“I’m a dreamer. I’m a visionary,” said Bob Harris, owner of Bobz World, where dramatic sights and sounds have sparked visitors’ imaginations for the past six years. “We have entertainment; we have fun; we have food; we have gifts,” Harris said. “I don’t know how else to describe it.”

Perhaps the Valley’s most unique adventure experience, Bobz World, is the three-acre complex located along Hwy 100 just east of Los Fresnos that combines Disney World–like attractions with an enormous shell shop. Numerous colossal dinosaurs, sharks, pink roller conchs, a King Kong–like gorilla and a volcano tower over visitors who enter the gift shop by walking through a shark’s jaws. The visceral thrill testifies to the owner’s fascination with natural history.

“God has given me tons of ideas. I’ve had these dreams for many, many years. If I told you all the dreams, you’d think I was crazy,” Harris said.

By the time Harris opened the original Seven Seas shell shop and Dino Deli in 2000—“in the middle of a cow pasture, with nothing around”—he was well on his way to owning the world’s largest wholesale seashell company. Today, his company, which includes three warehouses (in Tampa, Myrtle Beach, SC and San Benito), will soon include four others (Galveston, Panama City, Fort Lauderdale and Puerto Rico.) He also supplies large retail chains, such as Michaels, Pottery Barn and Hobby Lobby.

“You cannot go to a shopping center and not find our shell product,” Harris said. Countless shells of all sizes, colors and shapes fill the many bins and shelves in the Seven Seas gift shop, along with starfish, barnacles, sponges and other unique gifts made from seashells or other collectible sea creatures, like shell-framed mirrors or oyster wind chimes. His store also sells jewelry, beachwear and related items.

But Harris’s obsession is the adventure experiences he has designed. Currently, there are two of them, offering thirty-minute tours for ten dollars each. Bobz World, which opened in 2006, offers a whimsical mix of human history and natural history. Pirates, large sea creatures illuminated by black lighting, cowboys and Indians, Harris’ “infinity tunnel,” African tikis, an Egyptian crypt, dinosaur skeletons and scenes of Christ’s nativity and resurrection are just some of the exhibits drawing in customers of all ages.  Thrown into the mix are a tour guide, stirring adventure music and sound effects, and occasional animatronic.

For more of this story, pick up a copy of the January edition of Valley Business Report, on news stands now, or visit the “Current & Past Issues” tab on this Web site.