Ingrams August 2023

HOSPITALITY AND TOURISM

sas, but feeding into Table Rock, then Taneycomo, then Bull Shoals, nearly running statewide across Missouri. In addition to the fishing and boating, it’s a region chock-full of hunting opportunities that beckon those skilled in firearms use or archery. It’s not all rugged outdoors, though; in Springfield, you can find one of the nation’s newest and most popular tour ist destinations, Wonders of Wildlife. This vision from the mind of outdoors man Johnny Morris, founder of Bass Pro Shops, is a two-track living museum of aquatic wildlife on one side and land animals on the other. In just its first year of operations, it drew 1.6 million visitors, and based on rates for a family of four, that would have generated close to $60 million in revenue, and $4.8 mil lion in sales tax revenue divvied up by the state, Greene County and the city itself. Among the higher-level attractions coming to the state is Oasis at Lakeport, a $350 million family resort and entertainment district that is on track for a 2024 opening. That lakefront tourist destination is going up on property acquired by Big Thunder Marine owner Fred Ross, the recently retired CEO of Custom Truck One Source in Kansas City. It will feature a 20-acre swath of amusement rides and attractions, hotels, restaurants, amphitheater, and marina. A few hours to the south, the Bran son suburb of Hollister will soon be home to another $300 million resort development. Imagine Resorts Hollis ter, now slated to open in 2024, will boast a 100,000-square-foot indoor themed waterpark, 450 guest rooms and cabins, half a dozen restaurants, retail, and convention space, generating de mand for 450 workers. We haven’t even begun to explore the huge range of dining options across the state or the number of high-end re sorts and hotels that cater to the execu tive class. Or the camping attractions, hiking and biking trails (the cross-state Katy Trail being a premier example), cave exploration possibilities, hunting, or even winter skiing possibilities. So if you’re coming to enjoy Mis souri, take our advice: Clear your calendar. It will fill up in a hurry.

WILD & WONDERFUL | When it opened in 2017, the two-track Wonders of Wildlife Museum in Springfield immediately became one of the busiest tourist attractions in the nation.

SHORELINE SIZZLE | Now in the works: Oasis at Lakeport, a $350 million development that will further transform the face of hospitality and entertainment at the Lake of the Ozarks.

NATURAL WONDER | The Lily Pad room at Onandaga Cave is one of the state’s premier examples of nature’s artistic abilities.

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DestinationMissouri.com

Missouri’s Business Media

2023