lower mississippi river museum and interpretive center

it was getting late in the day, and I wanted to tour the river tow boat, which is part of the museum, so I didn't really, spend much time in the museum. if you want to tour a tow boat, here's your chance, and you can go most anywhere on it, except down into the engine room. on occasion you can get a special guided tour of that also. the museum is free, at present, but I donated on the way in and again on the way out. un-related to this museum, people need to realize that attraction websites are notoriously loaded with incorrect information. if it's something you just have to see on a trip, you'd better call ahead.

We just happened to park near this gem of a museum while having lunch at a local restaurant, and were delighted to find it. It is the national Museum of the Army Corps of Engineers and offers a very interesting explanation of both the Corps of Engineers activities as well as the history, geology, ecology, and economics of life along the lower Mississippi. There are numerous static and hands-on exhibits as well as an aquarium containing the fish one would find in the river.Attached to the museum is the very large Mississippi tug boat-the M/V Mississippi IV. One can walk aboard the vessel and tour the bridge and at least two other decks. There is a very interesting virtual reality ship-driving game at the helm, where you can try your hand at driving and talking the ship.The museum is free, the volunteers are friendly and informative, and there is also a good introductory movie. It is well worth the stop, especially with school-age children. I really like this museum.

This is a free to the public attraction and it is fun for all ages. It tells you about the MS River and the people, towns and animals that live on, in and about it.

This museum details the life and history, natural and human, of the Lower Mississippi with excellent displays. Outside is a real treat, the 1961 MV Mississippi IV, built to inspect the river and tow barges for the Army Corps of Engineers. The entire vessel is open for self-guided tours. Wonderful!

This center is outstanding. It helps visitors understand the major role the Mighty Mississippi River has played in America's growth and trade. From flooding tragedies to amazing commerce, the Mississippi River is indeed mighty. The center also helps one understand why Mark Twain loved the river so much. It is even interesting for the kids.

This museum, operated by the Army Corps of Engineers, is not really a museum. Rather, it's a history of the effects that the Army Corps of Engineers has had on the Mississippi River. The displays are well-done, informative as well as inter-active. Which is great for children. The video is short; seven minutes. The museum is housed in a very cool building. Having said that, the lighting could be improved. The museum is free as is the vessel (only one floor available for touring) adjacent to it. There is a large parking lot behind the building.

it was open,, when we got there it was closed,, missed out on a bit of history of the lower mississippi river...

From an engineering point of view, the museum is fairly interesting. The motor vessel Mississippi only has one deck available for touring but we were told that the asbestos problems on the other decks are scheduled to be repaired and they will then be available for viewing

This museum is free and consists of one floor with exhibits and offers a short film. Only one section on one deck of the vessel next to the museum is open for touring. It is my understanding that they found asbestos on the other decks and closed them off. This museum could be expanded and made so much better. When the problem is corrected with the vessel, tours could be offered. I don't see why a fee couldn't be charged in order to cover the costs of the asbestos removel after everything is corrected. It would be better if the Corps of Engineers would contract the museum out to a private organization which would put it on a profitable basis.

Free museum, self paced and enjoyable. Directly across the street from Rusty's Riverfront Grill so makes for a nice leisurely afternoon after having lunch at Rusty's.

We went at 3pm. The museum closes at 4 pm, but we were able to watch the film and see all of the exhibits. Of course, we did not have any children with us but if you dig I would say add another 30 minutes to your visit.

My boys, ages 9 & 3, really enjoyed this free museum. It is new and very clean and well kept. Some of the exhibits are very hands on and geared toward younger children. We really enjoyed being able to board and take a tour of the river boat. A great find in downtown!

The LMRM is a very nice and interesting museum with interactive models like a little village you can flood or form a river to see where the water goes, also a lot of things for children like doing drawing or match animal with their habitats. The short film in the beginning is nicely done was well, the gallery was interesting too. The ship that you can go on was worth seeing and the ladies at the front desk were very nice, one of them even printing us a museum plan without us asking. The museum is for free but we would have been willing to pay for it because we liked it so much.

This is a very good museum but could have been better if two additional would have been included. Those are hurricane Katrina in 2005, and the flood of 2010! I don't understand the reason these were left out. Both events took place before museum was built!

We just loved this museum! I loved how interactive most of the displays were, you could tell much thought and planning went into keeping this museum fresh. Even the ones geared towards children were so interesting, I was "playing" for longer than expected! Lots of little informational films, be sure to catch the longer film at the beginning and go into the tent to see another good selection. One of my favorite parts was exploring the ship connected to the museum. They went into great detail recreating all of the cabins and lunch area - they even have a sample menu and worksheets for the kids. One of the best museums at any price, and very well maintained!