Yesterday we went to Graceland! I’ve kinda always been fascinated with Elvis Presley because he’s was so brilliant & quirky {plus the dude sold over a billion records worldwide and that’s just impressive}. So obviously when we started making plans to head on our epic road trip to Memphis, we had to head to Graceland. I mean he’s The King. And he’s awesome.
First of all the estate itself is massive at 13 acres+ {Sheesh. Can you even image mowing that lawn. The Handsome Husband would have a heart attack!}. And then the house is a freakin rad mansion {it has twenty-three rooms, including eight bedrooms and bathrooms. And just like the HH would not want to mow that lawn, I’d pass out cleaning the interior} and a museum too.
It’s also a National Historic Landmark and gets over 600,000+ visitors every year. I could go on and on about how cool Graceland is, but I’ll let our pictures do the talking. Here are my top 10 favorite things at Graceland {in no particular order}:
1. The Front Gate: It’s probably the most famous thing about the estate and I totally get why. It’s a wrought-iron gate shaped like a book of sheet music with huge green colored musical notes and a silhouette of Elvis. Pretty impressive!
2. The Meditation Garden: Well, it’s a garden, so clearly I’m going to love it. Elvis, his parents Gladys and Vernon Presley, and his grandmother are all buried there. There’s also a memorial gravestone for Presley’s twin brother, Jesse Garon {he was stillborn, so sadly Elvis never knew him}.
3. The Entry: The entryway contains four Temple of the Winds columns and two large lions perched on both sides. Clearly Elvis knew how to make a statement.
4. The Jungle Room: One of Elvis’ favorite rooms is inspired by one of his favorite places to vacation: Hawaii. It has a very Polynesian feel with really cool carved wood and even a waterfall! Best part? The faux fur upholstery and green shag carpet!
5. The Racquetball Building: It was once an actual racquetball court, but now it houses a large display of Elvis’ awards, honors and accomplishments. Holee Cow he was a big deal. There are also a couple of his stage costumes, including the very famous American Eagle jumpsuit. It was neat to see those costumes up close & personal.
6. Mansion Foyer: It has a 15-foot wide white sofa. Need I say more.
7. The Dining Room: The dining room was where Elvis and his family would enjoy down-home Southern cooking for their evening meals. And probably where hundreds of those famous Peanut Butter, Bacon and Banana sandwiches were consumed!
8. The Stained Glass: It kinda wraps around the front door and all along the entryway windows. Very unique.
9. The Staircase: I mostly loved this because it holds such mystery. It leads to a curtained off 2nd floor that only family is allowed to access. Upstairs is also the bathroom where he supposedly died, which leads me to #10…
10. Elvis’ Ghost: Okay so we obviously didn’t get a picture of this {we’d be millionaires if we had!}, but there’s still a part of me that believes the rumor that he didn’t die in his bathroom at Graceland of a heart attack. What do you think? Any conspiracy theories?
Yep, Graceland was pretty cool, but I have to admit I thought someone would certainly, “Thank us. Thank us very much,” as we left. 😉
~Mavis
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