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!