who don't have particular interest in outdoor recreation, the original Bass Pro store is still worth a brief 30-60 minute visit just for the aquariums, the taxidermy displays, and the genuine "experiential retail" novelty. Visitors who do have interest in fishing, hunting, camping, or outdoor recreation often spend 2-3 hours in the store and find it genuinely engaging beyond the merchandise itself.

The store is open Monday through Saturday from 9am to 9pm and Sunday from 10am to 7pm. Admission is completely free; there is no fee to enter, browse, eat at the restaurants, or use any of the amenities. Parking is free in massive surface lots surrounding the building. The store is fully ADA-accessible and is one of the most family-friendly tourist attractions in Springfield.

Plan 1-2 hours for a basic visit covering the aquariums, the taxidermy displays, the indoor archery range, and a meal at Hemingway's. Visitors with deeper interest in outdoor recreation often spend 3-4 hours. The natural combination is Bass Pro Shops + Wonders of Wildlife as a half-day or full-day Springfield visit; the two attractions together are the city's largest tourist draw and easily justify a full day of dedicated time.

For Route 66 travelers, the typical Springfield two-day plan is: Day 1 — morning at the Route 66 Springfield Visitor Center and Park Central Square, lunch at Steak 'n Shake Original, afternoon at the History Museum on the Square, dinner at Lambert's Cafe in nearby Ozark; Day 2 — full day at Bass Pro Shops and Wonders of Wildlife. With Joplin 70 miles west, Lebanon 50 miles east, Cuba 130 miles east, and St. Louis 215 miles east, Springfield is a substantial mid-corridor stop worth the two-day commitment.