Springfield mayor: Wonders of Wildlife a ‘game-changer’

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SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP)   The mayor of Springfield, Missouri, says a massive new museum and aquarium in the southwest Missouri town is a “game-changer.”

The Wonders of Wildlife National Museum & Aquarium opened last week in a celebration more common in Hollywood or New York, not the Ozarks. Presidents George W. Bush and Jimmy Carter were there, along with celebrities like Mark Wahlberg and Kevin Costner.

Springfield Mayor Ken McClure told the Springfield News-Leader that his city has already been “on the map,” but the museum and aquarium is a “game-changer” that takes it to another level.

The $290 million, 350,000-square-foot conservation-focused venue was envisioned by John Morris, CEO of Springfield-based Bass Pro Shops. It includes 35,000 live fish, mammals, reptiles, amphibians and birds from 800 species.

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