Riverside Park was founded in 1900 and has been the centerpiece of Downtown La Crosse for nearly that entire time.  The park is utilized throughout the year and during the summer months, it is very common for 3,000 to 5,000 people per week to attend an event in the park.  A special shout out to the Jazz Orchestra, the La Crosse Concert Band, and Moon Tunes for their free music shows on Sundays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays respectively.

The iconic band shell project was a result of dozens of individuals coming together to fulfill a vision of a major improvement to the historic Riverside Park bandstand.  The six pillars and trusses that form the band shell structure are 80 to 150-year-old, locally sourced, white oak trees. The nearly $900,000 cost of the project was funded entirely through community donations.  The brick pavers located at the back of the seating area recognize those donors who contributed $500 or more to the project.  Some donors requested to remain anonymous.

An added phase to the park improvements were the upgrades made to the bathrooms located at the north end of the park.  In the fall of 2021, the Friends of Riverside Park funded the $80,000 upgrades to that structure.  These improvements included making the facility ADA compliant, new fixtures and lighting, and most importantly, making the facility usable all year long by adding a heating component with upgraded insulation.