Best Photo Spots In Memphis
Memphis gives photographers a genuine mix: neon nightlife, river views, and one profoundly important historic site that deserves a different kind of attention than the rest of this list.
Beale Street, day and night
By day, Beale Street’s brick storefronts and street art make for straightforward, well-lit shots. After dark, the neon signage and lit-up club fronts change the mood entirely, especially on weekend nights when the street is busiest. Both versions are worth capturing if your schedule allows an evening return.
Big River Crossing
This roughly 1-mile pedestrian and bike bridge across the Mississippi River offers wide, uninterrupted views back toward the downtown Memphis skyline, especially strong near sunset. It’s free, flat, and an easy walk out and back.
Bass Pro Shops at the Pyramid
The 32-story former arena on the riverfront is one of the most distinctive structures on the Memphis skyline, visible from well outside downtown. The store itself, free to enter, holds an indoor cypress swamp that photographs well in its own right, and The Lookout observation deck near the top gives a genuine elevated view of the river and the city.
The Peabody Hotel lobby
At 149 Union Ave, the Peabody’s lobby and fountain, especially during the twice-daily Duck March at 11am and 5pm, gives you both architecture and a genuinely unusual moment in the same frame. Arrive about 30 minutes early to find a spot with a clear line of sight.
Overton Park and the Botanic Garden
For green, quieter compositions, Overton Park in Midtown and the Memphis Botanic Garden in East Memphis both offer natural light and less foot traffic than downtown.
The National Civil Rights Museum, with the right approach
The museum, built around the preserved Lorraine Motel where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968, is not a backdrop for casual photos. If you photograph anything here, do it quietly and respectfully, in keeping with what the site actually commemorates, and check the museum’s own photography policy before you go; some areas restrict cameras entirely. This is a place to document with care, not to treat as a stop on a photo checklist.
Practical notes
Golden hour along the river, roughly the hour before sunset, is consistently the best light in the city, especially from Big River Crossing or the riverfront near the Pyramid. For where these spots fit into a full trip, see our main Memphis guide or the things to do guide .