We visit Graceland, the home of Elvis Presley in Memphis, Tennessee. The "Elvis Experience Tour" and an audio guide lead us around the grounds and through Graceland Mansion, the mansion where Elvis lived for 20 years until his death in 1977. Highlights here are the living room, the TV room, the billiard room or pool room, and the jungle room. Right next to the house, Elvis is buried in the Meditation Garden next to his family. In the exhibition grounds of Graceland, we see Elvis' fleet of cars with his famous "Pink Cadillac" and a wealth of exhibits from the life and career of the "King of Rock 'n' Roll". Two private airplanes can also be seen: "Lisa Marie" and "Hound Dog II" have reached their final parking position here.
In 1957, Elvis bought the former farm property, which is located about 14 km south of the center of Memphis. He transformed the house into a luxurious retreat according to his ideas and lived here until his death. The property has been open to visitors since 1982. In addition to Elvis' home, Graceland now has extensive exhibition areas, restaurants and souvenir shops to discover. We spend a whole day here and opted for the "Elvis Experience Tour", the most popular tour option. Booking online in advance is recommended. In true style, we stayed in the "Guest House at Graceland" next door; here too, Elvis and his music are omnipresent.
Our visit begins with the heart of Graceland. A shuttle bus takes us to the Graceland Mansion, Elvis' home, where an audio guide takes us through the house. When you look into the large living room on the ground floor, you think the residents have just gone next door. The white sofa is an impressive 4,5 m long. The furnishings are luxurious, in keeping with the taste of the time and the owner of the house. Behind the living room is the music room with the striking white grand piano that Elvis bought from the famous Ellis Auditorium. We then take a look into the bedroom that was used by Elvis' parents Gladys and Vernon Presley, and the dining room. A staircase leads from the entrance hall to the upper floor. However, this area with Elvis' bedroom, bathroom and the bedroom of his daughter Lisa Marie is not accessible to visitors. We continue into the kitchen. It is a journey back in time to the 1970s with the then state-of-the-art kitchen appliances, including an early microwave. We go down to the basement. In the yellow TV room there are three devices next to each other. Elvis took the idea from US President Johnson of watching all three news programs at the same time. Opposite is the billiard room, which the passionate billiards player had decorated with colorful fabric. An extension to the house houses the famous jungle room, a kind of cave with a green shag carpet, ferns and tropical elements. Buildings are grouped around the backyard of the house, which include Elvis' father's office. And Lisa Marie's swing is still here. In the 1970s, Elvis discovered racquetball and had a hall built for his new hobby. This is where he spent his last hours before his death. And today he lies in his grave in the Meditation Garden behind the swimming pool. Alongside Elvis, his parents, his grandmother, his daughter and a grandson rest here. A memorial stone commemorates his stillborn twin brother.
The shuttle bus takes us from the house back to the exhibition grounds. In the Presley Motors Automobile Museum, we look at Elvis' fleet of vehicles. We particularly like his pink Cadillac, which matches our travel pig perfectly in terms of color! 😁🐷 His private planes are also interesting. Elvis wanted to have his own fleet of planes one day. The larger of the two planes on display, the "Lisa Marie", in particular, enabled him to travel in style with a living room, bedroom and bathroom. There is a lot to see in the exhibition halls. His army uniform is shown and we learn that his time in the army and his stationing in Germany was Elvis' only stay outside of North America! We see his first single, his guitar, gold records, his costumes and learn a lot about him and his music. And Elvis' songs can be heard everywhere.
Our road trip now takes us further west. Our next destination is Texas!
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You can find the complete channel playlist for our stay in the USA here: th-cam.com/play/PLlJEw93joUmqrzH5wKxY3tGOgxqCeQNdu.html
Visit in April 2024
Chapter:
00:00 Intro
00:49 Guest House at Graceland and start of the tour
01:49 Graceland Mansion
05:06 Outside area of ​​the house
07:14 Graves of Elvis and his family
08:19 Automobile Museum
09:34 Elvis' airplanes
10:49 Exhibition
11:51 Outro