Walkin' the Riverwalk

$1.25 million renovation planned for Manistee’s top attraction

By Al Parker | May 25, 2024

Whether you’re a Manistee resident or a once-in-while visitor to this venerable Victorian city, a leisurely stroll along the scenic Riverwalk is a well-spent way to savor a summer day.

To walk the full 1.75-mile length of the Riverwalk, start at Jones Street on the east and head under the US-31 bridge. The wood-and-concrete pathway meanders behind the downtown district, and along the way there are stairs you can climb to access the many downtown eateries and shops. To the west, at the end of Spruce Street, you’ll find a welcoming park, complete with picnic tables, grills, and swings. It’s a perfect place to stop, rest, and enjoy a lunch or snack.

And if you’re lucky and the timing is right, you may view a large freighter or smaller vessels as they glide along the Manistee River.

Where Tourism and History Meet

The idea to build something along the river popped up in the early 1980s. The Riverwalk was put together in phases, with the Manistee Downtown Development Authority (DDA) spearheading the project as a way to lure folks to downtown businesses.

Wow, did it work. Today the Riverwalk and downtown Manistee is the No. 1 attraction for visitors in Manistee County, according to Sammie Lukaskiewicz, executive director of the Manistee County Tourism Authority. “A little more than 705,000 people a year visit our county,” she says. “And most of them make some kind of trip to the Riverwalk and downtown.”

The Riverwalk is more than just a footpath—it’s also a walking history lesson. Spaced along the Riverwalk, dozens of markers and plaques highlight the history of the region and the important role the Manistee River played.

For example, did you know that in addition to its logging and commerical industries, several large vessels were built in Manistee? How about the time in 1853 when the U.S. Navy declared war on Manistee? And who knew that the town was once considered the world’s largest shingle manufacturing center?

Be sure to save time to check out the Origins Walk in particular, a cultural display that was unveiled in 2022. Plaques highlight the lives of important individuals and the impact they had on Manistee. Some depicted in the walk include “tribal water protectors, tribal traders, and tribal elders” alongside community and civic leaders such as T.J. Ramsdell, Louis Sands, Fannie Fowler, and Nels Johnson. The Stronach, Filer, and Canfield families are also represented. Each of the 20 monuments is carved from durable structural steel, purposely angled to cast shadows at different times of the day as the sunlight changes.

“The Riverwalk is not just a lovely place for tourists, but it is used year-round by locals, too,” says Lukaskiewicz. “It gets people outside as a walking trail and to look at freighters, but it also serves as a central point of our history—from the indigenous people who lived here and used it for transportation and fishing, to the lumber shipping lanes during the growth of Manistee, to the charter fleet that fish today. It really is a magical place that must be maintained, restored, and elevated.”

Renovations Coming Soon

The Riverwalk experience will soon be made even more enjoyable by a $1.25 milllion upgrade that covers about 1.5 miles of the walkway.

“The project will update and enhance the Manistee Riverwalk within the Downtown Development [Authority] boundaries on the south side of the Manistee River from just east of US-31 to Spruce Street,” says City Manager Bill Gambill.

“The idea was to leverage a DDA commitment to improve the Riverwalk at the base of the West Shore Community College building as matching funds to obtain an [Economic Development Administration] grant that would enhance more of the Riverwalk and spawn businesses to open storefronts on the Riverwalk side of the buildings,” Gambill explains.

City officials worked with West Shore Community College on an updated design that will include a Manistee River observation deck. “This overlook will be the same elevation as the existing parking lot,” says Gambill. “We are modifying the existing driveway to create a pedestrian access from River Street to the overlook. We will also be constructing an outdoor terrace seating area with shade sails along the Riverwalk.”

One of the nicest aspects of the Manistee Riverwalk is the fact it is handicap accessible, allowing everyone to enjoy it. Wheelchairs, strollers, and folks using walkers are all able to enjoy the scenic walk. A new switchback sidewalk access, which will be ADA compliant, will be added to the west of the Manistee Municpal Marina.

There’s an environmental upgrade coming with the project, too.

“Rain gardens will be added at the east end of the Riverwalk,” explains Project Director Shane Brennan. “There’s an existing access ramp from the Chamber parking lot that has planting beds. There is currently a catch basin and outlet pipe that takes the runoff from the parking lot and empties directly into the Manistee River. We are converting the planting beds into rain gardens to catch this runoff and filter it prior to letting it out into the river.”

Of course, there’s also more history to highlight in the renovation plans. “As part of this project, we will be installing six existing marker signs at locations of future cultural displays to be coordinated with a future project being planned by the Manistee County Tourism Authority,” Gambill says. “We will also be installing up to five kiosk style signs which will include historic information and directional signage.”

Other improvements being planned include: replacing the treated lumber decking with a modified wood product (with a bid alternative for treated lumber in case modified wood decking prices are too high); repainting the galvanized rails along the walkway; and cleaning and updating the light poles to use LED lighting.

The improvements are designed to ensure that residents and visitors are able to enjoy the Riverwalk for many years to come. City officials are currently awaiting final approval to bid the project, but are hoping to begin in July, with work expected to take three to four months. The current project cost is $1.25 million, with $650,000 from a federal Economic Development Administration grant, $240,000 from the DDA, and $160,000 in city funds.