It was still drizzly in the morning, but we braved the weather
and went to visit Elvis. Graceland is just through a gate in the back fence of
the RV park. We were expecting crowds, but it was fairly quiet. We bought the
VIP tour that gave us priority on the shuttle and an extra VIP lounge area with
displays of Elvis’ more personal items – like his little pistol he carried everywhere
in his boot.
The Graceland complex is vast, with museum space, the
Graceland mansion and grounds, and room for two of his planes. The tour started
with a shuttle bus to the mansion. We were dropped off at the back of the
mansion and started with a short film about Elvis’ life. Following the film, we
were sent to the front of the house to begin the guided tour. Everyone is given
an iPad and headphones with the tour recorded. You can pause the guide and zoom
in on pictures and also get a look at parts of the house you can’t see from the
tour.
We started with the living room. It was larger than life ostentatious,
with stained glass murals, a grand piano, and what would have been up to the
minute 70s décor.
From there we took a peek into Elvis’ mothers’ room, then on
to the dining room. Elvis had multiple TVs in every room and his favourite chairs
always had a view of the TV. The kitchen was very 70s with all the latest
gadgets and appliances. Some of the staircases had shag pile carpet on the
walls and ceilings. Terribly “House & Garden” for its time.
The stairs to
the basement had mirrored walls and ceilings, and we had to be warned to watch
our steps as it could be very disorienting.
In the basement was Elvis media room – a riot of his
favourite colours, blue and yellow.
The pool room was decorated in brocade fabric, folded and
gathered intricately.
The famed jungle room was pretty full on, with African influences
in the furniture and décor.
Outside there were white railed paddocks with four rescue
horses grazing contently. They have their own mail box for fan mail, and the
grooms read the mail to them. The grounds include a racquetball court, offices,
outbuildings and the meditation garden where Elvis and his family are laid to
rest. (allegedly… he has been spotted serving at McDonalds if the rumours are
to be believed).
We took the shuttle back to the main complex for the museum
tour. There is everything – his cars, gold records (lots of them), the famous jumpsuits,
displays on his movie career, army days, and lots of merchandise shops. You
have to walk through shops to get between displays, so there is plenty of
opportunity to buy up big. You can even get replica Elvis gold suits for $2300.
We had a break for lunch at Vernon’s Smokehouse. American food
is interesting. Very over salted and over sugared for our Aussie taste buds.
We completed the tour with a visit to the planes. The Lisa
Marie includes a living room, dining room, guest pull out couch, Elvis’ bedroom
and his bathroom. The seat belt fittings are gold plated, and the sinks are
flecked with 24 carat gold. The Hound Dog II is his smaller jet, with just
seating space and not nearly as lavish.
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