Bass Pro opens Memphis Pyramid store, hotel

Bass Pro Shops yesterday capped off a five-day grand opening for its long-awaited store inside the Memphis Pyramid.

The April 29-May 3 event completed roughly a decade of work between officials of the Springfield-based outdoor retailer and leaders of the Tennessee city. Upon signing a 55-year lease with the city in mid-2010, Bass Pro expected to open the store in November 2011, according to Springfield Business Journal archives.

However, delays - including the issuance of bonds by the Downtown Memphis Commission - set back the timeline for the Outdoor World. The 535,000-square-foot store features an interactive national Waterfowling Heritage Center in partnership with Ducks Unlimited; Uncle Buck's Fishbowl and Grill; Big Cypress Lodge - a 100-room hotel; 600,000 gallons of water features; a cypress swamp with 100-foot trees; and the largest free-standing elevator in America - 25 stories and open with glass on four sides.

Opening events included appearances by a number of celebrities, including Tony Stewart, a Bass Pro-sponsored NASCAR driver; country music singer John Anderson; Ernie Brown Jr., host of Animal Planet’s show, “Call of the Wildman;” and Bill Dance, host of NBC Sports’ “Bill Dance Outdoors,” according to a news release.