North America, Tennessee

Touring Graceland

Moving to Memphis, Tennessee has provided me some opportunities, such as touring Graceland, that I might not have had otherwise. We’re at the end of our stay in Memphis, so when my dad and step-mom came to visit, we took the opportunity to visit Graceland and see what all the fuss was about. Read on for my impressions.

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Graceland Mansion

My Childhood with Elvis

When I was a girl, Elvis Presley’s ‘Burning Love’ was a popular song. My cousin and I used to sing it and even made up a dance to it. I was in fourth grade at the time, so it wasn’t very sophisticated, but it was fun. He made an impression on me and when he died in 1977, it mattered to me.

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Living Room

During those few years where I paid attention to Elvis, everything I saw of him was over the top. Of course, that was his public persona, but as a girl, I didn’t understand that.  It colored what I thought I would see.

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  Dining Room

First Impressions

When we visited, the Hallmark Channel was filming a Christmas movie, to be aired during the 12 Days of Christmas this year, so there were Christmas decorations in the first two rooms we saw. Also, as I was driving by Sun Studio this morning, they were filming a scene there. Kind of odd to see snow when it’s 90 degrees outside.

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 Kitchen

My first impression of the mansion was that it wasn’t as big as I thought it would be. They did point out that when Elvis purchased the home, he was 21 years old and it was 1957, so it was pretty impressive. Personally, I don’t love crazy big houses, so I thought the facade was quite pretty.

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The Jungle Room

Touring Graceland

When touring Graceland, you will be given an iPad with a tour narrated with facts and stories about Elvis and Graceland. One of the tidbits is that in the Jungle Room, pictured above, Elvis’s daughter loved sitting in the chair in the right photo the best. It was made clear several times that Graceland was the place Elvis loved the best, because it’s where he could spend time with his family and have a ‘normal’ life.

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Den

In the den downstairs, Elvis had three televisions, so he could watch the news on all three network channels. This was obviously before cable tv and 24 hour news. Ah, the good old days.

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Billiard Room

Elvis Artifacts

The Billiard Room has fabric covering all of the walls and the ceiling, 350 yards actually. As a hoarder and lover of fabric, I can’t imaging the cost of all of that fabric. It’s a fun room and on the iPad you will be able to hear a story from Lisa Marie of the fun they had in this room.

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Presley Family Tree

Next to the mansion, there is a building full of artifacts of the lives that were lived in this mansion. I really love this family tree that was on the wall. It gives me some great ideas for the next time I’m living someplace that is mine.

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Elvis and Priscilla’s Wedding Attire

Did you know that Priscilla was just 14 years old when she met Elvis? They dated for 8 years before they were married in 1967. Elvis was 10 years older than Priscilla.

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Elvis’s Grave

When touring Graceland, you will find the mediation garden, which is where Elvis and four of his family members are buried and where the memory marker of his twin brother, Jesse, is as well, although his twin is buried in Tupelo, Mississippi.

Elvis’s Toys

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1966 Mongrel T

On the Graceland grounds, you will find an auto museum, full of vehicles that Elvis owned or used in a movie. I thought this 1966 Mongrel T, that was used in Elvis’s movie ‘Easy Come, Easy Go’. It was later repurposed and used as the Jokermobile on the ‘Batman’ tv series.

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Elvis’s Planes

Of course, with the crazy life that Elvis lived, he had to have some planes to get around. I didn’t take photos of the inside, but they were quite a lot more understated than I thought they would be.

My Conclusion

Overall, I really enjoyed my trip touring Graceland. It was full of information and fun to see how he lived his private life. It’s too bad he died when he so young, but sometimes our excesses get the better of us. He certainly made some amazing music while he was alive and some fun movies too.

Want to explore more of Memphis? Try one of the links below. Pin this one for reference later too.

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Memphis Street Art

Memphis Street Art

 

Explore Memphis Music History

Memphis Music Hall of Fame

 

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  • Elizabeth December 15, 2018 at 2:21 pm

    It’s so funny I just watched the Hallmark Christmas movie that took place there! That’s cool that you got to see them filming. You got to see so much more than they showed from the movie too. I would love to tour it one day, thanks for more inspiration to do so!

    • ppadmin December 16, 2018 at 8:34 pm

      I need to find that movie and watch it. It was funny to see all the Christmas decorations in the heat of July.

  • Erika's Travelventures December 15, 2018 at 10:39 pm

    Wow this is so cool! I grew up with Elvis too because my dad really liked his music. I’d forgotten that you can tour Graceland, I’ll definitely have to add it to my list of places to see in the US! I love all of your pictures, they really capture the feel of the mansion and what kind of life Elvis might have lived.

    • ppadmin December 16, 2018 at 8:33 pm

      It’s so sad that he died so early. He was so talented. I’m so glad that we were able to go to Graceland.

  • Namita December 15, 2018 at 10:51 pm

    Lovely tour into the home of Elvis! I’ve always wanted to visit this place and your post has made that happen in a vicarious way so thank you 🙂 The Jungle Room especially looks adorable !

    • ppadmin December 16, 2018 at 8:31 pm

      I’m glad you enjoyed it. The Jungle Room was his daughter’s favorite.

  • Shreya Saha December 16, 2018 at 12:49 am

    Wow I did not know that I can actually she Elvis palace. Graceland is really beautiful and I am sure you have had a great time visiting a place. The place is really huge and I love the pictures that you have taken.

    • ppadmin December 16, 2018 at 8:30 pm

      Thank you. It was really interesting. It was fun to visit Graceland for sure.

  • Jackie S. December 16, 2018 at 2:44 am

    Graceland looks fun to visit. It’s interesting to see Elvis’s former lifestyle. From the kitchen to the den and billiards room, love how everything is so retro. Thanks for sharing your experience with Graceland. We’ll add this to our list when we visit Memphis.

    • ppadmin December 16, 2018 at 8:29 pm

      I’m glad to read that. It was so interesting to me and not at all what I expected.

  • Nicole Hunter December 16, 2018 at 1:25 pm

    I have never seen photos of Graceland so I really loved this blog. It is very interesting how ugly so many of the rooms are by today’s standards but that they were so lavish and over the top back then. I’d love to visit Graceland and see this myself. I was also very young when he died and it definitely made an impression on me.

    • ppadmin December 16, 2018 at 8:29 pm

      You’re so right. The tastes of the time were very different than they are now.

  • Lisa December 17, 2018 at 6:49 am

    I remember doing this many years ago on a road trip around the US. Honestly, I was too young to appreciate Elvis’ legacy on the world of music. Graceland is an impressive estate, and it’s brought back memories seeing the rooms again.

    • ppadmin December 17, 2018 at 3:00 pm

      Graceland was really pretty and well kept up. I’m so glad I was able to go.

  • Adrenaline Romance December 17, 2018 at 8:45 am

    I’m sharing this article to my Dad who is now living in LA, California. He is a big fan of Elvis, so he would definitely love it here.

    • ppadmin December 17, 2018 at 2:58 pm

      Thanks so much. Elvis was a very talented man for sure. I hope your dad will love the post.

  • Suman Doogar December 18, 2018 at 10:20 pm

    Really it is so sad that he died young. I really enjoy his music and style. I would love to tour Graceland someday and see how he lived his life.

    • ppadmin December 19, 2018 at 7:51 pm

      It’s really interesting to see is home and memorabilia. I did think about his daughter and how she lost her dad so young. She sure looks like him though.