Three Rivers Map & Guide

This is the old Legacy neighborhood

See this page for the updated tour

Map of Three Rivers Area

The Take Me to the Moon story is set in  Oasis Springs, Willow Creek, and the surrounding areas.    The family’s founder, Maddi Tesla, settled at Oakenstead, which is east of Willow Creek Township, up the McElveen River, a few miles from town.   That home was lost when Delaney Tesla, generation five, was a young child.   Delaney then moved to Oasis Springs with her Aunt Cacey, who was a secret agent.  When they both began to work in the aerospace industry, Delaney and Alexander bought a home in Oasis Springs.   Along with the Space Agency, Oasis Springs is also within a short drive of Area 61 and nearby Strangetown, which has long been rumored to be associated with alien activity.  Tourists often drive through the area just to see the glyphs on the large stone outside the science lab housed there, and Elise Tesla, Delaney’s daughter, is a scientist there.

Despite the amazing difference in climate, the desert of Oasis Springs is just on the other side of the mountains which are also visible from the Newcrest Bluffs and Aunt Jo’s farm, and surprisingly, is a reasonable commute from Willow Creek.

Willow Creek 50 x 50 Lot Credits

Aunt Jo’s Farm by Jenba (Origin ID Silrosse)

Willow Creek is an upscale, outlying township of the city of Port Prominence.   A lot of people wonder why the township of Willow Creek is not located on its namesake creek, and actually sits quite distinctly, dozens of miles away, near the mouth of the McElveen River.   Experts have long argued that Willow Creek’s natural beauty is so stunning, that the town way down Goth River and near the mouth of the McElveen River was named after the far away creek’s memorable  beauty.  However, long term residents of the three rivers area know that since the creek, Willow Creek, is the infamous home of the Goth family, due to their wealth and influence, the name Willow Creek became associated with power and was tossed about willy-nilly by the early settlers of the area who were not related to the Goths in a feeble attempt to garner respectability.    Willow Creek Township is, these days, a quite uppity place, with anti-loitering laws and pristine sidewalk cafes in the shade of St. Nick’s historic church looking out over the McElveen River, and boasting some pretty rare books from Pleasantview and Sunset Valley in the Willow Creek Archives.  Between the steeple and the library, one can work out at Frank’s Gym, and later, let loose at the Yellow Flamingo nightclub, as long as upon leaving the establishment, no disturbance is made to the peace.

Willow Creek Township Credits:

St. Nicholas Church Museum by SimDels

Frank’s Gym  & Cafe by SimLinks

The Yellow Flamingo by Deligracy

Willow Creek Archive by me

Port Prominence was, like many coastal cities, mainly created from recovered wetlands, which is the reason that drainage canals snake through various parts of the city.   The only areas that are actually above sea level are, ironically, the lower income areas of Newcrest Bluffs and Milltown, which is helpful to those without a family inheritance to help pay those steep flood insurance bills.   Milltown, which is within the limits of Willow Creek Township, is treated somewhat as a stepchild, not even worthy to take the family name.   The objectionable aspect of Milltown is that industrial cranes and warehouses loom just beyond the rooftops, but it is actually a great place for young families to find affordable housing (and jobs!).   By the way, Milltown is also famous for its mysterious old tree with a tunnel leading to what some have claimed is an underground cavern.

Ruthless KK’s Fairfield Gardens

Starter Homes by me

 Newcrest Bluffs is also a fabulous place to raise a family, since there is a state park right outside the back door, with hiking trails, picnicking, and views into the rolling farmland and mountains beyond.

The house on the left end is by Ruthless KK, called Clover Hill Cottage.

I suppose no guide to the Three Rivers area would be complete without a description of the upscale avenues that run along the trolley lines, from Magnolia Promenade in the south, through Oracle Point, to the Willow Creek Garden District and Lake Cornelia, in the north.  Magnolia Promenade sits between the Magnolia River and the Gulf, near the effluence of the Goth River.  Swampland is so close one can exult in dominance over nature and the power to shop all while sitting under a white umbrella in a cafe.  Magnolia Promenade is also the main station for the Three Rivers Steamboat tours, which run from Magnolia Promenade, into the wetlands north of Milltown, and back along Willow Creek.  The Magnolia Galleria Mall is the anchor of the Promenade, with its designer shops.  Amazing, local finds like Mimmy’s Flower Shop, Roll With It, and Cafe D’Amour are definitely worth the trip.

Magnolia Promenade Credits:

Magnolia Galleria Mall by amuromax

Mimmy’s Flower Shop by flubber32c4

Cafe D’Amour French Cafe by JOL1990 

Roll With It (by me)

After shopping in Magnolia Galleria, one can take the trolley up to Oracle Point Park, which features live music and invigorating breezes off the river.  At night, Oracle Point is lit up from thousands of city lights across the water, as well as beautiful fountains.   The Park is also home to Bel Arte Museum, which is itself a work of art, with it’s striking white architecture against the blue of the river and the luscious green of the Garden District in the distance.    After viewing the amazing art in the museum, if you haven’t had enough high culture, you can cross the street to the Newcrest Cathedral.

