Congratulations to everyone at Johnny Morris’ National Museum & Aquarium on a wildly successful first year.

Since opening on Sept. 21, 2017, a whopping 1.6 million people have visited the attraction and new exhibits and activities have been added such as Penguin Cove and the Out to Sea Shark Dive.

As part of its one-year anniversary celebration, plans for a significant expansion and a 5,000-pound bronze black marlin were unveiled. The expansion will be a new exhibition hall that will be home to the Windland Smith Rice International Awards and its annual Nature’s Best Photography exhibition.

We wish continued success for this amazing attraction that has solidified Springfield’s position as a world-class city for tourism.