Downtown Memphis Riverfront Attractions Captivate Travelers

Activities, Online Exclusives

Downtown Memphis offers plenty to see and do along the riverfront, with the Memphis Pyramid dominating the bevy of shoreline thrills

As anyone who has been to a Bass Pro Shops location knows, these mega-stores are cavernous and, with their giant aquariums, mounted animals and wilderness-inspired settings, qualify as attractions in themselves. The one in downtown Memphis, however, is an even more imposing destination.

That’s because this Bass Pro Shop occupies the downtown Memphis Pyramid, a monumental glass-and-steel eye-catcher that rests on the banks of the city’s most distinguishing natural feature—the Mississippi River. One of the largest pyramids in the world, the 321-foot-high structure captures the spirit of the city’s Egyptian namesake.

Downtown Memphis Pyramid

Built in 1991 as a sports and concert arena, the downtown Memphis Pyramid hosted University of Memphis Tigers men’s basketball games, big-time boxing matches and famous musical acts. The NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies played there from 2001-2004, but because the stadium didn’t meet league standards, they switched to the newly built FedEx Forum, as did the Tigers.

Pyramid

Bass Pro Shops at the Memphis Pyramid: A riverfront landmark in downtown Memphis. (Randy Mink Photo)

For over a decade, the Pyramid sat neglected until visionary Bass Pro Shops owner Johnny Morris had it converted into a faux cypress swamp. It was sporting not only a sprawling store but an outdoors-themed hotel and a full-service rooftop eatery. The shopping/dining/lodging/sightseeing complex opened in 2015, giving the hulking atrium a second chance and turning it into a prime tourist attraction.

Dining Delights and Sweeping Downtown Memphis Views

Twin glass elevators encased in steel girders, billed as the tallest freestanding elevators in America, take riders 28 stories to the top. Once you arrive, glass-floored observation decks at The Lookout at the Pyramid, a restaurant and bar, offer panoramic views of the river, the downtown Memphis skyline and Arkansas shore. Sunset is a popular time to come, and nightly light shows illuminate the iconic, double-hump Hernando DeSoto Bridge (Interstate 40) linking Tennessee and Arkansas.

A circular 10,000-gallon catfish aquarium commands the middle of the restaurant, which is open for lunch and dinner. In addition, retractable window walls allow for open-air dining, weather permitting, for a truly unique experience.

The Mississippi riverfront captivates tourists with recreational opportunities and scenic views of marine traffic and the skyline of downtown Memphis. (Photo credit: Memphis Tourism/Justin Fox Burks)

The menu lists Southern-style comfort dishes like fried catfish, fried chicken and blackened redfish with Creole butter sauce, plus steaks, seared scallops and other entrees. Burgers and sandwiches are served until 4:30 p.m. For starters, a real treat is the Wild Game Charcuterie board, an assortment featuring duck and venison sausage, Genoa salami, aged cheddar, pickles, and grilled baguette slices for spreading. Spreads include pimento cheese, charred onion jam and whole-grain mustard.

The Memphis Pyramid’s downstairs casual restaurant, previously known as Uncle Buck’s Fishbowl & Grill, is now a Wahlburgers Wild, whose menu includes wild game items. The 13-lane bowling center and aquarium bar is also a popular group attraction.

Memphis Pyramid Shopping and Sleeping in the Swamp

Navigating the boardwalks through the “swamp” in the retail area, shoppers look up at towering pines and moss-draped cypress trees fashioned from concrete. The mock wetland has ponds inhabited by live ducks, fish and alligators.

Merchandise, like at any Bass Pro, ranges from fishing gear, camp stoves and camouflage wear to boats, bullets and birdhouses. The store, which covers the entire ground floor and part of the second, boasts the “largest assortment of waterfowl-related hunting equipment ever assembled.” Additionally, Ducks Unlimited Waterfowling Heritage Center is an interactive, conservation-focused museum inside the complex with group tours available.