Oracle Point Lot Credits:

BellArte Museum by Seance83

Viasims’ Newcrest Park

Wedding Chapel (Newcrest Cathedral) by Kiz1313

Then, take the trolley north just to gawk at the Victorian mansions and plantation homes peeking through the stately willows and magnolias along the rivers.

Willow Creek Garden District Lot Credits:

Daisy Lane Victorian by Ruthless KK

Lilac Victorian by Ruthless KK

Rich Cat Lady House by me

At the far end of the Garden District, a little piece of land has been carved out between the Goth River, it’s primary canal, and Willow Creek, so the area bears the misnomer, “Three Rivers.”

Willow Creek 1st Church, Bright House (on left), and Cacey’s Victorian (on right), by me

Ruthless KK’s Legacy Family Home

However, the truly vibrant life, day and night, is found in Midtown.  Midtown in Newcrest is close to the heart of the city, with both the Port Prominence Police Department and Port Prominence Hospital located there.   Midtown boasts many great pubs, bars, and restaurants, including the famous L’Mer Restoran City Bar on Canal Street next the main library.  The Melone Museum of Stuff and the Public Library duel across Newcrest Boulevard for which is tallest, and which has the most substance; both suffice to lose oneself for days at a time in the works of art and literature.   The boulevard west is an upscale address for those who want to try out a lifestyle with a bohemian flavor without actually getting dirty; flats are available in old brownstones that housed hotel and industry barons for generations.

Midtown Lot Credits:

Simsinspring’s L’Mer Restoran City Bar

 

Newcrest Public Library by Kriint

Eric Melone’s Museum of Stuff

 

Brownstone Living by itguyinsc (left) & The Brownstone w/ Basement by RachieSoul (right)

 

There are plenty of recreational opportunities for those not interested in shopping or culture.  Fishing, of course, is a major past-time of many residents of Three Rivers, since even in midtown one only has to walk a few hundred meters to cast a line.   Most neighborhoods boast a playground or green area, and many have community gardens.  Granite Falls is within easy reach, as well.  It’s hard to imagine a more scenic or idyllic garden in which to live, work, and play, than the Three Rivers area.

About making my map:

I have always loved drawing maps, and with the addition of Newcrest, I began to really want to get a sense in my mind of how all the small neighborhood areas relate in the bigger region.   To create the map, first I looked at every neighborhood in the Sims 4 game (except Oasis Springs)  to see the street layout, the landmarks, and in each direction, to see what was visible in the distance.  I drew rough maps of each area with the distant landmarks, such as the warehouses and industrial cranes visible from the starter area of Willow Creek, and the same cranes, further in the distance from the main street in Willow Creek.  I noted in which direction the city lies as you stand in each neighborhood.  Then I laid all my sketches out on the floor to figure out how they could make sense together– rotating them until all the pieces fit.

In order to make a coherent region, I ended up having to suspend disbelief in a few main areas.   First, I already play as if Oasis Springs is just a short drive from Willow Creek, which is, of course, preposterous.  However, for the duration of the Tesla family story, I probably won’t change that.   Also, I am no longer going to pay any attention to the way Willow Creek is laid out on the load screen, because although I tried mirror image, and various rotations, I couldn’t make it work at all.  I put Jenba’s (Origin ID Silrosse) Aunt Jo’s farm in the large 50 x 50 lot in Willow Creek, and it fits in game, beautifully!  There are mountains very close on three sides there, and rapids in the river.  So it just didn’t fit to put Aunt Jo’s farm between the Garden District and main street of Willow Creek, and I moved it way out beyond the Garden District, on the way to Granite Falls.   Finally, the toughest area for me, is that East-West doesn’t really line up correctly (for sunset and sunrise).

The second step in creating the map, after determining a layout and drafting a map with the proper proportions and street layouts, was to color the rivers, parks, wetlands, and roads with Prisma pencils and outline them with marker.  Then I scanned my hand-drawn map into the computer and opened it in Snag It.  I snagged lots of clip art and finally learned to make everything transparent except the part I needed, and added landmarks to the map.  Then I printed, lightly colored to fill in the rest of the white space, and re-uploaded it into Snag It to create the labels.

Naming everything was fun; I plan to use famous Sim names in the future to re-name some of the more mundane streets and places.  However, none of my sims are famous enough to have anything named after them during their lifetime.  McElveen is a family name of mine in real life, as well as the name of my first-ever Sims 2 legacy founder, so one of the  rivers  is named in honor of both my ancestors and that great and memorable sim.   Port Prominence was the name I chose for my Sims 2 city, since I always love coastal areas, and I decided to bring it on over to Sims 4.  So if a city is released for Sims 4, mine will be called Port Prominence.   Many of the landmark places are names given to them by the amazing simmers who built the lot, which are shown and referenced above.

Here’s a blank copy of the map, for anyone who would like to use it.  Please give credit if you use it.