Graceland in the Rain

• September 18, 2009
• Rated 3 of 5 by weeblewobble46 from Marietta, Georgia

The day we chose to visit Graceland was one of the rainiest in Memphis. We figured that since we were going to be inside most of the time, we would still show up for the tour. In fact, since the weather was calling for rain, we figured that we would show up early and see if we could be moved up in the time slots. We were! Bad Move!!! The heaviest rains came in the morning and we took the tour during a deluge.

The mansion tour ( inside ) went smoothly. Living room to the right, dining room to the left - a little fancy for the day, but pretty standard setup. The kitchen carpeting brought back memories (bad ones) of scrubbing the indoor/outdoor carpeting and hoping that all the germs were removed. They must not have had the same germaphobic tendencies since the carpeting retained it's coloring (ours was bleached out from all the scrubbing). The waterfall in the Jungle room gives a grotto-like effect to the room. I can see why it was one of Elvis's favorite areas in the house.

Back outside to go to Vernon's office. Even though we were under an awning, we still got wet due to the pouring rains and the leaks. I'm sure that if the rain was not so heavy, the awnings would not have leaked as badly. Vernon's office was set up as it had been during his life. The remaining part of the building houses memoriabilia (model of the birthplace in Tupelo and a gun range) with the swing set for Lisa Marie standing outside.

From there we ran (in the pouring rain) to the Raquetball building. We were wet, but not drenched when we entered into the lounge area and saw the piano that Elvis played on his last day on earth. From there we went to the building that houses memories and photos from a career that started in the early 1950's.

We never got to see the gravesite and the Memorial Garden since the area was fairly well flooded as we ran past. By this time the fields and low lying walkways were flooded. Water flowed over the tops of our shoes as we slogged through to the covered waiting area for the shuttle to take us back to the starting area across the street.

We disembarked and went into the Gift shop just in time to hear the announcement "If you parked in the general parking area, you need to move your car to higher ground". We headed to the car, slogging through knee-deep water, to find that we were one of the lucky ones. Water had not yet entered our car (we had a van) and we were able to back out of the parking spot and head back to our hotel to dry off.

I really hope to return one day (in the sunshine preferably) and see the areas we missed. It is too bad that the grounds aren't more "guest friendly" in bad weather. The awnings could easily be extended between buildings so that guests could be better protected from both sun and rain. Umbrellas did not - could not - protect us from this forceful rainfall.

From journal Memphis

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Visit the Home of Elvis - The Graceland Mansion

• August 27, 2009
• Rated 5 of 5 by catsholiday from ashbourne, United Kingdom

We booked a package on the internet which included a night in the Heartbreak Hotel and A visit to Graceland.

THE PACKAGE:

This is the package we booked on the website:
• One night deluxe accommodations for two people at Elvis Presley’s Heartbreak Hotel with free continental breakfast
• Two reservations for the Graceland Platinum Tour, which includes an audio-guided tour of Graceland Mansion and grounds, and a self-guided tour of Elvis's two custom airplanes, Elvis's Automobile Museum, Private Presley and the Sincerely Elvis

Museum.

We paid about $160 per couple and shared a 2 double bedded room in the hotel so I think it was actually quite good value. I looked at other hotels in the area and they might have been a bit cheaper but we thought lets go really kitsch and do the whole thing properly as we will not go another time.

COLLECTING OUR PASSES:

We arrived at the Heartbreak hotel at about 10.30 am and although our rooms we not ready they put our cases in a store and gave us our Graceland passes. From the hotel you just walk across a car park area to the Graceland ticket office. Show your passes and then you get given special tickets with each bit that tear off as you go to each exhibit.

THE TOUR STARTS:

We decided we’d go straight to Graceland, the house as it does get busy. As it was we had to wait for 2 buses to go first. As you queue up you have the obligatory photos taken in from of a large Graceland photo. We were also handed headphones which would be our audio guide throughout the Graceland house and gardens. The house is only over the road but Elvis Presley Boulevard is quite a wide road to cross and also by using this way they can control the numbers of visitors going in. We hopped on the small bus and were taken across the road through the main gates up to the house.

THE HOUSE:

The house has been open to the public since 1982 and I was actually amazed that the house was quite normal looking a bit like the nice houses you see well off Americans living in on the movies , a small version of the White house with pillars either side of the front door. The wall along the road was just an ordinary high wall nothing really secure at all. Someone with a bit of gymnastic ability could actually hop over this wall without any trouble. We drove through the gate, not exactly in style but through the hallowed gates none the less. We were dropped off at the front door and as we entered the hall we were instructed to start our audio guide.

INSIDE THE MANSION:

The front hall was quite a normal sort of large hall from which we could see the formal lounge on the right which was a bit dated but quite fresh and bright with stained glass decorative ‘windows’ at either side about half way down with peacocks on them. All in all it looked a very pleasant and normal sort of 1960/70s lounge.
From this we moved down along the right hand of the staircase towards the ‘granny flat area he had converted for his grandparents. There was largish double bedroom with ensuite all very nicely furnished on this ground floor so his grandparents did not have to cope with stairs.

The next room we passed by was the dining room which was very traditional with a large table laid with good cutlery. The furnishings were dark wood and looked like any other dining room of moderately well off people.

The kitchen was quite large, a bit like a farmhouse kitchen but no big table in the middle. All the units were in 60/70s darkish wood and looked quite dated and there were a number of kitchen gadget, a very large cooker and microwave. Again it was so very ordinary and this was something that struck me in most of these rooms.

