Johnny Morris' Wonders of Wildlife National Museum and Aquarium

Johnny Morris' Wonders of Wildlife National Museum and Aquarium

Johnny Morris' Wonders of Wildlife National Museum and Aquarium
4.5
Natural History Museums • Aquariums
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10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
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About
Johnny Morris’ Wonders of Wildlife National Museum and Aquarium is the largest immersive wildlife attraction in the world. Explore a 1.5-million-gallon aquarium adventure showcasing 35,000 live fish, mammals, reptiles and birds and a wildlife museum offering a tour of the wildest places on earth. The 350,000-square foot experience features more than 1.5 miles of immersive trails and exhibits.
Suggested duration
More than 3 hours
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4.5
1,293 reviews
Excellent
1,040
Very good
160
Average
50
Poor
24
Terrible
19

cyanidecharlie77
Cahokia, IL2 contributions
Feb 2022 • Couples
I had initially expected a typical aquarium with a few neat areas but was completely blown away at everything here. The museum and aquarium seemed to go on for miles and there was always something amazing to stop and stare at. Restrooms are located very frequently through the museum which was amazing as well. Handicap accessible areas and well lit / large signage for stairs and which direction to go. We didn’t even do any animal encounter add-ons but we will return probably several times. The conservation efforts made by the owner and company is also a great reason to keep going back.
After seeing the place we couldn’t believe the ticket price because we’ve been places that charge the same and are a mere fraction of this attraction. Favorite museum or aquarium I’ve ever been.
Written February 7, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

AviatorMat
Greenville, WI516 contributions
Nov 2021 • Couples
My wife and I went through the entire place in 1.5hrs.

The Lewis & Clark was the best exhibit of the entire time and the volunteer lady did a wonderful job explaining everything. I would give the Bass Pro hunting exhibit 5 stars.

Wonders of Wildlife National Museum and Aquarium was not the greatest aquarium I’ve been to and wouldn’t spend $35 per person to attend again.
Written October 31, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

colesays
Colleyville, TX80 contributions
May 2022 • Family
This was unlike any aquarium I've ever been to. Very interactive and SO MUCH to see. It's pretty darn expensive, but you can see how much money was put into it when you walk through. It isn't just the sea life enclosures - it's everything - the walkways, the bubbles kids can pop their heads into and be in the center of the aquarium, the decor, etc. There was certainly no shortage of things to look at!

Be forewarned: it's a long walk! Even I was a little tired after getting through the wildlife and aquarium parts. We planned on walking around bass pro afterwards (my kids LOVE bass pro, which is why we wanted to visit the Wonders of Wildlife to begin with) but by the time we finished at the museum, everyone was ready to go home.

I would deem this a "must do" in Springfield with kids (or possibly even without kids!).

FYI you can buy tickets online but not with a military discount. We waited to purchase tickets at the aquarium and they had raised prices from the ones online. I think we ended up paying about the same with the military discount as we would have pre-purchasing regular priced tickets online. A little confusing. If you're a Veteran, I might give them a ring before you go and check on the pricing.
Written July 24, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Brenda
Springdale, AR2 contributions
Sep 2022 • Couples
You can no longer buy a ticket for just the aquarium. To visit the aquarium you now have to also pay to see the wildlife museum. Very disappointed because the tickets are much more expensive. We ended up not going in because we weren’t about to spend $90 to visit the aquarium. Our entire trip to Springfield was based on seeing the aquarium and I was fine with spending $65 for two tickets, but not $90. Please consider updating your pricing for separate ticket purchases.
Written September 26, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

KCBirdLady
Kansas City, MO108 contributions
Jun 2021
The museum portion is similar to what you see in any Bass Pro Shop or Cabela's, but with more and larger displays of mounted animals. The intro film is basically an advertisement for Bass Pro Shops, and you are inundated with signs, labels, you name it, urging you to take up hunting and fishing. They seem to be trying to beat the message into your brain that hunters and fishermen have been good at supporting conservation (true), and that they are pretty much responsible for ALL conservation activities (garbage).
The aquarium is OK, but there are now many good aquariums in mid-America and this one is not better than the others. It has some non-aquatic creatures in residence, but again, you can find those elsewhere. For an overall zoo/aquarium experience, Omaha's zoo is much better. We thought the admission cost at WOW was ridiculously high for a 3-hour visit.
Written June 22, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

ellenbee56
Bechtelsville, PA708 contributions
Jan 2022
My husband and I recently drove from our home in southeastern PA to OK for a week. On our way home, we stopped off to see this fantastic site, which was the highlight of our trip!

