Mississippi Riverfront Parks Day Trip

**FREE - Everything on this adventure is FREE**
*Packed lunch plus gas*

Tennessee has these Self-Guided Driving Tour brochures...I think there are about 16 total...they have them for different parts of the state.  They map out a route and list things along the way, it is really neat. Most of them are several hundred miles and I don't usually have more than one day to work with so we split them up.

This day trip works for anyone within a few hours of Memphis, TN
(Examples: Jonesboro, AR; Little Rock, AR; Jackson, TN; Tupelo, MS)
For this adventure, we decided to do a portion of the Great River Road - Tennessee.

We started by packing our lunches and heading to Memphis...

First Stop: Riverside Drive Welcome Center - 119 N Riverside Drive (Page 2)

Here we used the restrooms, took our picture with the larger than life bronze Elvis, found a map and collected some tourism brochures that I love so much.

The Visitor's Center is open 7am to 1030pm

Than we headed out to...
Stop #2 Jefferson Davis Park - on the left side of the visitor's center parking lot if you are facing the river. (Page 2)
Nothing real exciting here...just a nice place for a picnic and a good view of the river.  They do have a 'learning path' that tells you a little about the Civil War and Memphis History.

Stop Three - Cobblestone Wharf - Between Jefferson Davis Park and the riverboat

Cobblestone Wharf

This doesn't seem to be listed in the tour guide, but you walk right over it going to the next spot so I asked about it and was told it was called Cobblestone Wharf...when I got home I did some "Googling" and found more information.

They used these chains to hold the boats ashore

I just liked this view

Stop Four - Tom Lee Park - 357 Riverside Drive (Page 2)

This is a really nice park...beautiful views of the river, ice cream trucks, bathrooms, a few statues, a walking path.
Despite his inability to swim, Tom Lee saved 32 people from drowning in the Mississippi River from a capsized steamer in 1925.

It was really hot out and everyone was sick of walking at this point, so we headed back to retrieve the car from the visitor's center.
Once back at the car, we decided it was lunch time so we grabbed our food and went across the street to...
Stop 5 - Confederate Park - Jefferson and Front St (Page 3)

Kaden trying to invade a squirrel's home

Stop 6 - Martyrs Park - Channel 3 Dr (Page 2)

This park is dedicated to the Memphians who risked their lives to stay in the city and tend to the sick and burying the dead during the yellow fever epidemic in 1878.  It has a cool looking sculpture and a beautiful view of the river.

On our way home we stopped at the Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park...
Park Hours are 7am to 10pm

but there was nothing there but trails and we were done walking for the day so we headed home.