Walking in Memphis

Sorry about the delay in posting! Once we got back from our first trip, there was a day of work and then lots to do and catch up on, and my sabbatical work to begin, before we left again on Monday.

So I'm going to do a few posts tonight to try and catch us up more...

First up is our trip to Graceland. Both Rob and I were amazed by how much there was to see there. We'd anticipated spending a couple of hours touring Graceland and then taking a shuttle to Beale St. and that area. To our surprise, we ended up being at Graceland the entire day. It was really an experience. I took tons of pictures, inside the house and of costumes and records, that I'm thinking about putting up somewhere else eventually. For now, here are a few of the highlights.


The house itself is relatively modest, when you consider how rich and famous Elvis was. He bought it in 1957 at the age of 22 and lived there until his death in 1977. The top floor is not open to tours, as it was always Elvis' private area where guests weren't allowed. But the main floor and the basement, as well as several out buildings are included.




The final stop on the tour of the mansion is the meditation garden, which includes this fabulous fountain. In front of it, are the graves of Elvis, his mother, father, and grandmother as well as a memorial plaque for Elvis' twin. Here, Rob and Matt pose in front of the fountain with their audio equipment.

Elvis' grave. The flowers and souvenirs are both sent and brought to Graceland and are put out, whether the flowers are fresh or silk. They are left there until dead or faded.

After our tour of the mansion, Matt was hungry so we stopped at Rockabilly's Diner for lunch. While Matt and I had more traditional fare, Rob opted for the grilled peanut butter and banana sandwich. I have to admit, it was quite tasty!

After lunch, we hit the car museum and toured Elvis' two airplanes. All of which are summed up in this one picture. The guys insisted that my picture show up *somewhere*.

Having been unsuccessful at finding a pig for Lisa at Graceland itself, after we finished with all the official tour stops we headed to a souvenir shop across the street. On the way, Matt and Rob pose in front of the sign for Graceland (which is actually across the street from Graceland itself.) Just so you know, I was successful in finding a Memphis pig.

Here, Matt poses in front of the open gate to Graceland. The gates are closed at 6 pm and we were outside shortly before that. The grounds are beautifully lit at night, as we saw from the limo we took to and from dinner that night. One of the local restaurants, Marlowe's, will pick you up at your hotel or campsite in a pink limo and take you to the restaurant. This seemed too good of a deal to pass on so we opted for it for dinner that night. Great barbecue, too!

The historical plaque that is placed in front of the wall surrounding Graceland. Notice that the rocks of the wall are almost completely covered by names of people who felt compelled to note that they'd been there.