Unbelieveable New Bass Pro (Altoona, Iowa)....warning pic heavy

[Rembrandt]

I posted about this store last week.....here's an update with photos.

I been to nearly every Cabelas, Scheels, Sportsmans WH, and Bass Pro in the country....but this one takes the prize.

The store is by far the best display of wildlife and decor of any I've seen. A herd of Buffalo and Antelope in a Prairie floating above the shoppers. Makes Cabelas wildlife displays look....ho-hum. Unbelievable!

Plenty of the regular features like waterfalls and fish tanks, but the taxidermy in this store is second to none. Laser shooting gallery, home furnishings, and a huge boating wing. Gun selection is good, but unfortunately no "Gun Library" with high end collectibles. Large pistol and shotgun primers only.

Did I mention the NASCAR area with driving simulators. This store also features a bowling alley with neon glass lanes to simulate bowling on water....the balls return from the mouths of sharks and gators. Has a full service bar with undersea theme and aquariums....a restaurant and billiards room. Over 145,000 square feet of store.

Just east of Des Moines on I-80............well worth a look see!

 

[Rembrandt]

 

[Rembrandt]

 

[mljdeckard]

Beautiful. Fantastic. I'll go, look at everything, and then go to Sportsman's Warehouse to buy.

 

[Rembrandt]

 

[Walkalong]

Looks a lot like the one near me in Prattville Al. They are pretty cool, but I don't like the turnstiles you have to go through. Kind of like going to prison for the afternoon and then they let you out.

 

[FROGO207]

It beats the heck out of the local Dicks Sporting Goods by a lot!!

 

[Grizfire]

Wow, I really like the ship wreck with the fish as well.

 

[gunnutery]

Thanks for the heads up and pics, I'll have to check it out next time I'm in Des Moines. Although due to current finances, I'll probably have to come back empty handed

 

[essayons21]

The new Bass Pro in Ashland, Virginia (just north of Richmond) has a 1:1 scale replica of the Natural Bridge (http://www.naturalbridgeva.com/)

 

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

Cool pics. Unfortunately Bass Pro's "No EBR" policy precludes me from ever considering myself a customer of theirs.

 

[lbmii]

"No EBR" What does EBR stand for??

 

[markallen]

" EBR" stands for ' Evil Black Rifle"
Don't misunderstand me, the place looks beautiful, as does the Cabela's in Wheeling that I have visited.
Call me cynical but I would rather have lower prices instead of the amount of money they spent on their displays.
Maybe then I could afford to buy more stuff.
It would be a win-win for them and me.

 

[Brian Williams]

Evil Black Rifle
it ain't a gun shop

 

[N.Schafer]

"evil black rifle" A.K.A. ar-15 or other "scary" looking rifles.

 

[Claude Clay]

i'd sure hate to be the person who has to dust all that

stunning

 

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

Evil Black Rifle
it ain't a gun shop

True. But Cabela's and Gander Mountain aren't "gun shops" either. But they both manage to stock the stuff I want, and are able to not look at me like I'm a terrorist when I ask about a gun other than the kind a 65 year old wood-stock hunter would own.

 

[shibby]

Beautiful store...wow. Id like to see one of those in Washington. We have a Cabelas, but its about 90 minutes away, and it is magnificent...but this is incredible.

 

[Tim the student]

Definitely looks awesome. I'll stop in to see when I'm in DSM next, but I highly doubt I ever will buy anything at Bass Pro again.

 

[HGUNHNTR]

Pretty cool, too bad prices and selection don't live up to what they sunk into decorations.

 

[Sigman314]

The Bass Pro in St. Louis has always stocked AR-15's (Black Rifles). They recently got in a new order of 20 or so of them in. Perhaps your local/mall or state laws are blocking the black rifles from being stocked at those stores.

 

[offthepaper]

Pretty cool, too bad prices and selection don't live up to what they sunk into decorations.

Agreed.
It appears they have quite an overhead to cover.

 

[JColdIron]

It appears they have quite an overhead to cover.

Literally! That is a whole bunch of dead animals. More than the Natural Science museum I used to work in

 

[9MMare]

Wow, that one's even fancier than the one out in Vegas attached to the Silverton hotel/casino.

 

[kd7nqb]

Very cool are those fish UNDER the bowling alley? that would be cool