Santa's Wonderland

Burt and I took the kids to the Santa's Wonderland at Bass Pro Shop in Independence. The Bass Pro Shop just opened up this past spring at Independence. I believe that it is the National Headquarters for Bass Pro. It really is quite a store. The place is just huge, and it has anything the outdoorsman could possibly want or need.

The store has two levels, with a variety of trophy animal displays. Brendan liked this pic because it looked like the deer was munching on his hair.

There are several things you can do at Bass Pro. There is a shooting gallery, and a rock climbing wall.

The kids love the glass elevator. They love to go up and down and wave to us through the glass. There are waterfalls, and even a water wheel. They also have an indoor aquarium with giant catfish. This guy was about 4ft long and a hundred pounds.

After looking at the fish, there is an amazing seafood restaurant on the lower level. The kids got mini pizza. I got some amazing fish with homemade chips, and Burt got a delicious buffalo burger.

When the weather is warm you can eat out on the patio, which overlooks the lake and Waterfall Park. The park is named because there is a waterfall. The kids LOVE Waterfall Park, but it was too cold to play there today. Instead they played at the checkers tables on the upper level, which are located by the Fudge Shop. Yum! I love all the old fashioned candies they sell there. After exploring the store, the kids went to the Santa Village they had set up there at the store. It was really cute, and the Santa was great! Brendan and McKenna both froze and forgot what they wanted to ask Santa for Christmas. lol It reminded me of the scene in A Christmas Story, when Ralphie freezes in front of Santa a blurted out that he wanted a football. They even had Red Riders for sale! Brendan told Santa he wanted a clubhouse, even though he has been begging us for a Batcave toy. lol Afterwards we asked him why he asked for the clubhouse. He said he panicked, and wanted to go back! lol I reassured him that he could write Santa and let him know that he changed his mind. The kids got to see Santa, eat cookies, see a cool toy train display, and play a variety of games. It was a cool way to start off the Holiday Season. A season that I am sure will be full of all sorts of fun times! Enjoy this little video I made of the day.