Graceland- Memphis, TN

August 1, 2006

Graceland



Of all the stops on our trip, there was one place that Kathy & I agreed we must see, Graceland. Neither of us had ever been and it was one of those quintessential places that any decent American road trip must visit. Plus my sister Marika may have strangled me if we somehow missed out on one of her favorite places. I have to thank her though because not only was her recommendation spot on, she also arranged for us to stay at the lovely home of her Mother-in-law, Annabelle Martin during our stay in Memphis.

Annabelle and her adorable dog, Abbey, have given us the royal treatment and it has been a real pleasure staying here. The night we arrived, we were treated to the best home cooked meal we have had in months and her hospitality has been wonderful.

The Jungle Room



Graceland is an amazing experience. We opted to go with the more expensive “VIP Entourage” tour, which included the mansion, Elvis’ airplanes, the Elvis Car Museum, the Sincerely Elvis Museum and Elvis After Dark. It also had the added bonus of allowing us to by-pass the long lines in the 97 degree heat and be personally escorted between the attractions on a private shuttle.

Our first stop was the Graceland mansion, the home where Elvis lived and died. Only the downstairs and basement areas are open, but they offer more than enough to experience. It is all maintained just as it was when Elvis lived there and it’s pretty amazing. Like stepping into a time capsule, the home has all the infamous rooms such as the Jungle Room, the TV room, the Pool room and the trophy room where the thousands of gold records, grammys and other awards Elvis received are arrayed in an impressive display. The tour also includes many of the most famous clothes and artifacts from his incredible career. One does not need to be an Elvis fan to appreciate the impact the man had on our culture. By the time you get to the site where Elvis is buried you can not help but be impressed.





The planes, "the Lisa Marie" and "the Hound Dog II" are more examples of the trappings of rock star life as is the impressive car museum which houses many of the huge collection of cars that Elvis owned including his famous pink Cadillac. The other museums include even more Elvis memorabilia and many interesting artifacts, like a TV that Elvis shot and the pool table on which he played pool with the Beatles. The entire experience was great. The whole place is set up so well and the staff was courteous and helpful. We were there for the better part of the day