What would it take to bring Mud Island back to life? A Memphis City Council committee took up that question in August, and most of the ideas were bigger attractions. In Action News 5's account of the meeting, Councilwoman Jana Swearengen-Washington said she hoped the city and its partners could "finally be able to get our Ferris Wheel over there at Mud Island," because "we just really want to bring it back to life." Councilman Edmund Ford Sr. backed the idea and added a carousel.
The year's record points somewhere else. Visitors already came. Mud Island's harder question in 2026 is how much use its structures can take, and the two ends of the island have now answered it very differently. Harbor Town sits between them.
The South End Filled Up Faster Than Its Building Could Handle
Baron Von Opperbean and the River of Time, the immersive attraction known as BVO, opened its first phase on May 1 inside the former River Museum at Mud Island River Park. The Daily Memphian reported 10,283 ticketed visitors from May 1 to July 31, an average visit of more than an hour, and $220,548 in gross sales over that stretch. Foot traffic in the River Park rose more than 400% from the same period a year earlier. Action News 5 reported that those first 90 days brought visitors from 44 states and 10 countries.
The building did not keep up. Over the same 90 days the facility went without working HVAC on 56 days, went 13 days without plumbing, and had one working escalator, according to the same Action News 5 report. Those are the conditions of a summer in Memphis inside a structure the operator calls 50 years old.
BVO CEO Jee Vahn-Knight told the council the city needs "clarity on exactly what is needed to take this 50-year-old asset and make it be an asset for the next 50 years forensically." BVO creator Christopher Reyes said maintenance had been reactive: "a lot of things are happening, and they get taken care of, but it's all reactive, and we're looking to see something more than that." The council members welcomed the turnout. Councilman Dr. Jeff Warren said he was "tickled pink," adding, "I had no idea you guys were going to be this successful!"
BVO's requests to the council were practical ones: a broader city investment in the facility, more signage, and a second look at charging for parking on the island. An August guide from Hey Memphis listed on-island parking at $3.50 an hour. At the time of the meeting, the council was still waiting on a new riverfront master redevelopment plan, with no date set for its presentation.
The attraction's own plans make clear how much of the building is still unused. BVO describes its open first phase as 8,000 square feet within a planned 33,000-square-foot experience. The presentation BVO gave the City Council lists Phase 2 as a 10,000-square-foot build backed by a $2 million fundraising goal, with $0 raised as of that deck. The next phase will go into the same structure that ran without air conditioning for most of the summer.
The North End Got Its Repairs First, and Fast
About a mile and a half up the island, the city took the opposite order. It built first and expects the traffic to follow.
The City of Memphis and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers broke ground on the Greenbelt Landing expansion at Greenbelt Park on March 30. The ribbon cutting was held October 28, and The Waterways Journal reported that it marked substantial completion of the $6 million project at the north end of Mud Island. The work repaired the existing boat ramp, added a new ramp upstream, installed mooring features for larger river cruise vessels and docking space for passenger vessels, upgraded the parking areas, and added lighting. Funding came from $3 million in Community Directed funding secured by U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, matched by $3 million from the city.
Col. John Morrow, commander of the Corps' Memphis District, told FOX13 that the project took less than seven months from groundbreaking to completion. He described it as unusual work for the Corps. "Typically the Corps will work on things that protect people, but this is giving access to people," he said. FOX13 also reported that the expanded ramp lets more cruise liners, including Viking's, use the landing. Mayor Paul Young framed it as economic development that would bring tourists to "our small businesses, our restaurants and retailers." Kate Hackett, director of development for the Memphis River Parks Partnership, also spoke at the ceremony.
The setting is older than most residents might assume. Greenbelt Park covers about 102 acres at river Mile 738. It was built in the late 1960s on and beside the Loosahatchie-Memphis Revetment, which the Corps calls a critical part of the Mississippi River and Tributaries system.
Two Ends, Side by Side
| Greenbelt Landing, north end | Former River Museum, south end | |
|---|---|---|
| What changed in 2026 | Ramp repair, new upstream ramp, cruise mooring, parking and lighting upgrades | BVO Phase 1 opened May 1 in an 8,000-square-foot section |
| Who paid | $3M federal, $3M city | Phase 2's $2M goal had $0 raised in the August council deck |
| Timeline | Groundbreaking March 30, ribbon cutting Oct. 28 | Facility assessment requested in August, with no master plan date set then |
| Where it stands | Substantially complete | First phase open; the operator wants long-term fixes to the building |
The north end had a clear owner, matched money, and a construction calendar, and it finished. The south end has already proved its draw, but it depends on a decision about a building the city has not yet scheduled. That gap will shape what the island looks like by next summer more than any Ferris wheel.
What This Means for a Winter Walk From Harbor Town
For neighbors heading out on foot or by bike, the changes show up differently at each end.
- Greenbelt Park's lots. According to the Memphis River Parks Partnership's Greenbelt page, the south and central lots open daily from 6 a.m. until 30 minutes after sunset, and the north lot is listed as closed for renovations. Each lot has an Explore Bike Share station.
- Upper and Lower Greenbelt. The paved path runs through Upper Greenbelt Park on the east side. Lower Greenbelt is a natural floodplain that is usually under water from late winter into early spring, so its unpaved trails are best walked before that.
- Mud Island River Park hours. The partnership's Mud Island page lists the park as open daily, with November through February hours of 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. It names BVO and Mahogany River Terrace among the island's attractions.
- Planning a BVO visit with guests. BVO's directions page says the attraction is closed Tuesdays and admits walk-ups only as space allows. Its booking page shows time slots from 10 a.m. through 6:30 p.m., with some morning times set aside for groups that call ahead.
Harbor Town Square Is Growing in Small Spaces
Between the two ends, the neighborhood's own main street is changing at a much smaller scale. In June, the Commercial Appeal reported that Ethnos Coffee Roasters, a Memphis roaster owned by Tina Tatum, planned an 800-square-foot shop at 114 Harbor Town Square next to Cordelia's Market. Tatum applied for a $30,000 exterior-improvement grant for the space. Downtown Memphis reported that the grant was approved and that the shop was aiming for a fall opening. On the same square, Paulette's brought in executive chef Guy Sockrider in January and updated its signature dishes.
An 800-square-foot coffee shop and a $6 million cruise landing are very different projects, but both started with work on the physical space: an approved grant for a storefront at 114 Harbor Town Square, and a new upstream ramp at Greenbelt Landing.
If you are weighing what Mud Island's next chapter means for a Harbor Town home you own or are thinking about, Myers Cobb Realtors follows the riverfront closely, from Greenbelt Landing to the River Park, and we are glad to talk it through with you. Work With Us.
