Tom Lee Park Closes at Dusk. Now There's Somewhere Next Door to Keep Watching the River

On Sunday, Nov. 1, the sun sets over the Mississippi at 5:05 p.m. Thirty minutes later, Tom Lee Park is closed for the day.

That's earlier than this week by more than an hour. It's also the first winter in nearly three years that the restaurant space overlooking the park is open. Walt & Ricky's Seafood Kitchen opened on 901 Day at 1 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Ave., and it serves dinner until 9 or 10 p.m. Once the clocks change, the park's day ends before most people eat. The river view is still there after closing, and now a business next door is open to watch it from.

The park runs on the sun, and the sun is leaving early

Memphis River Parks lists Tom Lee Park as open daily from 6 a.m. until 30 minutes after sunset. Since sunset sets the closing time, the closing time moves every day. The biggest jump comes overnight when daylight saving time ends at 2 a.m. on Nov. 1.

The park's amenities cut back in November too. The Hanover Welcome Center is open noon to 7 p.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekends from March through October. From November through February, it closes at 5 p.m. every day. Hi Neighbor Café has the bigger change. Its warm-season hours are Friday 2 to 6 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. In the cold months it's open only Friday and Saturday, 1 to 5 p.m., so there's no Sunday service.

Put those together and a weeknight after work in mid-November leaves about half an hour of park time after a 4:54 sunset. The one place inside the park that sells food is already closed by then.

The corner that sat empty since 2023

The space Walt & Ricky's now fills has been through this before. Fancy's Fish House, a Carlisle Restaurant Group concept, opened there on April 8, 2022. It was the group's first restaurant at One Beale, according to the Commercial Appeal. By Nov. 28, 2023, the Commercial Appeal reported that Fancy's had closed and a new concept was in the works. That concept never opened, WREG reported this July.

The new tenant's paperwork with the Downtown Memphis Commission, as quoted by WREG, described the problem that empty space left behind:

"The applicant anticipates the site will operate as one of the few full-service restaurants along Riverside Drive with daytime hours. Its proximity to Tom Lee Park positions the project to serve park visitors, residents, and downtown workers, helping to address a gap in dining options in this immediate area."

Walt & Ricky's signed a 10-year lease that started April 1. The Downtown Memphis Commission approved the project and a $40,000 exterior-improvement grant on July 15, 2026. According to WREG, the restaurant had asked for the grant to pay for signage and lighting. WREG lists Mowbray Rowand as the project contact and notes his ties to Esco Restaurant and Tapas and Fat Tuesday downtown.

What's actually open next door

Walt & Ricky's held its ribbon cutting on Sept. 1. Its opening announcement describes more than 300 seats indoors and out, and valet parking during dinner service from now on. WREG's opening coverage describes a patio overlooking Tom Lee Park.

The menu is built around what the owners call the BBQ Oyster. There's also a raw bar with fresh oysters and seafood towers, plus whole branzino, Chilean sea bass, a lobster roll and steaks. The announcement says it's set up for lunch, happy hour and dinner.

The hours are what matter for a riverfront evening. The restaurant's OpenTable page lists 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The page was taking bookings as of Oct. 14. On Nov. 15, that means more than three and a half hours of river-view dining after the park gates close at about 5:24, and nearly five hours on a Saturday.

The park calendar between now and the stargazing night

Programmed events stretch the park's day, and a few of them run right through sunset. Here's what's left on the Memphis River Parks calendar starting Saturday, Oct. 24:

• Saturday, Oct. 24, noon to 3 p.m.: Spooky Skate. A DJ, skate-dance instruction, family activities and a limited number of free skate rentals. The page doesn't list an admission price.
• Saturday, Oct. 24, 5 to 8 p.m.: The Reset: Sunset Experience. Held at The Prospect in Tom Lee Park, with free admission. It runs well past the usual closing time.
• Mondays through Nov. 23, 9 to 11 a.m.: River Walkers. A free weekly walking group for seniors that meets at Beale Street Landing.
• Wednesday, Oct. 28, 6 to 7 p.m.: Fitness Under the Stars. The last date on the current listing, at Tom Lee Park. No price is listed.
• Saturday, Oct. 31, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.: 901KidsFest. Free on Eventbrite.
• Saturdays, Oct. 31 and Nov. 14: Hustle & Flow HIIT. A free workout at Tom Lee Park on alternate Saturdays.
• Saturday, Nov. 21, 4 to 7 p.m.: Stargazing with the Memphis Astronomical Society. On Beale Street Landing's grassy roof. Free, open to all ages, weather permitting.

The stargazing night shows the November shift best. With sunset already at 4:54 p.m. a week earlier, most of that three-hour window falls after dark. After the River Parks calendar wraps up, Walt & Ricky's is open until 10 p.m. that Saturday.

Putting a November evening together

The newest thing to see in the park opened in June. The Memphis Flyway is a 220-foot elevated path at the park's southern end, and it's ADA-accessible. It runs over tree canopies and wetlands out toward the Mississippi, with views of the river, the park and the skyline.

Once the clocks change, a weekend riverfront evening works best in this order:

1. Arrive by midafternoon. The welcome center and Hi Neighbor Café both close at 5 p.m. from November through February, and the café is open only Friday and Saturday.
2. Walk the Flyway before sunset. It's at the south end, and the path gives you the open river view while there's still light.
3. Stay for sunset and leave with the gates. On Nov. 1 that means the 5:05 p.m. sunset and a 5:35 close. By mid-month, both are about 10 minutes earlier.
4. Have dinner overlooking the park. Walt & Ricky's has valet during dinner service and serves until 9 p.m. on Sundays and 10 p.m. on Saturdays.

The space overlooking the park sat empty for the past two winters. This November, dinner is right on Riverside Drive, at a table that still looks out over the park.

I grew up in Memphis, and I still pay attention when a stretch of downtown like this one picks up something new. If you're thinking about how often you'd use the riverfront from different parts of the metro, on either side of the state line, Christopher Farm is glad to talk it through with you. Let's Connect.