 By Helen A. Lee
If you’re looking for a wild Illinois experience like no other, get over
to Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World. This isn’t just another store that’ll help you
outfit yourself with the latest sporting gear and clothing. It’s a true destination
for those who love the outdoors. Part museum, part art gallery, part antique
store, part aquarium, part education, conservation and entertainment center, Bass
Pro Shops Outdoor World also just happens to be a retail store.
The Chicago area boasts two
Bass Pro Shops Outdoor Worlds locations—one in Gurnee and one in Bolingbrook. The latest Chicagoland location in Bolingbrook is a 140,000 square-foot oasis that features
a 30-foot-tall waterfall, a 7,000-gallon pool with trout and a raised,
18,000-gallon aquarium. It’s practically a museum for hunting, fishing, camping
and other outdoor activities. Designed to emulate a lodge, the store includes
3,500 art objects and memorabilia to recreate the feeling of the outdoors.
There’s even a lobby with a fireplace and comfortable leather furniture.
 Just as much care is put into Bass Pro Shops’ merchandise.
Here, you can find the area’s largest selection of freshwater rods, reels and
fishing accessories, along with the White River Fly Shop for collectible
memorabilia and the latest in gear. Experts on-site can help you select flies
and hand-tie them for you. Hunters will discover an impressive array of gear as
well, in a section adorned with hand-carved animals and World Class record deer
mounts. Into archery? The archery department includes a bow set-up shop and a
25-yard live archery range. You can also visit the adjacent marine and boat
center to find your new water-based transport, whether you’re jonesing for a
kayak or a big water boat. You can even watch your boat rigged through large
windows in one of four service bays.
 Campers, hikers, outdoor cooks, wildlife watchers and
bicyclers will all find items to love at Bass Pro Shops, from technical
clothing with trusted brand names to footwear, cookbooks and bird feeders.
You’ll find yourself simply awed at the variety and depth of offerings. Who
knew there were so many incredible tools available to make your outdoor camping
experience unforgettable?
Even if you’re not in the market for fishing or hunting
gear, you can pick up gifts and household items for the outdoor enthusiast in
your life. Artwork, lamps, furniture, home decorating items, electronics and
cooking accessories (grills, jerky makers, spices) are all available.
For a relaxing break from all that shopping, check out the
Islamorada Fish Company restaurant, an 8,631-square-foot restaurant that
channels the warmth and the taste of the Florida Keys.
The menu includes steaks, seafood, wild game, hickory-fired rotisserie chicken and
exotic appetizers. There’s an outdoor seating area, too, in case the weather’s
nice (in Chicagoland you never know). It overlooks a wetland, in which Bass Pro
Shops hopes to develop a nature area soon.
 The Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World stores even offer classes,
events and workshops for those interested in hunting safety or getting the most
out of your outdoor experience. These include hunting safety classes, archery
clinics, cook-offs, boat shows and fly-fishing how-tos. Check with the stores
for a current schedule.
The Bolingbrook location joins the Gurnee store in the growing
Chicago market.
These two stores are part of a 40-store-strong chain that entertains, equips
and inspires around 80 million visitors a year. If you have a spring trip to
the Kankakee Marsh, or to Starved Rock, or the wilderness trails near Galena planned, this is the place to get what you need. Or if you're just tired of the capriciousness of Chicago's weather, you can come here to experience the fun of the great outdoors in comfort.
The location written about in this article is at: The
Promenade Bolingbrook, 709 Janes
Ave in Bolingbrook,
630 296-2700. You’ll also find Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World at Gurnee Mills, 6112 W. Grand Avenue
in Gurnee, 847-856-1229.
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