Mud Island River Park
Mud Island, Memphis, TN, 38103
Located on the southern end of Mud Island—which is actually a peninsula between the Mississippi River and Wolf River Harbor—Mud Island River Park is a gathering place that is home to a museum, an amphitheater, water features, and outdoor spaces perfect for picnicking and admiring views of the river and the Memphis skyline.
The Basics
Mud Island River Park’s main attraction is the Riverwalk, a scale model of the lower Mississippi River that takes you through the different states, from Illinois down to Louisiana. If you want to learn even more about the river, you can also visit the Mississippi River Museum. Music lovers will want to check out the shows at the park’s amphitheater, a 5,000-seat venue that is open seasonally.
Things to Know Before You Go
The park is free to enter, but you must pay to visit the museum and to enjoy some of the musical events held here.
You may bring your own food and drinks, but alcoholic beverages are not permitted in the park.
The park is wheelchair- and stroller-friendly, but the park’s Skybridge pedestrian walkway includes stairs.
How to Get There
The park is a 1- to 1.5-mile (1.6- to 2.4-kilometer) walk from downtown Memphis via the Skybridge pedestrian walkway. If you prefer to drive, you can reach the island by taking A.W. Willis Avenue to Island Drive. Bike-share stations are located on both sides of the bridge, and you can even kayak or take a stand-up paddleboard across the harbor from River Garden.
When to Get There
The park is open from dawn to dusk. The Mississippi River Museum is open Thursday–Sunday from April to October. Summer is the most popular time to visit the park because of the site’s free concert series and outdoor activities.
Mississippi River Museum
This small museum with 18 galleries explores 10,000 years of culture in the Mississippi River valley. Exhibits cover everything from the area’s native peoples to early settlement by Europeans to the Civil War, which takes up five galleries on its own. You can also learn about transportation on the river and the showboat industry and see a replica of a steamboat.
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