mud island river park

PetePope1

This park, home of the famed WW2 B-17 bomber, the Memphis Belle has a great museum full of interesting displays and exhibits including one that looks like the front of a Civil War ironclad steamer. Very inventive design.

jennifergJ8565JN

If you want a departure from the expensive touristy options and enjoy spending time outdoors with your family, take the time to visit Mud Island when it is warm enough to take your shoes off! The main park area is free. They have an INCREDIBLE scale replica of the entire Mississippi River that the kids will love to walk through and get their feet wet in. It is very educational and quite impressive. Bring a picnic lunch and enjoy the river views under a tree, too. Although we have never used them, they have paddle boats ($5) during the warm months and concessions, as well. There is a fun little play area for the younger kids and a monorail (costs $4) that you can take. There is an actual River Museum there, as well, but I have never been. Mud Island is a Memphis treasure. It's a must.** I highly recommend your little ones bring water shoes/crocs for the Mississippi River replica area. It is not a smooth surface and can be rough on the feet. Many kids wear swimsuits in the warmer months. There are restrooms to change in, as well.

Lovesouthernfood

Educational, frugal family spot if you like the outdoors. There is an admission to the museum, monorail, and paddle boats, but admission to the park is free. There are three ways to Mud Island: monorail, breezeway, or you can choose to drive over to Harbor Town and enter. Sometimes we choose to drive if we want to carry a cooler with lunch. On a leisurely summer day, my family and I like to carry a light backpack with a snack, sunscreen, and our favorite beverage and hike to Mud Island on top of the breezeway above the monorail bridge. Once we arrive to the park we take off our shoes and stick our toes in the cool Mississippi River scale model and count our way to the end.

joeyt845

To be fair, we didn't know what to expect from the River Park. As downtown residents, it seemed a shame to never visit a nearby park so we made the trip. We were not disappointed! The park houses a scaled replica of the Mississippi River beginning from its tributaries, passing to scale towns, and ending in New Orleans and the gulf. Pretty fun to walk around the flowing water scale model!

alaska7133

Very cool walk along the river walk. It is so nicely done. You can really envision the character of the river as you walk along. You do have to pay to take the tram over to the island. Although you could walk, it would be a long walk.

Olly_Mayhew

For anyone who finds themselves in Memphis with an hour to spend and an empty wallet/purse make sure you go to Mud Island. The place was practically deserted when we went so we had entire Mississippi River to ourselves (well a model of it). You can take your shoes off and wade through the model which is great for kids or adults like myself who want to act like kids. There is a museum in the building which has a fee. We didn't go into this so I can't comment on it. Great fun though and would highly recommend coming here.

731CB

walk across the bridge -- or wait for the trolley/bus. It is an easy walk and the views are great. And, if you get tired or too hot, ride back.

Seniordad

Many people recommended this, for the visitor center and the museum. Unfortunately it's only open April - October. In Minnesota our museums are open year round. Ok, have to respect the decisions of people in Memphis. But I wish it was open at least part of the day year round. Memphis has a LOT of visitors would would enjoy this.

67emilt

This is one of the best River museums I have ever seen. It tells an intriguing history of the Mississippi River

90gigig

We have been to Mud Island many times. They NEVER disappoint!!We REALLY enjoy the "river trail" (whatever they actually call it escapes me now!). That they actually add and remove water so you can see the way the river is running and all the islands and delta regions id frankly amazing!We have seen the Memphis Belle- talk about getting good bumps! That piece of flying history will make you really feel the emotion of WWII!

sshannon

Well, I was looking forward to checking Mud Island out, but it is closed November to April. It was beautiful on Saturday, but apparently Memphis didn't need the revenue.

yaflincoln

This is worth a visit if you are in the area for a week or so - would not make it a priority if you are on a tight schedule. Can not give it an average rating since I have never seen anything like this in other cities. That being said, You gain access via a monorail that runs parallel to the bridge. Once you arrive you take the stairs ( or elevator) that lead you to a well manicured walkway around a full-scale model of the path taken by the Mississippi River. It is interesting to read descriptions and informational signs as you walk along its path. There are areas where you could have a picnic or just sit and enjoy the cool breeze coming off the water. It is a picturesque area and the fountains at the end provide a nice backdrop for photos of the city. We did not go into the museum so I can't address it's value but the trip over was worth the cost of the monorail ticket....

273nw

Bring your dog (on a leash) and take a stroll through the Mud Island River Park. We enjoyed a picnic on a nice fall day watching the riverboats and barges power up and down the Mississippi river. This is a little slice of beauty and peace in a bustling city.

DAVIDAB2202

take away the monorail journey and all you are left with is a very dilapidated "attraction"?? which is in need of a major makeover and much renovation work

696pattyc

Absolutely amazing to see the path of the MIssissippi built into the Riverwalk. Fabulous place to spend a hot afternoon as the "River and Gulf" are actually wading areas. The musuem was very average, not really worth the price of the entrance fee. Monorail ride over had nice views.