Cypress Swamp

Bass Pro Shops’ ground floor features a re-creation of a cypress swamp. Glass-enclosed elevators take guests to the rooftop. (Photo credit: Bass Pro Shops)

On two levels overlooking the swamp environment are the interior rooms of Big Cypress Lodge. They offer French doors that open to a private screened-in porch with rocking chairs. The hotel’s 103 rooms, some with exterior views, are designed to mimic vintage duck hunting cabins, fly fishing lodges and treehouses. Facilities include a fitness center, spa and a bar that evokes a grand hunting lodge.

Other Ways to Take in the Downtown Memphis Riverscape

In addition to visiting Brass Pro Shops at the Memphis Pyramid, travelers have other fun ways to connect with the downtwon Memphis riverfront. Many group activities await along the breathtaking riverfront, including cycling and voyages on an authentic river paddlewheeler.

Island Queen Paddlewheeler tour

From Beale Street Landing, for example, the Island Queen paddlewheeler departs for narrated 90-minute cruises filled with colorful tidbits about local history and river commerce.

Your guide talks about the stones making up the levees, points out bridges and cargo-hauling barges, and reveals that the first Holiday Inn was built in Memphis in 1952. He also discusses the 1865 explosion of the steamboat Sultana, a disaster near Memphis that killed 1,800 men and ranks as the worst maritime accident in U.S. history.

Hernando DeSoto Bridge from Island Queen

The Island Queen paddlewheeler offers 90-minute sightseeing cruises on the Mississippi River. The route travels under iconic Hernando DeSoto Bridge, which links Tennessee to Arkansas. (Randy Mink Photo)

Mud Island Park

Riverboat passengers also get a close look at Mud Island Park, a greenspace located on a peninsula just offshore. It’s a 10-minute walk from downtown Memphis via a covered footbridge; the park’s monorail no longer operates. Once at the park, visitors can catch skyline views, walk the paths, and read interpretive panels about the Mississippi River. On a grassy field, the sign spelling out MEMPHIS in bold capital letters makes the perfect photo op (feature photo in this article).

Biking_wAlexis 2019 Meetings Campaign Craig Thompson

The downtown Memphis riverfront offers scenic views and recreational opportunities. (Photo credit: Memphis Tourism/Craig Thompson)

Big River Crossing pedestrian bridge

Those looking for bragging rights will want to walk, jog or cycle across the longest pedestrian bridge over the Mississippi. Called Big River Crossing, the metal pathway is just south of downtown and parallels railway bridges and the I-55 bridge. It takes about 20 minutes to stroll leisurely from Memphis to the Arkansas shore in West Memphis. A sign in the middle marks the Tennessee/Arkansas state line. Nearly a mile long, Big River Crossing is part of the recreational Big River Trail System in the two states.

Wine and dine in downtown Memphis

Combine river views with a cocktail at Beck & Call, the only rooftop lounge in downtown Memphis. Perched atop the 227-room Hyatt Centric Beale Street Memphis, the bar specializes in bourbons and other whiskeys. Its small-bites menu has tasty morsels like the fried pork loin sandwich with hot pepper jelly and slaw. Latin American-inspired fare flavors the hotel’s CIMAS Restaurant, which features floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Mississippi and an outdoor patio with views of the river and outdoor pool.

The Hyatt Centric, right on the banks of the Mississippi, is the only hotel on Memphis’ fabled Beale Street, the musical heart of town, and joined by neighboring sister hotels— Grand Hyatt and Caption by Hyatt.

Historic Beale Street

The Hyatt Centric is an easy walk from the neon glow of Beale Street, the heartbeat of Memphis nightlife. B.B. King’s Blues Club, Jerry Lee Lewis’ Cafe & Honky Tonk, Tin Roof, Silky O’Sullivan’s Irish Bar, Blues Hall Juke Joint and other music clubs offer everything from blues and jazz to country and rock. Many clubs serve Southern food favorites as well, including the barbecue meats that Memphis is famous for. Also in the neighborhood are FedEx Forum, Memphis Rock ’n’ Soul Museum and Memphis Music Hall of Fame.

For tourism information, visit the website of Memphis Tourism, www.memphistravel.com.

Get more inspiration for your next group adventure by subscribing to the current issue of Leisure Group Travel today.


—By Randy Mink, Senior Editor

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