Graceland

No trip to Memphis would be complete without a visit to Elvis' home for 20 years - Graceland. As we were riding towards the estate, we wondered what it would be like. How did Elvis live? After all, he grew up in a poor family, out in the little town of Tupelo. His home there was a shot-gun style two-room dwelling. When we arrived at Graceland, we were totally blown away by the opulence of the place. The first hint of the unexpected was the front gates, made of white painted wrought iron, designed to resemble the G-clef staff, complete with musical notes and a silhouette of Elvis. It was here that hordes of teen-age girls would gather, hoping to catch a glimpse of Elvis - or, if he came down to the gates, perhaps to be noticed by him (on several occasions, he was known to invite some of those teenagers up to the mansion for a visit).

Once inside, we expected to see a frat-house style bachelor pad, complete with typical, well-used, solid furniture. Were we wrong! Elvis, despite his poor upbringing, and his typical 20 something outlook, and a constant flow of young people in and out of the house, had a seriously sophisticated style of decor. His living room contained a custom made oversized (15 foot) sofa and a ten foot coffee table. Most of the living room furniture was upholstered in white leather. Beautiful stained-glass panels separated the living room from a large addition that he had made into a music room. Elvis was quite devoted to his parents. They lived with him here at Graceland (their lovely bedroom, decorated by his mother,was on the first floor, next to the staircase). The basement consisted of a poolroom, and a very large room, complete with three televisions, a bar, and many sofas and chairs.

The 14 acre grounds, with several outbuildings (e.g an office, trophy building, and a racquetball court) are beautifully maintained, with a granite kidney-shaped gunite swimming pool, horse stables, and riding areas. Elvis, his parents, and his grandmother, are buried on the grounds in the Meditation Garden. This place was well worth the rather pricey admission. It was time well spent.

We have arrived.

The main house at Graceland. The original owner had named it after his daughter, Grace. Elvis liked the name, so he decided to keep it.

The custom-made wrought iron gates (during our visit, these were swung open, so we could not get a good picture of them. This was taken off of the official website: www.graceland.com).

The unexpectedly opulent living room with the custom made oversized sofa and coffee table. Notice the peacock stained glass panels separating the living room from the music room.

The white carpeted staircase leading to the second floor bedrooms (not open to the public at the request of the family).

Elvis's parents bedroom, decorated by his mother.

Elvis' parents, Gladys and Vernon Presley.

Elvis loved to entertain. He would often have up to 20 people eating here in the dining room.

The kitchen was always open and stocked with food.

The "Jungle Room" den was an addition that Elvis had made for him, complete with a waterfall at the far end. Occasionally, he would have recording sessions in this room because of its acoustics.

The basement pool-table room.

Next to the pool-table room, is this entertainment room. Elvis had seen video of President Nixon watching three televisions at once, so he had three t.v's installed here.

One of the out-buildings on the grounds contained this office in which fan mail was read and responded to.

Elvis loved to ride whenever he could. He kept several horses here for this purpose.

Part of the trophy building in which the 150 plus gold records and other awards were on display.

The Meditation Garden in which Elvis, his parents, and his grandmother are buried.

Just down the street is the "Lisa Marie" jet that Elvis used while on tour.