I will be in Memphis next week for a few days. Does anyone have any suggestions for what to see, what to avoid etc. Is Beal street pretty nice? Is it safe to be down there by yourself with camera equipment? Any help would be appreciated.
Hey Bob, Memphis is a neat town with a lot of old architecture. Beale Street is great during the day but even better at night just not by yourself :) It can get a bit rough for anyone by themselves especially someone carrying expensive equipment. Depending on your night time events you can make a short hop down to Tupelo, MS or go across the bridge into Arkansas to get some skyline shots of Memphis. I travel there once a month and thats my next target. I typically stay in Germantown when Im there. Good luck
Oh dont forget to get a shot of the Pyramid at night, its on the North side of Memphis near I-55, this used to be the arena when they had a basketball team, but I think Bass Pro Shop is turning it into a store.
Memphis still has a basketball team. The Grizzlies are playing The Spurs this weekend in the Western Conference finals. They just play over at the FedEx Forum now.
Beale street is photogenic. But afternoon, early evening is better. The touristy parts of Beale Street aren't bad, usually decent security. But, like any large city, there are those who try to prey upon naive tourists.
As already mentioned Germantown, on the east side of the city is a nice area in which to stay.
Memphis still has a basketball team. The Grizzlies are playing The Spurs this weekend in the Western Conference finals. They just play over at the FedEx Forum now.
Beale street is photogenic. But afternoon, early evening is better. The touristy parts of Beale Street aren't bad, usually decent security. But, like any large city, there are those who try to prey upon naive tourists.
As already mentioned Germantown, on the east side of the city is a nice area in which to stay.
Hey Bob, Memphis is a neat town with a lot of old architecture. Beale Street is great during the day but even better at night just not by yourself :) It can get a bit rough for anyone by themselves especially someone carrying expensive equipment. Depending on your night time events you can make a short hop down to Tupelo, MS or go across the bridge into Arkansas to get some skyline shots of Memphis. I travel there once a month and thats my next target. I typically stay in Germantown when Im there. Good luck
Oh dont forget to get a shot of the Pyramid at night, its on the North side of Memphis near I-55, this used to be the arena when they had a basketball team, but I think Bass Pro Shop is turning it into a store.
I totally agree. Definitely stay in Germantown. It's a bit of a drive to get into the city from there but well worth it as the city is expensive. Beale street is nice, just watch out for con men trying to sell you stuff. One of the biggest con's that they pull in this city is a guy will direct you to where a parking lot is only to send you in the wrong direction where his friends are waiting to rob you or they will collect money from people claiming to be the attendant. Only park in clearly marked lots with electronic pay or lots that are clearly marked and the attendant is in uniform. Link to news story in 2011 but this continues to be a Memphis issue.
Also, if you stay in Germantown there is a great small BBQ restaurant named The Commissary in the area. Real Memphis BBQ.
What is in Tupelo? Are there some neat sites or great scenery?
Are there certain parts of Beale street that are better at night than others. I would love to shoot the neon signs on Beale street but it will just be me and my daughter.
Oh I almost forgot. Go to mud Island....The Copse of engineers have a full model of the Mississippi river... It is cool. The gulf is a very large public swimming pool. There may be some interesting times...plus some good shots
Beal street stinks as far as I'm concerned, but setting on the banks of the Mississippi at sunset, the Beautiful downtown area, the river boats, well it all makes up for Beal being such a wash... If your young, and want to be stupid drunk, then the two block area of Beal might be your thing, .... All around it during the day are some old wayyyy cool buildings!!
I was pretty happy with the trip. Beale street was great. We stayed within the confines of barriers at night and it was a lot of fun. We saw the Lorraine motel where MLK was shot. We also toured Sun Records which was very interesting. Another interesting point was the Gibson factory which provided us with a great tour and the nights on the Mississippi river were great.
Then we drove down the Blues Highway (61) and went to Clarksdale, Mississippi which is where the legendary Crossroads are. While there, we went to the Ground Zero Blues Club which is owned by Morgan Freeman.
