Itap hard to know where to look when you first walk into Loveland’s new Bass Pro Shops.
A mountain lion stalks the branches of a towering ponderosa pine. Large murals and oversized vintage photographs cover entire walls, depicting Colorado landscapes where elk bugle, trout leap and hunters and anglers show off their trophies.
Around nearly every corner, another scene blurs the line between sporting goods store and outdoor museum.
Thatap exactly the experience Bass Pro Shops hopes to create when its 130,000-square-foot Loveland store opens to the public Wednesday at 5945 Bass Pro Drive.
“We’re excited for our customers,” general manager Ian Ebersole said during a media preview Monday. “When you walk into a Bass Pro, people never make it more than 20 feet. They walk in the front door and everybody stops and looks around. Itap just so amazing.”
The Loveland location is Bass Pro Shops’ sixth Colorado store, including the company’s three Cabela’s locations. Other Bass Pro Shops are in Denver and Colorado Springs.
Workers were scrambling Monday morning to put the finishing touches on displays throughout the sprawling building near Interstate 25 and Crossroads Boulevard, where shoppers will find everything from hunting rifles and fishing tackle to camping equipment, boats and clothing.
The décor, however, may be the biggest attraction.
According to Ebersole, every mural in the store was painted by hand and designed specifically around Colorado landscapes and wildlife. One stretching across the entire camping department depicts a nighttime fishing trip, while others near the store’s exit feature buffalo and bighorn sheep, as subtle nods to the mascots for Colorado State University and the University of Colorado.
The store’s most striking feature is a 3-dimensional recreation of Colorado’s iconic Crystal Mill rising above a 12,000-gallon aquarium that will house more than 100 fish, including a 70-pound blue catfish.
Water cascades from the mill into the aquarium before flowing through a 3,000-gallon trout stream that meanders through the store and back into the display, creating the illusion of a mountain stream running indoors.
“Every store has great features, but this one is unique to Loveland,” Ebersole said. “Nobody else has the aquarium set up with the stream coming off — itap a cool feature.”
Also unique to the Loveland location is a 60-yard electronic archery range, where customers can test bows by shooting at projected moving targets that react to each arrow.
“The live video could be an elk passing through timber, it could be a deer, or it could be something fun like a goblin,” Ebersole explained.
Even the youngest adventurers will get their own destination. The store includes a toy shop, and Ebersole hinted that an even bigger surprise is on the way: a dedicated “kids zone” thatap scheduled to open later this year.
“That will be a cool surprise for everybody,” he said.
The Loveland location is Bass Pro Shops’ sixth Colorado store, including the company’s three Cabela’s locations. Other Bass Pro Shops are in Denver and Colorado Springs.
Construction began in December 2024 after the to bring the retailer to the city. Under that agreement, Bass Pro Shops will retain two-thirds of the city sales tax generated at the store for 25 years, while the city agreed to waive or reduce certain development fees worth up to $800,000.
The grand opening celebration begins at 5 p.m. Wednesday with live music from country artist Celeste Kellogg. The ceremony starts at 6 p.m., followed by a ribbon cutting at 6:30 p.m. Visitors can also meet professional anglers Roland Martin, Jimmy Houston, Edwin Evers, Nate Zielinski and Kevin VanDam, pose for photos with the Denver apheerleaders and Miles the mascot, and view the Broncos’ three Super Bowl trophies.
As part of the company’s traditional “Evening for Conservation,” 15% of nearly all merchandise sales that night will be donated to a local conservation organization. For more information about the store or the event, visit .
