A complete model of the Mississippi River would be space-prohibitive, so the model is just of the lower half of the river. It's made of  1,746 pre-cast concrete panels that each weigh eight and a half tons. The best part? You can totally play Godzilla and take off your shoes to walk in it. Just be careful - some of those concrete plates can be sharp.

The River Walk ends at New Orleans into Lake Pontchartrain (which, unlike the real thing, has a giant fountain in the middle of it) and the Gulf of Mexico, which is a huge 3 ft. deep pool.

When it's warm out, you can sometimes rent a paddle boat and paddle around the gulf and check out the Memphis skyline—check online for availability.

How To Get To Mud Island River Park

- Walk across the Skybridge. 
Enter through the parking lot at Front and Poplar. It's about a half-mile to the park, and that includes stairs. 

- Ride a bike or scooter.
Grab one of the ubiquitous scooters or rent an Explore Bike Share bike to get across—there are stations on both sides of the Skybridge.

- Kayak across the harbor. 
Go to the River Garden and rent a kayak or paddleboard to paddle across the calm harbor waters. This is only available seasonally from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. It's $20 per person and you don't need reservations.

- Drive and walk. 
You can park in the paid North Lot via the A.W. Willis Bridge. This is the best option if you have a stroller or use a wheelchair.

The Giant MEMPHIS Sign at Mud Island

If you keep walking past the "Gulf" you'll get to the big MEMPHIS sign that was installed in honor of Memphis's bicentennial in 2019. It's a favorite of Instagrammers and photographers.