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Mud Island River Park
125 North Front Street
Memphis, TN 38103
901-576-7241
Open from April through October 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed Mondays.

The riverwalk is one of our family’s favorite urban attractions. The five-block miniaturized lower Mississippi was one of the first tourist attractions we visited when we first moved here. It is impressive — in that it is educational and fun. I’ve been to dozens of museums and cultural attractions across the United States and this was one of the few that made sense.

The riverwalk is accessible by a bridge (which is free) or by the monorail, which costs $4. Children are free (up to age 4). It is a 1/4 mile walk across, which in the early spring and fall is wonderful, but in the heat of summer can be killer. Even though I hate paying the $4 to take the monorail, I usually cave. My kidlets enjoy riding high and looking down. It runs about every 15 minutes, so you may end up waiting on one end or the other.

There are other components to the Mud Island complex, including the Mississippi River Museum, a guided river walk tour, as well as canoe, kayak, bike and pedal boat rental, and the amphitheater. The museum is fun (I took my brother through using a buy one get one free coupon from the Entertainment book). It is perfect for school trips and older children, but not very engaging for toddlers. The paddle boat replica was about the only thing they enjoyed.

I keep waiting for the right concert to come along to attend at the amphitheater, but nothing has interested me so far. It seems like a terrific venue, but I can’t say how it would be in an actual concert.

The riverwalk itself is super enjoyable. Just after hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, we went back and the layout gave us a very clear picture of where the flooding happened and why it happened. It was educational and sobering.

Bring an extra set of dry clothing (or plan ahead and dress your kidlets in their swimwear). You may start out thinking, they’ll just dangle their feet, but in no time everyone will be soaked. I’ve also seen children enjoy bringing their own boats and floating them down the river. Make sure they keep their shoes on. The grading is to scale and makes for a few rough edges. We haven’t had any cuts, but a few scrapes show up everytime we visit.

This being Memphis, there is room for improvement. The staff needs to do a better job of keeping debris out of the river (apples, candy wrappers, straws, leaves, etc.) and there are areas — especially near the end that need repair and cleaning.

I’ve also been deeply disappointed by the restaurant options. It seems like a perfect location for a good sandwich shop or for one of the more established restaurants to run a seasonal version on-site. Instead there are two very sad cafeteria-like eating options that are often closed. The setting also seems perfect for a date-type restaurant, but that may be prevented by the early closure time.

I’d love to know what this park was like when it first opened. I heard a rumor that the Gulf of Mexico used to be an actual swimming pool. Any long time Memphians want to confirm that? Right now you can rent paddle boats and leisurely drift around the enclosure. But swimming …. that would be incredible.