On one of the weekdays, John took the truck into town to work so Angel could have the car to visit Graceland. Neither of us are huge Elvis fans (for a multitude of reasons that we won’t get into here) but Angel’s Grandma and our nieces are crazy about him and Angel figured she couldn’t visit Memphis without a visit to the home of the King. While this was actually one of the more expensive day ventures we have done during our travels (parking plus admission was just under $100, plus lunch and souvenirs), it was really neat and there was SO MUCH to do.
The Graceland Mansion tour was really interesting Guests are assigned a time to board the shuttle to the mansion and is handed a headset while in line. As visitors ride the bus to the mansion, they are prompted to start the audio guide, which is hosted by John Stamos. You are able to progress through the mansion mostly at your own speed and are prompted to choose the corresponding audio selections that match each room. While Elvis was alive, the upstairs of the home was considered the private residence for himself and his family and that is still respected to date- guests are not permitted in the upstairs areas.
The main floor consists of a sitting room, dining room, kitchen, Elvis’s parents’ bedroom and bath, and of course the famous “Jungle Room”. The basement has a billiards room and entertainment room. It’s funny because when you hear “Graceland Mansion” and “Home of the King of Rock and Roll”, you kind of expect the mansions we see belonging to the stars of today- extravagant, giant palaces – but that isn’t the case. The house wasn’t that large or imposing and the inside, which was definitely very dated as it hasn’t changed since The King lived there in the 1970s, wasn’t really that flashy.
The house does sit on a large piece of property however and there are outbuildings that are included on the tour and an equestrian barn and pastures which are not. The outbuildings include a very modest garage with an attached office where his parents worked keeping up with his various correspondence, a wing with several of his awards and other various artifacts from his life and career, a pool, and the indoor racquetball court (which contains private space upstairs and a lounge where friends could watch the matches being played).
The property also contains the graves of Elvis Presley, his maternal Grandmother Minnie Mae, his parents Gladys and Vernon, and Elvis’s grandson Benjamin Keough who passed away in 2020. Since our visit, Lisa Marie has also passed away and will be buried at Graceland as well. There is also a headstone for Elvis’s twin brother who died at birth although he is buried elsewhere.
The Graceland complex also has several buildings that house SO MANY exhibits. One building is dedicated to cars, golf carts, boats and motorcycles that Elvis owned or used throughout the years.
Another building holds costumes from The King’s movies and various performances (SO. MANY. RHINESTONE JUMPSUITS).
Another building has some of the costumes belonging to other performers who Elvis’s style has inspired since his passing. There are personal documents, furniture, photos, and even a special exhibit dedicated to his time in the military. And of course gift shops and restaurants.
Perhaps the coolest thing located at Graceland is actually visible as you drive down Elvis Presley Boulevard (but I highly recommend paying admission to go inside and visit). Here you will see the two private jets that were used by Elvis and his family. The Lisa Marie is a giant plane with dining space, entertainment space, a bedroom and a full bathroom and the Hound Dog II is a smaller plane with luxury seating for a few people. Going onboard these planes and seeing the incredibly luxurious amenities really reminds you how successful, rich and famous Elvis really was.
Graceland was definitely a worthwhile adventure – even for someone who isn’t a big fan. Even if you aren’t into that kind of music – it was amazing to see the cars, the costumes and especially the planes.
The entire time we were in Memphis, my brain would not stop playing the song “Walking in Memphis” on a loop. I had already been to Graceland, which the song mentions, and while I did not see the ghost of Elvis, I did have a nice time. We decided we couldn’t leave without visiting Beale Street which is also mentioned in the song.
I don’t know what I was expecting but Beale was definitely something else. It’s just a street located in downtown Memphis but it is closed to traffic in the evenings and as you walk up and down that strip you can hear music pouring out of every door and window. The street is lined with bars, restaurants, galleries, souvenir shops and the best candy store ever (Beale Sweets-get the unicorn fudge. You won’t be sorry!). This small area actually gave us our fist ideas of what New Orleans would be like when we finally made it there – you could just buy drinks from walkup windows at the bars and carry them up and down the streets with you. We aren’t big drinkers so we just wandered the street taking in the sights and eating candy. We made a few visits to Beale while we were in town (all for the candy shop!) and each night was a different experience. We did try a few of the restaurants which were decent but not amazing. We really just enjoyed peoplewatching.
We were so excited to be able to meet up with a few familiar faces in Memphis during our visit. Our friend Brian and his family had moved there from Ohio several years prior and had invited us over for a visit. We didn’t get to spend as much time with them as we would have liked due to John’s work schedule and Brian’s National Guard training falling during our trip but we did make it over to visit them one evening and had a great time reliving the past, sharing stories, and being entertained by their kids and their dogs. One of the harder thing about travel is not seeing any familiar faces and this was definitely a great cure for our homesickness.
For our final adventure in Memphis, we visited the Lorraine Hotel. This is the location where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr was assassinated in 1968. The hotel has since been converted into a museum dedicated to the history of African Americans and their experiences in America and serves as the National Civil Rights Museum. This was a beautifully put together museum full of information and emotion and was not an experience I will soon forget. While this was a very somber and incredibly moving experience, I definitely recommend a visit.
A lot of the events depicted were hard to look at but were even harder for the people who had to live them and we owe it to them to learn from our mistakes and to work toward a better future.
I don’t want to take away from the serious nature of the Lorraine but I do want to end this post on a beautiful and hopeful note. One of my favorite unexpected things about Memphis was the incredible assortment of street art that we were able to see throughout the entire city. Some were whimsical, while others were uplifting, and some even a little confusing – but they were all stunning.
