Mud Island River Park and Museum represent the fascinating history of the lower Mississippi River valley. A thousand miles of the lower Mississippi from Cairo, Illinois to New Orleans and finally to the Gulf of Mexico, where the river empties, is replicated in a section of the park called the Riverwalk. Built at the scale of 30 inches to a mile, the replica spans 2,000 feet of riverfront space where every sandbar, oxbow, and topographic contour is carefully reproduced in cement. The river itself is a little stream that flows quietly south past minimalist cities and bridges rendered in steel. The attraction also includes historical information as well as details on its impressive engineering. Major cities and small towns located are marked in the scale model, and panels explain history and facts about the river. The water drains to an acre-wide representation of the Gulf of Mexico. An average of 1.2 million gallons of water flows through the model every day.
The plethora of creative features include twenty cities which are mapped along the Riverwalk, concrete wedges locate the main water flowing into the Mississippi or show engineering structures such as floodways. There are four watershed walls which map the entire drainage area of the Mississippi River. The Riverwalk is one of the most unique representations of the Mississippi River in the world. Along your journey, you’ll revisit yesteryears events and learn about geographical transformations. After the conclusion of the “1,000” mile journey, you can enjoy a (optional but recommended) leisurely pedal boat ride around the Gulf area, with the Memphis skyline in the background. This amazing Memphis amusement will reopen for you on April 9th!
