Best Places to View the Moon in Memphis
Memphis sits at around 300 feet (90 m) above sea level on the Chickasaw Bluffs — a series of low loess bluffs on the eastern bank of the Mississippi River. The city is essentially flat, which means moonrise viewing here is not about hilltops but about wide open river horizons, elevated observation decks, and the unobstructed eastern sky above a low skyline. The moon rises from the east over the Tennessee interior and arcs across a city defined by the river, the blues, and some of the most resonant American music history anywhere. The Mississippi itself — half a mile wide at Memphis — offers the most dramatic foreground the city has.
Bass Pro Pyramid – The Lookout Observation Deck
The 321-foot (98 m), 32-story Memphis Pyramid on the riverfront houses Bass Pro Shops and the tallest freestanding elevator in the United States. The glass elevator climbs to The Lookout — an indoor/outdoor observation deck at the apex with 360° views of the Mississippi River, downtown Memphis, and the eastern horizon where the moon rises. Open Monday–Saturday 11 AM–8:30 PM, Sunday 11 AM–6:30 PM; $10 elevator fee.
Big River Crossing – Mid-Bridge Walkway
The Big River Crossing is the longest public pedestrian bridge across the Mississippi River, running nearly a mile along the historic Harahan Bridge from downtown Memphis to West Memphis, Arkansas. Mid-span, you straddle the state line 100 feet above the river with the Memphis skyline to the east and the Arkansas floodplains to the west. The moon rises over the Memphis bluffs from the Arkansas side — one of the city's most distinctive lunar foregrounds. Open daily 6 AM–10 PM; free.
Tom Lee Park – Riverfront Lawn
The recently renovated Tom Lee Park stretches along the Memphis riverfront south of Beale Street Landing, with wide open east-facing sightlines above the bluff edge. The moon rises over the downtown skyline from the park's lawn — the Hernando de Soto Bridge lit by the Mighty Lights show, barges on the river below, and the full moon above make for a layered composition unique to Memphis. Free, open dawn to dusk.
Fourth Bluff – Memphis Park Esplanade
The Fourth Bluff at Memphis Park on Front Street between Court and Jefferson sits at the top of the Chickasaw Bluffs with direct views of the Hernando de Soto Bridge and the river. The Bluffwalk paved pathway connects the bluff top south to Tom Lee Park and north to Victorian-era homes along the ridge — multiple compositions available as you move along the escarpment. The lit bridge at night provides a foreground the moon rises above. Free, open 24/7.
Mud Island River Park – Greenbelt Park
Mud Island is a peninsula connected to downtown Memphis by a pedestrian bridge (the monorail that once ran alongside it closed in 2018 and is no longer operational). Greenbelt Park runs along much of the island's length, adjacent to the Harbor Town neighbourhood, with clear sightlines along the river and east toward the city. The moon rises over the Memphis bluffs from here and the Hernando de Soto Bridge is visible to the north. Quieter than the main riverfront. Free; the pedestrian bridge is open daily.
Beale Street Landing – River Garden Terrace
Beale Street Landing is a modern dock and public plaza at the foot of Beale Street, right at the river's edge. The elevated River Garden terrace faces north along the Mississippi with unobstructed views of the bridges and the water. The moon rises east over downtown and within an hour is framing the Hernando de Soto Bridge — a neon-and-moonlight composition that captures what Memphis looks like from the river. Free, open to the public.
Best Times for Moon Photography
Quick Photography Tips
The moon phase today in Memphis, TN is shown in detail above — complete with exact illumination percentage, moonrise/set times, and the best local spots to see it. For the moon phase today in any other city or location worldwide, visit our Dynamic Moon Phase Calculator on the home page.
What the Experience Actually Feels Like
There is a point, usually about ten minutes before the moon appears above the eastern roofline, when the sky behind downtown Memphis begins to lighten and the river goes from black to a deep iron grey. The Mississippi at Memphis is half a mile wide and it moves with a visible, unhurried authority — barges upstream, a train crossing the Harahan Bridge, the water carrying things south toward New Orleans. The moon rises above all of it, and from the Arkansas side of Big River Crossing, with the Memphis skyline in front of you and the floodplains at your back, you are standing in two states at once above one of the great rivers of the world.
Memphis is not a city that performs grandeur. It does not have mountains or a harbour or a famous skyline. What it has is the river, the music, and a quality of attention that comes from a place that has been through a great deal and is still here. Beale Street has been the home of the blues for over a century. The Lorraine Motel is four blocks from the riverfront. Sun Studio is a mile east. To watch the moon rise over this city — over the same bluffs where the Chickasaw people lived for centuries before the city existed — is to understand that the history runs deeper than any single landmark. Unlike a sunset, which anyone can stumble into, a moonrise requires planning. The people who make it to the right spot on the right night have earned what they see.
The Hernando de Soto Bridge lights up every hour from sundown to 10 PM in the Mighty Lights show — 16,000 LED lights synchronized along the bridge's distinctive M-shape profile. A full moon above the Mighty Lights, reflected in the Mississippi, is an image that is specific to Memphis and nowhere else. The city that gave the world the blues, soul, and rock and roll turns out, on a clear night with the right phase, to also give you one of the most photographically interesting moonrises in the American South. Get to the river. Bring a tripod. The rest takes care of itself.
"From the Arkansas side of Big River Crossing, with the Memphis skyline in front of you and the floodplains at your back, you are standing in two states at once above one of the great rivers of the world — and the moon is rising over all of it."
Your Memphis Moon Chase Checklist
Before You Go
- Check the moonrise time and phase on this page for each night of your stay
- Target the 48–72 hour window before full moon — blue hour on the river at this phase is exceptional
- Cross-reference moonrise time with the Mighty Lights schedule — the bridge show runs hourly from sundown to 10 PM and coordinates best with a moon that rises in the first two hours after dark
- Book The Lookout at the Pyramid in advance for busy weekends — the elevator queue can be long on clear evenings
- Download PhotoPills or Stellarium set to Memphis — the flat eastern horizon means moonrise is clean and punctual
What to Bring
- Tripod — river wind on the bluffs and the exposed Big River Crossing bridge is unpredictable, especially in autumn and winter
- A lens between 50–200mm — 100–200mm compresses the moon against the bridge or the downtown skyline; wide angle works for the river foreground at Tom Lee Park
- A layer for evenings — Memphis is humid subtropical and evenings cool faster than you expect, particularly on the bluff and the bridge
- Comfortable walking shoes — the Bluffwalk, Big River Crossing, and Tom Lee Park are all easily walkable from downtown; rideshare fills the gaps
On the Night
- Arrive at your viewpoint 20–30 minutes before moonrise — the sky above downtown changes fast and the first light on the horizon is worth capturing
- For Big River Crossing, walk to the Arkansas side first — the view back toward Memphis with the moon rising over the skyline is better than the view from the Memphis end
- At The Lookout (Pyramid), note that the outdoor decks face south and west — position yourself on the indoor north-facing observation area or the south deck for the best eastern horizon view
- Shoot RAW — the Mighty Lights colour shifts and the moonlight require separate exposure treatment; blend in post
- After moonrise, walk to Beale Street — live music starts early and the combination of neon, blues, and a full moon overhead is Memphis at its most itself