Archive from April 2026

10:57 AM - USA's #1 Aquarium photos added. (posted by Allen )
Ever notice how so many theme parks and other places state they are the "#1" in America? There are so many polls from places like USA Today that are referenced. Well, here is another one... According to whatever poll they use, the #1 aquarium for many years is ... Wonders of Wildlife in Springfield, Missouri.

This is operated by the "Walt Disney of nature attractions", Johnny Morris. He started Bass Prop Shops and is no stranger to elaborate theming. Even their restrooms are highly themed/decorated. Remember when top-dollar theme parks used to do that?

Photos from Wonders of Wildlife, as well as the nearby ride-thru Fantastic Caverns, have been added to my Misc gallery in the Missouri section:

https://www.disneyfans.com/photos/misc/OtherPlaces/Missouri/Springfield/index.html

6:37 AM - Wonders of Wildlife (Springfield, MO) coming soon. (posted by Allen )
We recently drove down to Springfield, Missouri to check out the Wonders of Wildlife aquarium and museum. It is another Johnny Morris ("the Bass Pro Shops guy") attraction. The level of quality did not disappoint. They theme the soda machines. They even theme (almost all) of the restrooms. They do theming where modern Disney/etc. does not. It always surprises me that some random tourist attraction in Missouri can do things with greater attention to detail than modern theme parks. It will take me awhile to get these photos sorted as I am trying to sort them by exhibit. But, eventually, they will be added to the Misc ("Other Places") photo gallery here.