PROGRESS: Revitalized Chris Larsen Park is popular spot for locals, visitors

Additions to the riverfront include an interactive fountain, playground, red bench-style swing, plaza, dog park, overlooks and exercise equipment.

Sioux City Parks and Recreation Director Matt Salvatore said he has been "blown away" by the park's usage. Even before construction was completed, Salvatore said he was surprised by the number of people frequenting the park.

"I think, again, we have a really awesome opportunity in Sioux City. It was a great job by our park board and riverfront steering committee to put that project together and see it through," he said.

This spring, MOVMNT, a new interactive video game by playground equipment provider Burke, will be installed in the spring on the active rec lawn near Floyd Pavilion.

The Rotary Club of Sioux City contributed $17,000 toward MOVMNT. The City of Sioux City will cover the $5,000 installation cost.

"We're really excited. These things are really, really trendy. We're kind of seeing them around the nation in parks and rec," said Recreation Superintendent John Byrnes. "It's kind of cool that we get one here. The riverfront is the absolutely perfect home for it."

A dedication event in the spring is also planned for the scenic, long linear park, which is the focal point of the trail system. 

"We added an extensive amount of sod and irrigation to get the vegetation issues under control," Salvatore said. "It was dry. We had a lot of usage. We had RAGBRAI. So, it was just a challenging summer to try to get vegetation established."

Back in 2015, the city submitted a request for quote for a master plan for the riverfront. Since then, a host of people, including generous donors, have worked to make the improvements a reality.

Ground was broken on the first phase of the project in June 2020, with construction starting just west of Virginia Street and ending at the Floyd River.

Floyd Plaza features fountains and misters that rise up from the ground, with a push of a button, as well as a shelter and seating. The splash pad is open daily from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. from Memorial Day weekend through at least Labor Day weekend. 

Adjacent to Floyd Plaza is the Great Lawn, promenade and Exploration Ridge.

The Great Lawn, which is sponsored by Missouri River Historical Development is a green space for concerts and city-wide events. Native plants, such as purple coneflowers, and tiered seating line the promenade, a leisurely public walkway by the Great Lawn.

Exploration Ridge features slides, as well as swings and climbing apparatuses. The playground is covered with a shade structure.

Exercise equipment is affixed at the top of the ridge and can also be found in other areas of the park.

Another fitness amenity is a yoga lawn. The green space has its own shade structure to keep yoga program participants protected from the sun.

Parkgoers will find a handful of overlooks along the riverfront. One of them is positioned where the Argosy riverboat casino was formerly docked.

The park's red bench-style swing, which was donated by Dave Layhee, of McCook Lake, South Dakota, is rarely ever empty.

Layhee, of McCook Lake, South Dakota, got the idea to have such a swing fabricated after visiting friends in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. He said a friend of his donated a similar swing in Coeur d'Alene, a city in the northwestern portion of the state known for water sports.

"One of my friends donated a swing. And, then, there was another party, once that swing went up, who donated in the city park area that overlooks the lake," Layhee said. "That's what I tried to capture."

Layhee obtained the swing's blueprints from Coeur d'Alene parks and recreation staff. Then, those design plans were passed on to Dan Lee, of Port Neal Welding Company, so the swing could be fabricated. Layhee said he chose red for the swing because it's his favorite color.

"I thought it would be a nice addition. I find two or three people just sitting in the swing, gazing out at the river," said Layhee, who noted the swing has a braking system to prevent people from falling off of it or flipping it over. "What the city's been able to do with that whole complex, I think, is just phenomenal."