Memphis, explained
Access Memphis Editorial Team 
The Wolf River Greenway is a paved, multi-use trail being built in phases along the Wolf River in Memphis and Shelby County, for walking, running and cycling. It is led by the Wolf River Conservancy, a nonprofit river-protection group, working with the City of Memphis and Shelby County government. When finished, it is meant to … Read more
Martyrs Park is a small public park on the bluff above the Mississippi River in downtown Memphis, and it is a memorial to the victims of the yellow fever epidemics that struck the city in the 1870s — above all the outbreak of 1878, which killed thousands of residents and drove most of the rest … Read more
Big River Crossing is a lighted pedestrian and bicycle path carried on the south truss of the Harahan Bridge, running across the Mississippi River between downtown Memphis and West Memphis, Arkansas. The crossing itself is close to a mile long one way; walking it out and back, without detours on either bank, runs to roughly … Read more
The Memphis Botanic Garden is a public garden in East Memphis made up of more than two dozen themed plantings — a Japanese garden, an iris garden, a rose garden, a children’s garden and several others — spread across land inside the city’s Audubon Park. It is run by a nonprofit, not a city department, … Read more
The Memphis Zoo is a 70-plus-acre zoological park inside Overton Park in Midtown Memphis, accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) and operated as a nonprofit by the Memphis Zoological Society. It opened in 1906 and holds several thousand animals across curated exhibit areas built around geography rather than a single theme. Where … Read more
Overton Park stopped an interstate because a local citizens’ group sued the federal government, and in 1971 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Secretary of Transportation had never properly justified routing Interstate 40 through it. The highway was never built there. I-40 was rerouted around Memphis instead, and the park stayed whole. What was … Read more
What is Overton Park? Overton Park is a 342-acre municipal park in Midtown Memphis, laid out in 1901 as part of the city’s original park system plan. It holds the Memphis Zoo, the Overton Park Shell music venue, the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, a public golf course, and — at its core — the … Read more
Shelby Farms Park is a large public park in unincorporated Shelby County, east of Midtown Memphis, built on land that was formerly a county penal farm. It is owned by Shelby County government rather than the City of Memphis, and it is managed day to day by a nonprofit conservancy under a public-private agreement. What … Read more
Mud Island River Park is a city park on a narrow island in the Mississippi River, just off the north end of downtown Memphis. It opened in 1982 and was built around a single centrepiece: a large outdoor scale model of the lower Mississippi River, laid out so a visitor can walk its full length, … Read more
A slugburger is a deep-fried patty of ground meat stretched with a cheap grain filler — historically soy grit or flour — served on a bun with mustard, pickle and onion. It did not originate in Memphis. Its home is northeast Mississippi, particularly the town of Corinth, about 90 miles east of the city. What … Read more
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