LIFE ON
THE RIVER
PLAYGROUND

WHERE: 
Tom Lee Park, Riverside Dr, Memphis, TN, United States - 2023

COLLABORATION: 
SCAPE Landscape Architecture

 

FIND ON GOOGLE MAPS

A signature park for all of Memphis - Tom Lee Park has been transformed to create a "unified network of public spaces reconnecting Memphians with the Mississippi".

A large part of the riverfront park is now an extensive play area portraying the wildlife of The Mississippi River designed and created by MONSTRUM.

Follow the meandering river path from the playful mother and baby otters past the wooden logs piled high next to the sturgeon and the caterpillar and up to the curious salamander surrounded by huge cypress trees. Full of opportunity for imaginative, active play, the play areas invite kids of all ages to climb, run, jump, balance, slide, and more in this fantastic playscape! The immersive experience is both informative and inspiring, connecting Memphians with the life of the river.

Kids playing on salamander playground structure

The salamander's stretched out its long tongue to catch bugs.

Girl sliding down slide from baby otter playground structure

Explore the baby otter and zoom down the slide.

Wooden sturgeon play structure at playground

Jump on over to check out the sturgeon.

View from above the big otter playground

MAKE FRIENDS WITH THE OTTER FAMILY

Kids playing on big otter playground structures

The huge tube slide from the cypress tree is a thrill!

Girl going up stairs into baby otter playground structure

The accessible steps lead up to the baby otter, where you can enjoy the slide down on the other side!

Kids climbing through steel mesh tunnel at playground

Climb through the skies from the mother otter to the towering cypress tree.

Close-up of wooden otter at playground

Admire the fine details of this cute little otter!

Aerial view of otters playground

                    DISCOVER THE CURIOUS CATERPILLAR AND THE SLICK STURGEON

Caterpillar playground structure

Slink along with the caterpillar, who is surrounded by an obstacle course of rope, trunks and leaves to climb and balance on.

Sturgeon fish playground structure

The sweet little sturgeon is fun to explore.

Light streaming into wooden fish playground structure

Check out the beautiful insides of the sturgeon and enjoy the light streaming in through the gaps in the wooden boards.

Kids playing on basket swing at riverfront playground at Tom Lee Park

A swing with a view to the Mississippi River.

Aerial view of caterpillar and fish play structures

       EXPLORE THE FRIENDLY SALAMANDER AND CYPRESS TREES

Kids playing on salamander playground structure

Climb and balance on top of the friendly salamander and explore inside it. 

Girl jumping off the top of salamander playground structure

Watch out for that cheeky tongue!

Kids walking across bridge between wooden tree playground elements

The three impressive cypress trees include a multitude of challenging play features.

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Kids playing up high on tree playground structures

Challenge your vertigo and step out onto the creative walkway.

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Inside view of wooden cypress tree play structures

The warm wood is beautiful inside and out.

aerial view of salamander playground element

DETAILS ON THE INSIDE

We love to add small surprises on the inside of the playground structures that emphasize the theme of the playground and that are often informative and aid learning.

This playground is no exception, where we've added beautiful paintings of the local wildlife - these are fun to discover when kids explore inside and reflect the theme of the playground.

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Painting of otter on the inside of wooden playground structure
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Painting of pine cones and branches on the inside of wooden playground
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