As others have noted, admission is steep, but two separate attractions are included—an excellent aquarium and a world-class wildlife museum (like a Cabela’s display but so much larger and comprehensive).

The aquarium portion has expansive tanks that were generally glare-free and great for viewing, taking photos & video, etc. The multi-level, looping pathway is easy to follow, with no traffic jams along the way. Many naturalistic habitats were recreated throughout, i.e., swamp, rivers & streams, Amazon, cave, etc.; there is even an aviary area (unusual for an aquarium). The design of the exhibits is artistic and attractive. There is no “shark tunnel,” as many aquariums feature, but sharks can be viewed in several spots. There is also an exhibit of beautiful shells on display; there are no identifications, but the collection is a good size. Included here also are galleries featuring sport fishing and boating.

The wildlife galleries are reached via escalator from the adjacent Pro Bass Shop. This section of Wonders of Wildlife is also enormous! Dioramas of animals from around the globe fill gallery after gallery, displayed in natural habitats and poses. All are artistically and beautifully designed. There are also rooms of mounted heads, Native American and western artifacts, and an exhibit about the Corps of Discovery (AKA the Lewis & Clark Expedition), including lovely paintings by Charles Fritz.

After touring both sections (which took us over three hours), we enjoyed a bite to eat in the café; it had a limited menu, but our sandwiches (toasted turkey/bacon/avocado and chicken salad on a croissant) were very tasty.

We really enjoyed our visit at this impressive site! It is evident that lots of money was poured into this place and that thoughtful planning went into its design! The previous day, we had visited the Ancient Ozarks Natural History Museum at Top of the Rock (reviewed separately), which was also excellent; after seeing both these places, I would say that when it comes to creating exceptional tourist sites, Johnny Morris nailed it!
Written February 1, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Stuart Harrison
Dayton, OH115 contributions
Aug 2020 • Couples
This is a must see attraction if in the area or even if your in Branson its worth the drive.
First of all, before you even get to the start of the museum and aquarium there are 2 small free museums to the right of the ticket desk. One is history and the other is all about Bass Pro Shops Racing with the actual cars, trophy, etc which is definitely worth seeing if you get there early. The actual Bass Pro store opens at 8 but the museum and aquarijm open at 10 so walk around the store. Definitely start with the museum as once it ends you can go straight into the aquarium. If you do the aquarium first, you end up having to walk all the way back to do the museum. Yes the price is a little higher, at $40 compared to most places such as Texas State Aquarium at $26 and even the Georgia Aquarium, the largest aquarium in the US at $36. But keep in mind the cost includes a museum as well and this place is non profit.
The museum is full of history about the Indians that lived in the Ozarks as well as a tribute to animals. We personally walked through this very fast as we visited the museum at Top of the Rock which is similar. The taxidermy animals in any other Bass Pro you would see scattered throughout the stores, here they are part of the museum. Now the real reason we came was for the aquarium and we thought it was set up very well with a clearly marked path to follow. Plenty of restrooms along the way although not easily noticeable and you can miss them. The decor throughout is amazing and they have signs describing what's in each tank next to the tanks.
It seemed to be very well maintained. Currently you have to book online for specific time slot because of Covid, and we felt very safe throughout, with eveyone being spread out, people wearing masks, and plenty of sanitizing stations. You end in the gift shop like most places enticing you to buy a gift. Dont make the mistake of going out the exit doors right after you exit gift shop, it will put you on the back side and you have to walk all the way around the very large building to get to the parking lot in front of the store. Overall, we really liked the aquarium and would recommend it.
Written August 28, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Maury-Hannick
Washington DC, DC17 contributions
Jul 2021 • Family
A unique museum, and not entirely in a good way. There’s no way to see just part of it - you are forced to travel the entire winding length of it. Even IKEA allows shortcuts, but not here. I logged three miles of steps over a period of more than four hours.

The first part is devoted to hunting, fishing, and some history. The Lewis and Clark section has some really nice paintings depicting the expedition. But a lot of the first section will be interesting only to hunters and fishermen. You can’t shortcut around it, and there’s no place for an old man to sit and take a break.

