Bass Pro Shops at the Pyramid
451 Riverwalk, Memphis, TN
Memphis, TN
A shining 32-story pyramid on the Mississippi that hides a full cypress swamp, an indoor forest, and a glass elevator to a deck high over the river.
The Memphis Pyramid is one of the strangest and most delightful buildings in the South, a 32-story pyramid of steel and glass on the bank of the Mississippi that now houses an enormous Bass Pro Shops. Step through the doors and you are not in a store so much as an indoor wilderness, with a cypress swamp, aquariums, and a canopy of artificial trees rising toward the distant glass peak.
At the center a tall glass elevator carries visitors to an observation deck near the very top, where windows look out over the river, the city, and the flat green sweep of Arkansas beyond. Between the swamp, the shops, the restaurants, a bowling alley, and the view, it has become one of Memphis's most unlikely and most popular stops.
What Guests Love
- Walking into a full indoor cypress swamp, complete with alligators, ducks, and towering fake trees
- Riding the tall glass elevator to the observation deck for a view over the Mississippi
- The sheer surprise of a 32-story pyramid stuffed with an outdoor wonderland
- Aquariums, an archery range, a bowling alley, and restaurants all under one glass roof
Worth Knowing
- It is a working superstore first and an attraction second, so it can be busy and loud on weekends
- The observation deck at the peak has a separate ticket, while the store floor welcomes visitors
- There is plenty of parking, and it makes an easy, weatherproof stop on a Memphis day
- Give yourself more time than you expect; the swamp, aquariums, and shops add up
Details
Memphis, TN
Learn about Bass Pro Shops at the Pyramid
The story of the Pyramid
Memphis takes its name from the ancient Egyptian city on the Nile, so a pyramid on its riverfront was almost fated. The building opened in 1991 as a sports and concert arena, a gleaming tribute to the city's namesake, and for years it hosted basketball, boxing, and concerts on the edge of downtown. When the teams and shows moved to a newer arena, the great pyramid fell empty and sat idle for the better part of a decade, an icon with no purpose.
In the 2010s the outdoor retailer Bass Pro Shops took on the challenge of reinventing it, pouring years and a fortune into transforming the hollow arena into a destination store and attraction. The result opened in 2015, and the gamble paid off. What had been an empty landmark became one of the most visited places in Tennessee, a shopping trip that feels more like a theme park.
The swamp inside
The centerpiece of the interior is a genuine indoor cypress swamp, planted with bald cypress trees rising from dark water, threaded with boardwalks, and home to live alligators, turtles, fish, and ducks. Overhead an artificial forest of trees climbs toward the peak, and the whole ground floor is designed to feel like a walk through the Mississippi Delta bottomlands rather than a retail floor.
Aquariums line the way, stocked with the fish of southern rivers and lakes, and features like an archery range and a shooting gallery are woven into the store. It is easy to spend an hour wandering the swamp and its waters before you remember there is shopping to be done at all.
To the top
The signature ride is the tall glass elevator, one of the country's most impressive, which rises through the open interior to an observation deck and lookout near the pyramid's peak. From up there the view opens across the Mississippi River, the Hernando de Soto Bridge with its lit arches, downtown Memphis, and the low horizon of Arkansas on the far bank.
The deck level also holds a restaurant and lounge, so a trip up can turn into a meal with one of the best views in the city. Sunset is a favorite time, when the river and bridge catch the last light.
More than a store
Beyond the swamp and the view, the Pyramid packs in restaurants, a bowling alley, a hotel tucked into the upper floors, and floor after floor of outdoor gear. Families with children, anglers, hunters, and plain curious travelers all find something to do, which is why it draws crowds year round regardless of the weather outside.
Because it sits at the north end of downtown Memphis, it pairs easily with a day exploring the city's music and civil rights history. A morning at the Pyramid and an afternoon on Beale Street or at the National Civil Rights Museum make for a full and varied Memphis itinerary.
Closest Boutels
The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is an independently owned, editorially selected place to stay.
Things to Do Near Memphis
Beale Street
About 2 miles south
The historic home of Memphis blues, lined with clubs, neon, and live music every night of the week.
Mud Island River Park
About 1 mile
A riverfront park with a scale model of the lower Mississippi you can walk, plus museum exhibits and river views.
National Civil Rights Museum
About 3 miles south
Built around the Lorraine Motel where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was killed, tracing the movement's long history.