Author Archives: Diana

About Diana

Canadian-Vermonter, Texas transplant. Cowboy boot wearing, maple syrup connoisseur, music lovin', wine and micro-brew drinkin', two-steppin' traveler who loves finding all the hidden gems the world has to offer. Come join me on the ride!

Graceland!

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When I decided to move, I had one request for my 2,000 mile road trip. I had to stop at Graceland. Must. Necessity. Must go to Graceland. Period. So… I went to Graceland.
I had never been to Memphis, heck I didn’t even know what else was there but I was going to find out and find out I did. Graceland itself is so much bigger than I had imagined. The house itself wasn’t as big as the mansions that celebrities are living in nowadays but the property itself was very large. The history and memorabilia is extensive. We flew thru it and were there for three hours. Elvis, you were a popular man!
A little bit of history on the King: Elvis Aaron Presley was born in Tupelo, Mississippi on January 8, 1935 which is not that far from Memphis. Music is huge in Memphis and it is not surprise that his influences came from country, gospel and blues which you can take in at the the same place he did in Memphis, Beale Street. In 1954, his first recording took place at Sun Studios, not far from Beale Street and within two years he was known internationally. And as they say, the rest is history.
I took many, many, many photo’s when I took the tour. Some are dark due to the lighting and my camera at the time but I’ll share some of my favorites.
Graceland.
Yes, you need to take the shuttle up to the front of the home.
For the tour they give you a very fashionable headset. Each room has a number which you enter in so you can go at your own pace.
Can’t you just see him sitting at the piano, singing and playing a tune.
This picture is really bad quality but I wanted to include it. I was surprised at how small the kitchen was. It wasn’t anything that I would’ve imagined.
The Jungle Room.
Appropriately named.
Look at the arms of the chair!
This room actually creeped me out a bit. I think its just because of the alien monkey sitting on the table.
This room (below) was actually covered in fabric. You can see the walls and the ceiling.
I would hate the dust that would collect. Good thing he could afford someone to clean the home for him!
The backyard swing set for his daughter and horse area. You wouldn’t think the back yard was this big from the front.
In addition to the main house, there are a few other buildings on the property. One was the racket ball / court area which is now housed with memorabilia. Another which was considered his office and I believe one more as well. Forgive me, it’s been a couple years.
One of my favorite things to check out were his outfits. LOVE THEM!
His wedding tux and Priscilla’s wedding dress were also on display.
It also goes to show you he wasn’t a very big man.
Seriously, you know you wouldn’t pass up the opportunity to put one these on and swing your hips a little bit! Don’t deny it – I know!
Just a tiny, minute portion of all of his awards and memorabilia.
I believe this was in one of his offices.
The backyard.
The backyard holds the very nice pool.
It also holds something else that I had no idea of at the time.
Elvis is buried here with his parents, grandmother and twin brother.
Once you are done touring the side of the street the home is on, you are still not done.
Yes, I’m serious.
Back on the other side of the street (the side where you buy tickets) there is a car exhibit where you can find his extensive collection including the famous pink Cadillac. It’s actually pretty interesting to walk through. There are plaques and information available telling the story of why the vehicles are important.
One more thing that you might not have thought of originally. You can also tour his planes. Go in, walk around. Check them out and all their retro decor.
Graceland holds an abundance of information, souvenirs, memorabilia all commemorating the life of Elvis. Even thought we went during the week, there was still one heck of a line to check the place out. Tickets are a little expensive but I considered this something that I would do once so I found it worth it. If you do plan on visiting, be sure to give yourself plenty of time. I didn’t realize how many buildings and items were on display to check out. We did a very fast forward version of the tour since we didn’t have a ton of time and had to get back on the road. You could definitely plan on spending your entire day here just taking your time and checking out the entire area. Whether or not you are a huge Elvis fan, I would say it’s worth stopping to check out. It’s a part of American history folks!

Louisville Slugger 2008

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An absolute must stop in Louisville is the Louisville Slugger Factory and Museum. If you are looking for it, you really can’t miss it. There is the replica of Babe Ruth’s bat (68,000 lbs, 120 feet tall). There are also home plates and bats honoring legends in the game of baseball on the sidewalk. It’s kind of neat just to walk around and take it all in before you get into the factory and museum itself.