The natural history section has lots of dioramas with lots of stuffed animals. It isn’t clear which are taxidermy and which are created from whole cloth. All of the animals are well put together, but the logic and objective of this section isn’t clear. And again, you can’t shortcut around it, and there’s no place for an old man to sit and take a break.

The aquarium section is also a long, winding path with no shortcuts. There are lots and lots of fish, with multiple looks at all of the large tanks, numbering about five. In addition, they have lots of smaller tanks with interesting sea creatures. But everywhere, especially in this section, the signage is very poor. A majority of the time, they identify at least some of the animals in a diorama or tank, but rarely all of them. And for a lot of the tanks, there’s no sign at all. And, for many animals and sea creatures, the signs don’t say where in the world they come from.

We ate lunch at Fish Tales inside the museum. The food was fine, and not overpriced. I was amused that the menu included no fish.

I was thinking of buying an annual membership for my grandchildren, but now I don’t think repeat visits would be all that valuable.
Written July 4, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

KKJACKS
Oklahoma City, OK677 contributions
Feb 2022
We arrived around 1:30 on Friday 2/4. It was a good day to come, as there was still a lot of snow around and not as many people were out.
We parked on the aquarium side and took that entrance. Checking in to get our tickets took a while. Two clerks were helping other groups, and we were next in line. Regardless, it took about 5 minutes until we were called up. The process for those buying season passes seems to take much longer, and the bigger the family the longer it takes.

Once we set off though, we were impressed by all the different areas, environments and enclosures and how each was presented. All the fish and other animals seemed healthy and in well-cared for environments. We did notice the flamingo area had a foul odor.
The shipwreck room was our favorite. Also the first aquariums you come too were quite impressive. The starfish exhibit was pretty cool, and unexpected. The sting ray area was entrancing as they all just glide through the circle.
We enjoyed the café along the path for a couple beverages (adult options included canned wines and beers).
Restroom facilities were available in different areas and all were clean and tidy.

In all we spent around 2 hours in the aquarium side and then walked through bass pro for a bit and also breezed quickly through the other wildlife side museum to see the penguins. (Unimpressed by that, but enjoyed the different national park and animal representations.) We left the museum around 4:45, so we were there just around 3 or so hours. This seemed like a good amount of time for us. If you stopped to read each ipad for the aquarium side and/or placards on the wildlife side, or if you were really into all the fishing hall of fame stuff, you might stay longer.
Written February 13, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Elizabeth J
Lexington, Missouri, United States127 contributions
Sep 2020
Our family, grandparents, son and his family, spent a weekend in Springfield and toured this place on our last day. It was expensive at nearly $40 per adult and $20 for youth. However, it was a wonderful tour. I had no idea it was really more than an aquarium and after touring the wildlife safari with real animals the day before, it was interesting see all the stuffed animal exhibits, the history Johnny Morris fishing exhibits and the historic native American exhibits as well as the wonderful aquarium. The place is nicely laid out with clear signage and clever well-lit covid signs throughout. It took us about 2 hours to 2 ½ hours to tour and, frankly, it could take longer if you wanted to stop and read the signs at each display. The bald eagle sat demurely in front of its display window a fish lying on the ground behind it. No signage. I would have liked signage ... was it unable to fly? Was it doped up? Its cage was so small. My only other complaint was the photo quality. They take your family photo in front of a green screen before you enter. This time I was determined to buy photos (we had not done so at the Kansas City Aquarium the year before). I bought the big package and picked it up. When I looked at the photos, the green screen had been unprofessionally cropped out of the background. Several of us had our hair chopped, my husband had a chunk out of his head. I'm a graphic designer and know how to crop these things out. For $38 we should have gotten a professional job. Plus, the digital photos are not big enough to blow up to print, given to us with a web-ready 72 DPI. Very disappointed. But the backgrounds were adorable.
Written September 18, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

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Johnny Morris' Wonders of Wildlife National Museum and Aquarium (Springfield) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go

Frequently Asked Questions about Johnny Morris' Wonders of Wildlife National Museum and Aquarium

Johnny Morris' Wonders of Wildlife National Museum and Aquarium is open:
  • Sun - Sun 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
  • Mon - Thu 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
  • Fri - Fri 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM
  • Sat - Sat 9:00 AM - 7:00 PM


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