RIVER FALLS MALL BASS PRO SHOPS CLARKSVILLE INDIANA

When I visited this Bass Pro shops I was not expecting to be inside a former mall. In fact at the time of my visit I didn't even realize it was a former mall. But now looking back I can see how it was a mall. This is the story of the River Falls Mall and the Bass Pro Shops that occupies it today. This episode was filmed with help from Griffin who you see in many of my videos.
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[@sparkyfolf9487]

Malls like River Falls was one of those era's where malls actually looked good and colorful and had stuff to do other than shopping, now those are a thing of the past as modern malls are just black & white in color and nothing to do exept shop or sit down. Bass pro shops here looks really good inside and has stuff to do.

[@Viper4382]

Get your bait shop out of my mall!

[@TiltedTripodMedia]

Ummmmm ok? If your meaning you’d rather the mall come back then yes I wish it would but that’s a laughable fantasy

[@willcartoons]

As much as I hated seeing River Falls Mall go away, the Bass Pro really did impress me! That place is really cool.

[@jonathanrogers6720]

I like Bass pro but I really miss the River Falls Mall. It was awesome!!

[@TiltedTripodMedia]

Yeah I never got to see the mall😞

[@jessealbertson8187]

Dude nobody goes here even with it as a bass pro #90sisking

[@TiltedTripodMedia]

Yeah I know because everyone remembers what it was and wants it back.

[@user-vi4xy1jw7e]

Love that you added the old footage from the 90s. A mall by me had separate Dillard's for men/infants and women, like you mentioned. They later built a new anchor location, so it could all be consolidated.

[@TiltedTripodMedia]

Thanks

[@Stitch_150]

The 3rd level is always closed off to my knowledge

[@TiltedTripodMedia]

I figured at some point they permanently closed it off probably around Covid but idk

[@Stitch_150]

@@TiltedTripodMedia It was like that even before Covid. I think it’s like a storage area

[@TiltedTripodMedia]

@@Stitch_150 in my research it said that there was a restaurant on the 3rd floor and showed a photo

[@Stitch_150]

@@TiltedTripodMedia idk every time I’ve been it has been closed off. I’m also only talking about when it was a bass pro and not the mall.

[@TiltedTripodMedia]

@@Stitch_150 yes me too my research shows it was a restaurant during the bass pro store. I’ll try and see if I can find a link to send you

[@mariebelladonna437]

Used to get my son's picture with Santa done at this Bass Pro every year, lol. I remember the old mall, too. I'd LOVE to see an urbex of the remnants, behind the scenes!!

[@TiltedTripodMedia]

@@mariebelladonna437 if I can ever find a way into the old mall legally I will absolutely make a video.

[@mariebelladonna437]

@@TiltedTripodMedia that would be amazing! I was born and raised in Louisville, been living in Southern Indiana for about 25 years. So I went to River Falls, more than once, and I definitely remember it. But I've always wondered what was left of it, and the old Bacon's, after Bass Pro took over.

[@JoshFost]

This was a spectacular mall. Bass Pro Shops bought most of it and setup business. It's was a huge disservice to the community. Good stores were gone immediately, and Bass Pro Shops has the most unqualified, most rude staff of any store we've been to. It's a horrible company that hounds every shopper that walks thru to open credit accounts or buy specialty packages. If you need real help with buying anything, most the time you cannot find help. When you do, they don't know enbough and are almost always rude as hell. It's a shame for southern Indiana.

[@TiltedTripodMedia]

Interesting I’ve never had a bad experience at a bass pro shop although I normally go there just a document them and not the shop

[@TiltedTripodMedia]

Yeah, I really wish I could’ve seen the small before it was destroyed

[@psychedeliccarrie5921]

Oh wow they've hardly changed the structure, I can almost picture what it used to look like in my mind.

[@TiltedTripodMedia]

Wish I had seen the mall

[@KaBar41]

