Mud Island Park — Attraction in Memphis

A historically great park that has fallen into a tragic state of disrepair due to Memphis’ misplaced priorities. The story goes that after funding the construction of Tom Lee Park on the riverfront, the city neglected Mud Island and let it crumble.

Two people were shooting up in the stairwells leading to the walkway to cross the river and there are quite a few characters hanging around - not the best first impression. The monorail that used to be operational is now graffiti-ed over and looks like it hasn’t moved in years. The Mississippi River model is dried up and only fills up after a rain. (And I can only assume it makes a terrible breeding ground for mosquitoes come summer.)

To boot the Museum and gift shop are closed, there are no operational restrooms, escalators do not work, and the amphitheater that used to host concerts here has also fallen out of use. Signs posted up around the park say they are remodeling but it’s hard to see them fixing everything that’s wrong with the park today.

For those of us who have childhood memories of this place, it’s sad what Mud Island has come to. A lesson for struggling southern cities - instead of chasing newness, invest in and maintain your existing assets. Especially if you don’t have the...

We stopped by here on a recent trip to Memphis because we remembered seeing this park in the old movie The Firm and wanted to check it out. It was completely deserted. The escalator was turned off. The museum was closed. There was no one there but one or two other people who were walking around. They do have a pretty cool relief Scale model of the Mississippi river. It stretches a half mile and you can walk down and walk back. It represents the length of the Mississippi in scale. There’s also a pretty cool view of the Mississippi river if you climb the broken escalator or ride in the hot and steamy elevator. We did see some barges being pushed up the Mississippi with a tugboat, and that was very interesting. Other than that, there was nothing going on there. The monorail car was not working, but you could walk on the pedestrian bridge that goes back to the mainland. It was sad and lonely. Someone is maintaining the grass and it was kept nice and it was very peaceful, but it’s not good that that park is not being used for what it was intended. There was a sign up that there was some construction going on But I’m not sure what was going on and how that was going to fix anything. And to add insult to injury we had to pay almost $5 for an...

GOOD: With five-year abandoned infrastructure as of this writing, this still-open-for-business park provides a legal way to visit a wasteland that is usually off limits. In shorts, it’s an abandoned, urban explorer’s dream. An abandoned, large scale amphitheater is a highlight. A well maintained “Memphis” sign is a highlight. A in-the-ground, foot level, carved-in-concrete, mini replica of the Mississippi River is a highlight. Visitors can walk along length of the river, stepping across embedded street maps replicating each city along the river, complete with informational signs. An abandoned monorail, with abandoned trains, is a highlight. If walking or running, the concrete trails are clean and clear. It’s a great place to log some miles. Huge lawns offer great places for outdoor games. ——- CAUTIONS: Restrooms may not be available. No playgrounds (that I could find). The park is desolate. What makes the place great for apocalyptic vibes, could cause it to be unsafe. At no point did I feel unsafe, but, as always, do pay attention to your surroundings, and probably a good idea not to visit alone or at night. My high rating based on urban exploration and not traditional...