The day began all too early at 5am so I got caught up on some emails and notes to parents.
We went downstairs and grabbed a bite to eat at the breakfast bar but unfortunately we got there too late for the hot breakfast. We packed up and checked out as R&J pulled up to take us to Graceland!
We drove 10 minutes south and parked easily near the front gate. We went to check I with our tickets only to discover we only had access to the house and airplanes so had to upgrade our tickets to see all the displays in the new buildings recently constructed to house all of Elvis' stuff - and boy does he ever have a lot of stuff!
We watched a 7 minute video about Elvis' life before getting an interactive iPad and headsets to use once we got to the house. We boarded the shuttle bus and were whisked off across he street to Graceland. Graceland itself refers to the property of 9 acres of buildings and lawns as well as the house that Elvis lived in from 1958 until his death in 1977.
Once we got inside, walking was very tight as there were many many people jostling for pictures while hanging onto their iPads and listening to John Stamos provide recorded information about each room In The house and on the property for us to walk around and see.
It was quite clear that Elvis had all the most modern things you could have in the early 70s and was decorated in that genre with wallboard and shag carpeting from Floor to ceiling. Literally.
There were big boxy Black and white tv's in every room. The front living room had a nice sitting area and grand piano. The dining room was lovely and more modern than I expected but the kitchen was right out of the 60s and 70s. Wallboard and similar cabinets and stained yellow plastic in doors took me right back to Melvin and Artie Tkachuk's house in Porcupine Plain in 1977! It was like going back in time 40 years to my childhood. Wow.
The basement had a pool room and the main floor had a jungle room. So yeah - didn't everyone have a jungle room in 1977?
The yard was nice but not lavish as everything was literally preserved from 1977 until now. Horses walking on the grass in the distance. A nice but plain outdoor swimming pool and what threw me was the actual graves of Elvis and his parents and Grandmother next to the pool in a little garden. I didn't realize they were there but only made sense.
We boarded the shuttle bus to return to the grounds and complexes. We stopped in at the diner for a quick snack of grilled peanut butter and bananas on white bread with bacon grease. Not the healthiest choice - but when in Graceland...
We started in the building filled with all the vehicles and toys Elvis had accumulated over his career. There was a room dedicated to his short 2 year military career. There was a giant room of wax figure like statues of entertainers from around the world with quotes about how Elvis shaped music for all of them in becoming the icon he was. Another room filled with all the movie posters from all he had starred in with tvs playing those movies on large flat screen tvs behind them. There were numerous gift shops and an arcade room with 15 games of chance you might see at an outdoor fair.
He sold over a million records in his first year of recordings at age 21 and had amassed 120 Million sales by 2005. The sheer astounding number of gold and platinum albums adorning a wall was unfathomable. He truly was an American idol who rose from rags to riches and personified the American Dream.
Lastly, We wandered over to where the two jet airplanes were - a smaller 8 seater and a huge airliner that held 20 people easy aptly named Lisa Marie. The decor inside the planes was all suede and 1970s to the max. What a neat thing to see !
We decided to get on the road and start making our way NE to Nashville and find some food on the way. We got a ways down Interstate 45 and pulled over to Logan's Roadhouse and had a salad and soup before getting back on the highway - but not before Krista made a quick jog over to Starbucks for a chai latte.
We got an hour under our belt and pulled over to another convenience store for a 'restroom' break and a snack. Back on the highway truckin across 'Merica' through Tennessee and across the mighty Tennessee River and into Nashville.
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