"I'm going to Graceland, Graceland... Memphis, Tennessee." --
"I followed him up to the gates of Graceland, and I watched him walk right through." --
Marc Cohn (Walking in Memphis)
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| (c) 2016 SeeHearReadPop |
Last week, I had the pleasure of
visiting Elvis Presley's
Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee. This place has been long-revered in the public consciousness through pop songs (mentioned above) and legendary photos. When my friend and I pulled up at the Graceland tourism center, we were completely confused as to what we were seeing. A series of Elvis-themed shops and the
Heartbreak Hotel greeted us on one side of the road. We didn't see the house, but there is a hotel for "lonely people to dwell" right across the street. We came to the ticket center, and I thought this must be it. Wrong again! We bought tickets and were given headphones and iPads for the guided tour. Then we queued in line for a bus. We did a double take when we saw there were buses involved. Just how big was this property? I had already heard there was room for horses to run around, but this seemed extreme.
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| (c) 2016 SeeHearReadPop |
The bus took us across the street to what a modern day person would recognize as an average -sized colonial in the suburbs. But in the 1950's this house would be on a grand scale to other houses in the area, and it was majestic. Who runs the place now? Despite their divorce many years ago, Elvis's ex-wife
Priscilla actively is involved in the property and keeping her former husband's legacy available to
the public. The building opened to the common folks back in 1992.
The tour included the first floor and basement of the house, excluding the 2nd floor due to privacy of the Presley family. Per the tour, "The King" died in a second floor bathroom. We were told by our wonderful iPad tour guide
John Stamos (
Haaave Merrrcy!) that daughter
Lisa Marie and her family visit from time to time. During these occasions, the property is closed so the family can enjoy dinner in the house. The first floor held Mr. (Vernon) and Mrs. Presley's bedroom, the grand living room and music room, dining room, kitchen, and the infamous jungle room. A tour of the basement included a media room (with three T.V'.s on one wall) and a pool room covered from ceiling to floor in upholstered fabric.
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| (c) 2016 SeeHearReadPop |
"Priscilla, Priscilla, how'd you keep him to yourself?"
--
Miranda Lambert (Priscilla)
The garage, former home to the pink Cadillac, also held Vernon's office. Hold on
Kris Jenner, but
Vernon Presley could give you a run for your money as the original dad-ager. We caught news footage there of a just-returned from service (circa 1957) Elvis shaking off the notion that he found love while her was serving overseas. He casually mentioned an American girl he met there and it was "nothing serious." Her name was
Priscilla Beaulieu, and she would become Presley's wife in 1967.
The pool house was turned into a hall of records. Literally there was a wall of gold and platinum records, Grammys, and other awards. There was a ton of memorabilia (Elvis lipstick) and displays and clips from Elvis's movie days. The former fitness center housed a tribute in Elvis's later years, mostly the
Las Vegas time. In the same racquetball court where Elvis stood hours before his death, I took in videos of his T.V, special from Hawaii, Las Vegas shows, and about a dozen different jumpsuits. There was also a tribute and display to the Elvis commemorative postage stamp, first introduced in 1993 and
reintroduced in 2015.
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| (c) 2016 SeeHearReadPop |
It was unreal to walk in the same space where legends of music had also walked. While some reports have called the design of the house ostentatious and gaudy, I found it very true to the style of Elvis. It was regal, like a king, but still pretty homey. The kitchen (sorry photos didn't come out) was nearly untouched since Elvis passed away in August of 1977. A simple television sit on the counter and stools sat next to a refrigerator, with a shopping list that noted peanut butter and bananas, an Elvis special sandwich.
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| (c) 2016 SeeHearReadPop |
The final stop on the tour before heading back to the visitor's center was the memorial garden. There were graves for the King, his parent,s his grandmother Minnie Presley, who outlived almost the entire family, and Elvis'
twin brother Jesse (like
Uncle Jesse from
Full House), who was stillborn. It's a very beautiful place on the property. On August 16th, there is a candlelight vigil held in honor of Elvis's death. My birthday falls on the anniversary of Elvis' death, and I enjoy a movie marathon each year. My favorite movie is
Clambake, but I still have many to see.
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