We were not allowed upstairs as these were private. I’m not really sure why as no-one lives there and they are making a huge amount of money from all the visitors but we could only obey the rules of entry and comply.

As we passed through the kitchen we came to the most disgusting idea of interior decorating I think I have ever seen. This is the ‘Jungle room which was used as a sort of rumpus/casual entertaining/family room. This room had sludgy green shag pile carpets on the floor and part way up the walls – that was bad enough but then at one end was a huge waterfall and of course being a jungle room there were various animal faux skins and vegetation. You really had to see this to believe it. There are two virtual tours on the Graceland website and I do recommend a view of this room if no other as it has to be see to be believed. http://elvis.com/graceland/vtour/quicktime/Jungle2.mov
http://elvis.com/graceland/vtour/quicktime/Jungle1.mov

We went on through the house to a music and television room (a bank of televisions so he could watch several channels at once) bar and other rooms which were all interesting in their own way and all stuck in a time warp in decor terms in my humble opinion.

OUTSIDE THE MANSION:

Once outside we saw the offices of his brother who was his manager of the Elvis Presley Empire with their moto TCB – Taking Care of Business. In these outer buildings were all Elvis’s awards, gold silver and platinum records, his outfits and other memorabilia. It was room after room of Elvis’s life through his music, photos, clothes and awards and it was astounding. I’m not a mad Elvis fan by any means but I have grown up with his films and music being around but I had no ideas to the scale of his popularity and I was gob smacked by it all.

The garden area was quite large and there were stables and fields for horses which Elvis had for his family but they did not seem to be part of the estate now. Outside the garage/office was Lisa Marie’s swing set which was a rather shabby old set but I thought that in those days that must have been quite a good set and it was rather poignant that it was still there. It looked a bit like the sort you see in neglected gardens in a tense movie. He had his own racket ball court with a lounge area within it and this had yet more Elvis awards and other paraphernalia on display.

Round by the swimming pool was the area I felt least comfortable with. This was the memorial garden with grave stones and plaques to the various family members. I’m afraid I did not linger too long around here. Some people were taking photos of the gravestones but I never really feel this is appropriate as I am quite a private person and feel that this is one area where people should be left in peace to grieve – it should not involve total strangers.

SUMMARY:

I am really pleased I have been to Graceland though it was never high on my bucket list of places to see before I die. We were in Tennessee so we made the extra effort to get to Memphis to experience Elvis land. In this section I have just covered the Mansion Graceland as otherwise this review would be too long. It was fascinating to see how very popular Elvis was and indeed still is. The house itself was very unpretentious; he provided a comfortable and pleasant place for his family with horses to ride, quad bikes, cars and everything they needed behind those gates. It is well worth a look even for those who are not great fans; his is a person famous within his lifetime who has touched so many people’s lives that he merits a place in 20th century history.

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Graceland

• July 7, 2009
• Rated 4 of 5 by MayA17 from Boonton, New Jersey

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Graceland

• September 2, 2006
• Rated 4 of 5 by Shady Ady from Hinckley, United Kingdom

A visit to Memphis is not complete without a trip to Graceland, the home of the late, great Elvis Presley. I never considered myself one of his biggest fans, but the life of Elvis was an extraordinary one, and for me I found myself fascinated with Graceland, not because I wanted to mourn the loss of one of music’s genius performers, but because it gave me the chance to learn things I would never have known.

Graceland is excellently set up, with an enormous amount of interesting facts and information, but on arrival it could easily be mistaken for a slightly tacky tourist trap, especially upon arrival at the visitor centre, modelled on an airport terminal. I would not blame anyone for thinking Graceland is nothing more than a money-making venture for the Presley family. If, like me, you thought this, then you will be pleasantly surprised that when taking the short bus ride across the road to Graceland, you feel like you are about to enter an old stately home than the home of a celebrity.

Graceland, located at 3764 Elvis Presley Boulevard, is situated on Elvis’s 14-acre estate and was opened as a museum in 1982. Today, everything has been left the same as when inhabited by Elvis. Elvis lived here from the late 1950s until August 16, 1977, when he tragically died, a result of an overdose of mixed drugs and complications of severe heart disease. His body is buried in Graceland and has become a shrine and pilgrimage for true Elvis fans.

During the tour of Graceland, you get taken through many of the rooms, including living areas, kitchen, basement, bar and billiards rooms, and the famous jungle room. After this you visit Elvis’s trophy room and auditorium, the place where Elvis collapsed and died. You finish the tour at Elvis’s grave. I was expecting this part to be a little over the top, but like the rest of the tour, the set-up was very tasteful and respectful. There was also none of the mass hysteria of grown women collapsing and fainting, like I was expecting. What also surprised me was the variety of languages and ages of visitors. Elvis might have died almost 30 years ago, but he still reaches out to a vast array of people. The tour is given through a headset, which I think is an excellent idea, as it allows you to tour the house at your own pace. My tour here lasted around 2 hours.

If you want to experience the ultimate Elvis experience, you can book yourself into Elvis’s Heartbreak Hotel, located across the road from Graceland, although this would have been too much of an Elvis overload for me. Other attractions at Graceland include Elvis’s jet, the Lisa Marie, and Elvis’s extensive car collection.

Entry to Graceland costs between $20 and $27, depending on what you want to see. Parking costs $2. For more information on directions, opening times, and prices, information can be found at http://www.elvis.com/graceland.

From journal Tales of a Travelling Englishman (Part 7 - Tennessee, USA)

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Graceland

• July 14, 2006
• Rated 5 of 5 by hjb from Devizes, United Kingdom

From journal Memphis Experience

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