The Lunch Box Journals

Graceland
Graceland, of course, is the home of the late Elvis Presley located just nine miles south of downtown Memphis. Originally owned by Memphis printer, Stephen Toof, the land was originally named Graceland Farms after his daughter, Grace. The mansion was built by a descendent in 1939. Elvis bought the property in 1957 and he and his family occupied it until his death in 1977. Graceland is the third most visited home in the United States after the White House and Biltmore, the Vanderbilt mansion in Asheville, North Carolina. Over 600,000 visitors tour the property each year. The home is not exceptionally large by today’s standards at around 10,000 square feet amongst all the buildings, and the furnishings are preserved as they were in 1977. The 14 acre estate fronts on Elvis Presley Blvd, a busy five lane highway that bisects the suburban town of Whitehaven. The mansion is barely visible from the street, nestled in a grove of lush oak trees.

The visit actually begins across the street where a sprawling complex exists with the solitary purpose of squeezing as much money as possible from each individual tourist. The cluster includes the Graceland Crossing Shopping Center (Elvis’ Hawaii Shop, Everything Elvis, ’68 Special Shop, Graceland Harley-Davidson and Souvenirs of Elvis); the Heartbreak Hotel; and Graceland Plaza (ticket booth, Gates to Graceland, Good Rockin’, Gallery Elvis, Welcome to My World, At the Movies with Elvis, Elvis at Home, Elvis Kids, Elvis Threads). In addition to the actual tour of the mansion, other available experiences include The Graceland Archives Experience, Elvis’ Hawaii: Concerts, Movies and More, tours of Lisa Marie and Hound Dog II (his planes), Bijou Theatre, I Shot Elvis Photography, and the Elvis Presley Automobile Museum. Ticket prices range from $36 for just the mansion tour all the way up to the $77 Entourage VIP Tour that covers everything. I’m sure that this will not surprise those who know me, I settled for the $36 mansion tour.

Behind all this is the Graceland RV Park, my base for the Memphis visit. I kid you not, here are the actual directions to my spot: head south down Elvis Presley Blvd; turn right on “Lonely Street”; continue straight on “Love Me Tender Blvd”, pass “Teddy Bear”, “Hound Dog”, “Shook Me Up”, “Don’t Be Cruel” and “Blue Suede” Lanes; turn left on “Jail House Road” and pull into spot 76. Once settled in, I head for my tour. The way the process works is that you buy a ticket at Graceland Plaza and then board a little tour bus for the drive across the street and into the estate. You cannot walk onto the Graceland property. While waiting for the tour, the guide hands out an I-pad on a lanyard along with earphones. The tour of the house is a self-paced video tour (narrated by actor John Stamos) that activates as you move from room to room. I have to say I was a bit skeptical but it in fact worked really well. The first thing of note is the entrance. A brick wall frames the opening through which the mansion is barely visible up a slight rise. The brick is covered with messages from adoring fans (wasn’t carrying my chalk so had to pass…)

Then the van pulls up outside the front entrance of the mansion.

Stepping through the door you enter the foyer.

To the right is the living/music room (with a 17 feet long white leather sofa) and to the left is the dining room with the table set with the family china.

Just pass the stairs going up to the second floor (which is not open to the public) is Elvis’ parents’ suite.

The tour goes through the dining room and into the kitchen. Note the television on the counter and the “state of the art” microwave in the corner.

We then go down a set of narrow stairs into the basement, which has a media room to the left and a game room to the right. The media room is done in yellow and navy with the ceiling and one wall of mirrors. A bar occupies a corner, the stereo system another. Remember this was 1977 when you laugh at the technology!

Across the hall is the game room with walls and ceiling entirely covered in pleated fabric.

Back up the stairs we enter the jungle room and right away I notice the green shag carpet! The brick wall on the left at first glance looks like a fire place but in reality it is a water feature with water trickling down the wall under the glow of a red light

That concludes the tour of the house and the next stage is out back, past the carport. A small building houses the office that Elvis’ father used when running his empire (behind glass, accounting for the reflection in the picture).

Next is a walk across the backyard with the horse pasture on the east and the back of the house to the west.

Next on the tour is the Trophy Room, which is actually a small building recognizing Elvis’ career in music and movies.

The wedding clothes worn by Elvis and Priscilla in 1967 occupy a place of honor.

Exiting the Trophy Room the path takes us to the racquetball court, a separate building completed in 1975. It houses a conversation pit and more memorabilia, especially stage outfits.

Across from the racquetball court is the pool area and beyond the pool is the Meditation Garden.