John and I aren’t big shoppers, but sometimes there is just a store we’ve got to see. The new “immersive retail experience” is more like an amusement park than a mini-mall, and if you like the outdoors, the new Bass Pro Shop is worth a visit if you’re passing through Memphis, TN.
Originally built by the city as a sports stadium for the University of Memphis basketball team, a series of troubles with the structure caused the University to move to another facility and it was abandoned as a sports arena. In 2005 Bass Pro negotiated a 55-year lease with Memphis, and opened a mega store.
It is quite the wonderland inside. You traverse through a Cypress forest while you shop, complete with deer and bears.
Massive cypress trees growing from the swamp.
Huge catfish swimming in large ponds. Noodling anyone?
There was a fish I hadn’t heard of before, an Alligator gar. They are truly a living fossil retaining characteristics from their early ancestors much the way sharks have and the species can be traced back over 100 million years. You don’t live that long without having some amazing adaptability traits. They can survive in water that is very salty or brackish marsh water or freshwater. They can even breath in both water and air.
They have real alligators too, four of them.
And yes Britta, there are ruddy ducks at this one too.
There is also a hotel / lodge / conference center in the building. How cool would that be. After the store closes and they dim the lights, everything is quiet except for the outdoor noises they play, sitting on your screened in porch. Cool.
There are bridges through the “pretend” swamp, complete with Spanish moss hanging from the trees.
Even the street lamps look like an outdoor scene.
The shops inside the pyramid all look like log cabins. Oh, yeah. We’re getting some fudge.
The elevators to the second floor resemble cave openings. Almost couldn’t get John on the elevator because of that.
Bass Pro built the tallest, 28-story, free-standing elevator and it is the center piece of the structure.
You get a nice over view of the store as you ride up to the lookout.
The pyramid overlooks the Mississippi River. It is cool today, but the sky is clear and the sun is warm so it isn’t uncomfortable.
The lookout is on two sides of the pyramid and kind of wraps around the top giving you some fantastic views.
We are both hungry after our hike through the wilderness and swamps so we are going to eat in the restaurant at the top of the pyramid.
The ceiling is decorated to look like fish hooks with Steam Punk fish hanging from the ends. Cool.
If you’re ever in the Memphis, Tennessee area, this is a great stop.
