Wonders of Wildlife voted America’s Best Aquarium for fourth year 

Karen Craigo | SBJ

Bob Ziehmer, senior director of conservation for Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s, notes 4.5 million visitors have come to Wonders of Wildlife since it opened in September 2017. Gov. Mike Parson, Mayor Ken McClure and Springfield chamber President Matt Morrow look on.

Johnny Morris’ Wonders of Wildlife National Museum & Aquarium has been named America’s Best Aquarium for 2022. 

USA Today sponsors the contest, which is determined by popular vote. 

It is the fourth time the Springfield attraction has received the honor – four wins for four nominations, said Bryan Nadeau, vice president of conservation attractions at the Johnny Morris Foundation. The attraction was nominated and captured the top prize in 2018, 2020, 2021 and now 2022, and it also won the Best New Attraction in America upon its opening in 2017. 

Wonders of Wildlife has hosted more than 4.5 million visitors since opening in September of that year, according to Nadeau. 

An announcement of the latest honor was held in the parking lot Friday at Wonders of Wildlife. Gov. Mike Parson praised Bass Pro Shops for its contributions to the Show-Me State. 

“We get to live in one of the best states in the United States, and the outdoors is a huge part of who we are,” he said. 

Parson said Bass Pro’s founder, Johnny Morris, has created a destination with his flagship store and surrounding attractions. 

Bob Ziehmer, senior director of conservation for Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s, said the museum and aquarium offer opportunities to educate visitors on conservation. 

“This facility also challenges each of us to be inspired to reconnect with nature,” he said. 

Matt Morrow, president of the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce, said it is impossible to state the economic benefit of the attraction, which he described as Missouri’s top tourist attraction. 

Mayor Ken McClure said the honor was well deserved. 

“We don’t ever take it for granted, but it is not a surprise,” he said. 

He noted the city and Bass Pro work well together, with a collaboration that benefits both the city and the business. 

“It is a partnership that could not be better,” he said, citing the $26 million Grant Avenue Parkway project that will link Wonders of Wildlife to downtown. 

Nadeau said 80% of the population of the continental United States is within a day’s drive of the attraction, and that is appealing, in today’s economy. 

“The national recognition is absolutely incredible,” he said. “It speaks to the reach conservation has to the entire community.” 

In his remarks from the podium, Nadeau also announced a coming attraction that will be hard to miss at the corner of Sunshine Street and Campbell Avenue: a 30-foot-tall, 90-foot-wide video screen that is billed as a digital aquarium. 

“It’s an incredible way for us to continue to promote Bass Pro Shops and Wonders of Wildlife as two of the No. 1 attractions in the state of Missouri, right here in Springfield.”