The company was started back in the early 1800’s by the Hillerich family, originally from Germany. In the 1860’s they moved to Louisville and opened a woodworking shop and soon had a group of employees. In the 1880’s the Hillerich’s oldest son, “Bud” became an apprentice in the shop. Did I mention he was also an amateur baseball player? Bud soon started making his own bats as well as bats for some of his teammates. “AH!”.

Legend has it the first professional bat was made for Pete Browning in 1884 who played on Louisville’s professional team, The Eclipse. The story goes that after Browning received the new bat, he had three hits and was nicknamed, “The Louisville Slugger”. Although there has been a lot of questions concerning the correct history of how the bat came about, one thing if for certain – they’re apparently doing something right and the Louisville Slugger Factory is still the name in baseball bats today. One of their most popular features is that amateur players can purchase the bat model of their favorite baseball player. What kid wouldn’t want to do that?!

Today, the factory also makes aluminum and composite bats for adult baseball, youth and softball. Well rounded I would day. They have also teamed up to make bionic gloves for baseball, softball, hockey and gardening. Technology is crazy isn’t it?! And if all that still isn’t enough, the Louisville Slugger is also the home of the World’s Largest Baseball Bat.

What can you expect when you go to check this out? Now, I took this tour a few years ago but I remember it being quite extensive and as a baseball lover you really try to take in every single thing. For starters, they have this HUGE wall with the signatures of the players as you can see them on the bats. Go on, find your favorites!

In another area, a baseball field is set up with players and bats waiting to be taken up to the plate. You can even pretend you are playing yourself.

Or you can loose yourself in the giant glove.

For me, the best part of the tour was when they brought us through the factory and showed us how the bats are made. If I remember correctly, we couldn’t take pictures of this part of the tour (hence I don’t have any) but it’s just a better reason for you to go check it out yourself! There are also videos, a gift shop and the best part is at the end of the tour, you receive a free miniature bat to take home for yourself. How fun is that?! I still have mine for personal protection, if I ever need it!
The factory was a lot of fun to visit and I would definitely recommend it. It’s also in a great part of town just to walk around and see the sights!
For more info on the tour, check out the Louisville Slugger website.

On the Road & Kentucky

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And here we were for the second stretch of the trip – Philadelphia to Louisville.
Pennsylvania was great, nice countryside, rolling hills and small mountains. We even went thru some fun tunnels where honking the horn and hearing the echo was pretty entertaining. Maryland – we were there for about 10 miles. I remember passing by one town around this area and there was just this giant church with a steeple in the distance and it seemed to just own the town. It’s odd the things you remember. We did go thru West Virginia, but honestly, I would rather forget. The road was winding and very, very hilly. Up and down and right and left, it seemed to take forever. When we hit the Kentucky state line, it was raining, pouring. Who am I kidding here?! Pouring. My photo’s were out of the picture when it came to the lush, green rolling hills and the large horse farms. It was BEAUTIFUL. Now, if only Mother Nature could cooperate with me if I have a chance to go back and explore. (Please!) But all in all, we made it to Kentucky and Sy was so happy to see his dad and stepmom!
I think the first thing his stepmom ever said to me was how pretty I was. Whatever, I’ll take it! haha I was officially in the South. First this was, I learned how to pronounce Louisville the way it is meant to be pronounced. Lou-vull, not Louie-ville. Remember this. Important facts I’m teaching you.
What does one do when they are in Louisville, but go to Churchill Downs of course! Have you not heard of the Kentucky Derby?!
We swung by the University of Louisville campus.
We walked around downtown and saw some pretty interesting buildings and architecture.
These got me and I completely forgot about them until just now. Animal heads on the buildings.
And there’s some pretty great statues around to keep you company as well.
Where does Louisville hail it’s name?
King Louis XVI.
They continue down by the waterfront…
Doesn’t he look like Peter Pan?!
Mr. Clark was one of the highest ranking military officials during the Revolutionary War. He is known as the “Conqueror of the Old Northwest”.
We most definitely checked out the Louisville Slugger factory but I’m going to have to tell you about that in an entirely different post.
Finally – food you ask. We were taken to Lynn’s Paradise Cafe. If you are looking for extreme Southern cooking, crazy hats and odd lawn art – you are in the right place. It’s definitely a unique attraction.
I’m going to say Lynn’s was my initiation to the South. I had never had grits, I didn’t really know what they were to be honest. Fried green tomatoes were just something that I knew from a great movie. I think you get the point. If you are looking for prime southern comfort – you’ve found a destination.