So, just to add my own commentary: 2:12 It is actually the third largest Bass Pro in the world. The first and second titles have fluctuated between Basecamp (the HQ in Missouri) and the Memphis Pyramid. But I believe with the recent addition of a new museum to Basecamp, Basecamp has once again overtaken the Pyramid in size. 2:40 The location Bass Pro is in was actually an amusement park/food court. The shooting gallery is actually where the mini train used to be. The third floor, where the old restaurant was before Corporate closed it, is not actually original to the building. That was added after Bass Pro got the contract for the building. They renovated the building and added the third floor. 3:10 Fun fact about that river. One time a bat got stuck in the building. As the managers were attempting to get it out, it flew into the river. Before the managers could scoop it up and out of the river with a net, the gar that calls the river home attacked and killed it, eating it. There also used to be another turtle in there, but it kept escaping and wandering around the store, so Bass Pro just let one of the associates take it home and put it in his personal pond. 5:48 Glad to see Chuck is still there. 6:20 It is literally just a laser gun arcade. "The Big Game" is just the fancy name Bass Pro gave it. Exactly as you said. There's different stations and each one is... I think is a quarter to play. Pro tip... don't climb in the jeep that is there... just trust... me don't. You can... but I don't suggest it. It also normally has water in it, but part of its routine maintenance involves it being drained, the money people throw in it collected and then the floors scrubbed before being being refilled. It usually takes a few days. Fun fact! At one point during my tenure there, one of the lights had been improperly secured, something had happened and the light fixture fell from the ceiling. Thankfully, I believe it happened at night, as no one had heard it and the General Manager only knew of it when I found the light on he ground, smashed. So no one was hurt. It is still the laser range, but I assume due to COVID, it is probably temporarily shut down. 6:55 Fun fact! That plane is original to the building. It used to be part of the River Falls Mall, when Bass Pro took over, they kept the plane and repainted its livery to its current one. 7:15 As I said in my other reply to you but repeated for anyone who may not see the reply. The restaruant was shut down due to bleeding money. It is currently used for storage and official company functions like Thanksgiving parties for the associates. 7:27 The shooting arcade is "The Big Game", the archery range is still operational, but you need to talk to the archery department to use it. The golf range kind of exists still, but its very small, located near the laser shooting range and is intended for kids. I think they used to have a slightly bigger one, but when Bass Pro stopped carrying golfing stuff, they largely got rid of it. The movie theater is in the same boat as the restaurant, used for storage. But it was some sort of weird, interactive Nascar movie theater. The Starbucks kiosk was shutdown and one of the managers I worked under actually used to the be the team lead for that kiosk before it shut down and she was able to transfer over to Bass Pro proper. And here is the ending fun fact... you can actually still access the old River Falls Mall from Bass Pro. All of the entrances are locked and alarmed, and some are only accessible through employee only areas, but Bass Pro Management does have the codes to disarm them and go into the mall proper. I have actually seen the corridor that connects Bass Pro to the rest of the mall when maintenance had to have it open for... well, maintenance. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask.

[@TiltedTripodMedia]

Thanks for the info

[@mariebelladonna437]

BRO I had no idea any of the old mall was left! Other than the old Bacon's/Dillard's. I'd give my right arm to see it!! If you're still out there, does Bass Pro use the old Bacon's for storage or anything, or is it just sitting there? I'd love to see that, too!! BTW, do you remember when the Bass Pro had the NASCAR simulators with the life-sized cars? Or maybe it was just like, the front of the cars, I'm not sure. But I rode it once or twice, it was awesome lol.

[@KaBar41]

@@mariebelladonna437 Haven't worked for them for a hot minute, but I should be able to answer the question. As far as the Bacon's/Dillards goes, no. I believe Bass Pro still has access to that section of the mall, as I remember on one of the last days for a manger who had been there for a while, they made an excuse to unlock the doors and venture into the normally non-accessible parts of the mall and if I understand the layout of the mall (I was born before it closed, but if I had ever gone there, I would have been incredibly young) the Dillards is the building connected to the back of the Bass Pro. I believe that area is actually used by the company that owns River Falls Mall for storage, as one of the managers brought back a parrot that I believe used to be part of the train ride as a trophy following their expedition into the mall. But again, like I said, they had to get Bass Pro's store manager to approve their expedition and they had to come up with a decent excuse as to why they unlocked those doors for corporate. That Dillards is, otherwise, inaccessible. Bass Pro just uses the restaurant and NASCAR theater for storage. "BTW, do you remember when the Bass Pro had the NASCAR simulators with the life-sized cars? Or maybe it was just like, the front of the cars, I'm not sure. But I rode it once or twice, it was awesome lol." Vaguely, but that was well before my hiring date. By the time I got hired on, the restaurant and theater had already been shuttered for a long while. We used it for storage of displays and shelving units. If you can gain access to the restaurant, you can actually look down into the old theater, but, if you get caught up there, you are definitely going to be seen by an associate and the managers will trespass you. It is very difficult to get up there without someone seeing you, because the staircases are completely open and the platform itself is very visible even from the second floor. In one of the backstock rooms as well, a portion of a wall that used to be part of a daycare is present as well. The animal characters the daycare painted are still on the walls.

[@AliceShinya]

what an interesting store lol they transformed it into something very nice

[@TiltedTripodMedia]

Yeah I think it’s a better use than an amazon wear house

[@savagemonster5781]

Aw man, I remember going to the river falls mall as a kid with family! I took off from my mom & grandma once inside the mall and security ended up finding me, my folks were terrified 😅😅 It use to be so much fun there! Wish I could take the kiddos myself but bass pro will do

[@TiltedTripodMedia]

Yeah it looked like it was the coolest mall in the Louisville area at one time.

[@Dramamine_Queen]

The forest area was an interactive shooting trail. Little red flashing dots indicated a target and when shot, would set off an animatronic. There were snakes, deer, and other animals that would make noises when shot. One of the targets shifted a bush that hid a band of monkeys playing the song “Last Train to Clarksville”…how ironic. One of the other targets activated a character that would swing through the trees imitating Tarzan. The river just outside of the forest was filled with water and many used it as a wishing well. Running water even made the water mill spin. It was my favorite part of the store, besides the fish tank. It’s so disheartening to see it abandoned and forgotten.

[@TiltedTripodMedia]

Wow that sounds amazing

[@DrasticFox2004]

*My most-memorable childhood place of visiting.* All of it is *nostalgically* beautiful to look at. 🥲🥲🥲

[@TiltedTripodMedia]

Glad you enjoyed it