The guide was new to giving the tour. She told the children a little about each department. I would have liked more detail with explanation of why they choose to display certain products, but the age range for the trip was quite large. The younger ones would not have been very interested in the detail.
She pointed out the large, local, State Park maps on the walls near the camping department. She asked the children if they had camped and if they had ever been to one of the State Parks on the wall.
We made our way to the shoe department and she pointed out the different animals on display. The children all loved this part. Looking at large creatures always draws interests. She explained that the store had over 200 animals in it that were taxidermed and that almost all were local.
We learned about the fishing department and the rods and reels. She explained how different rods and reels were needed depending on the type of fishing one would be doing. Little Man listened quite intently. There was a fly fishing demonstration, next. He wants badly to learn to fly fish and loved every minute of the demonstration. We then looked at different types of fly fishing lures. They had a large variety in the store.
Off to the aquarium, we went! The children were ecstatic about this feature and the 'mountain' area. We got lucky to have the person that takes care of the aquariums to be there and explain how the fish are cared for in each aquarium. We learned that the trout aquarium is maintained at 55 degrees and they are fed pellet food. The warm water aquarium is maintained around 70 degrees and the fish in it are fed live food. In the winter they drop the temperature in the warm aquarium to simulate typical change in the environment for the fish. The children were delighted to watch the fish being fed. It was quite exciting to see the warm water fish eating the minnows and shad.
We learned about different types of animal calls in the hunting department. They had an electronic call that played a variety of different animal sounds. The children were able to try out the turkey call, antlers, elk call, and a duck call.
The guide took us to the Gun Library and the children were able to see all types of guns on display. The boys loved this and all found a gun they liked. We learned how the guns were obtained for the Gun Library and a bit of history on a few of the guns.
We then made our way to the clothing department and saw a new type of camouflage that changes colors with the outdoor temperature. This intrigued Little Man and he made sure to tell his granddad and dad later that evening.
Finally, to the archery department. They were looking forward to this. Everyone was able to shoot a bow and arrow at a deer target.
Overall, we had a good time learning about the various departments in the store. Maybe, I can set up another tour and have them teach the children more about the retail side of the business.
