Mud Island River Park
Mud Island River Park is a five-block, 52-acre park that is home to both the Mississippi River Museum and River Walk. This small-scale replica of the river from Cairo, Illinois, to New Orleans, Louisiana, matches every mile of the river with 30 feet. Guests can take a stroll or bike down the walk, or get active on the pedal boats or canoes in the water.
The Mississippi River Museum shares the long and detailed history of the Mississippi River through exhibits and interactive displays. Guests can explore the exhibits in areas including the First People Gallery, which presents a history of the Mississippi River's origins through tools, pottery, military equipment, silverware and other artifacts. Guests will also enjoy visiting the Riverfolk Gallery, where photographs, costumes and other memorabilia detail the characters of the river's past such as Mark Twain, showboat performers and riverboat gamblers.
To take a walk through many of the river's less prosperous times, guests can visit the Theater of Disasters. Here, audio-visual presentations to re-tell river disasters such as the great earthquake of 1811, the yellow fever and assorted steamboat disasters.
Mud Island River Park has spaces available for private events that boast great views of the water. Mud Island River Park and its attractions are open daily, April 12 to May 23, from 10 AM to 5 PM; daily, May 24 to September 1, from 10 AM to 6 PM; daily, September 2 to October 31, from 10 AM to 5 PM. General admission to Mud Island River Park is free. Admission to the Mississippi River Museum, which includes a guided tour of the River Walk and trip on the one-third-mile-long Monorail track, is $5 for children ages 5-11, $8 for adults and $6 for seniors ages 60 and older. For more information: 615-889-1000
