Thursday, September 05, 2013

Mud Island River Park


The Daughter and I spent the day downtown at the Mud Island River Park. I remember Mud Island from way back when there was nothing there. It's completely developed now. One of this park's main attractions is the River Walk, which is a scale model of the Lower Mississippi River from its confluence with the Ohio River to the Gulf of Mexico. It has markers describing historical events and noting specific cities. You can wade in it if you like, although we didn't get in the water that day.

The walk begins here:


and meanders down through the country:


Here are some pictures of the Memphis marker where you can see the Big Muddy in the background:


The walk ends at the "Head of Passes" and the Gulf of Mexico:


We had lunch at a little table by the River Walk, which turned out to be a great place to people watch. I saw all ages of people and heard 3 different languages not including English.


We also toured the museum, which costs $10 for adults and includes a ticket to ride the monorail. Here's the entrance to the museum from the river walk:


Flash photography is prohibited inside the museum and it was too dark in there for me to get pictures any other way. They have photos at their web site showing the exhibits.

We didn't ride the monorail, which runs underneath the pedestrian walkway:


because we liked the walkway so much. Here's the view from up there:


We thoroughly enjoyed this outing. The River Walk itself is free and is a delightful way to spend a day.

"The Mississippi River touches a lot of people."

6 comments:

  1. I saw Mud Island on my sidebar and nearly jumped out of my chair. I don't remember the walk being free. When I went, you paid for the entire "experience": the monorail, the River Walk, and the museum. And I got LOTS of photos in the museum, but I didn't own a digital camera back then, either. I could set the aperture or F-stop for much better shots than anything I get with digital.

    Of course, I also remember taking hundreds (YES, hundreds) of photos of the river. I remember getting shots of Memphis similar to the one you showed. I remember standing on the bridge and seeing the depth of the river at each turn and twist.

    What I DON'T remember is the first photo. I'm thinking that must be new since I was there. Even the fountains look the same.

    Bless you for sharing this and bringing it all back to life for me.

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    1. i'm so glad you liked this :) yes, the park wasn't free to start with. that has changed so that now it only costs if you want to ride the monorail or tour the museum. it had been so long since i last went that i honestly don't remember what was new since then.

      again, i'm so happy this brought back fond memories. :)

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  2. How interesting. I enjoy parks with educational features. What a beautiful shot of the river.

    Darla

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    1. the scale model concept is fascinating. it's a great way to see the big picture of the river.

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  3. Wow, what an interesting place! And I love those views of the river and the city. The bridge is beautiful. You are making me keener and keener to visit some day.

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    1. this is an interesting park. this only makes the 2nd time i've been, but it makes for a fun outing :) the view is very nice from that walkway.

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