by Samantha Bradley

Go, Do, See: Elvis Presley’s Graceland in Memphis

Let me tell you a secret that will cause my grams to roll in her grave...I am not an Elvis fan. I remember being 5 or 6 and watching my grams dance around the kitchen to Elvis while she canned veggies, but I just never shared her love of Elvis. So when I was on my way to Memphis and Kathy asked me if I would go to Graceland for the magazine...well let’s just say I was not jumping for joy.

Graceland offers several different packages for all levels of the Elvis obsessed. We did the Elvis Experience Tour which included a tour of the mansion, self guided tour of his planes and all access to the entertainment complex. You can expect to spend 2-4 hours on the tour, it depends on how long you want to stay at each attraction. The plane and jet were the first things we visited. It was neat looking at what was considered high end back then. The inside of the planes were covered in plexiglass so items could not be disturbed or damaged and there was an audio tour.

The Entertainment Complex has several different museums that have audio you can listen to to learn about that period of Elvis’ life. One had replicated studio sets from his films, one had his military career, and one had his childhood story. My favorite museum housed all of his costumes. His rhinestone

Elvis Presley’s Graceland in Memphis

By Samantha Poe Bradley

jumpers were beautiful. My husband is a history nut and he loves automobiles so the automotive museum was his favorite. And of course each museum had its own interactive experiences and souvenir shops.

The mansion is across the road and you have to take a tour bus to get to it which involves waiting in line for 10-45 minutes depending on how busy they are at the time. Unfortunately, since the restaurants in the complex were closed at the time we were there, I was beyond “hangry” and so we left for awhile in search of food.

As post COVID-19 regulations permit restaurants to reopen, Gladys’ Diner is a Classic American cuisine with a menu of hamburgers, hot dogs, and pizza. However, if you are

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Graceland - Continued

a devoted fan of Elvis, you can order one of his favorites - the peanut butter and banana sandwich. Be sure visit the sake and ice cream station which features handdipped ice crea. A root beer floats goes well with the sandwich.

From his early stardom in 1957 to his death in 1977, Elvis made Graceland his personal oasis, and all of his original touches remain. Snap a pic in front of Graceland’s gates, designed with help from Elvis himself. Then step into the iconic spaces including the glam living room where Elvis gathered with family and friends and the swanky Jungle Room, which doubled as a makeshift recording studio. The tour ends at the Meditation Garden, where fans may place tributes on Elvis’ grave daily during operating hours.

To order tickets or obtain more information, visit https://www.graceland.com/experience-graceland. Open daily except for Thanksgiving and Christmas Day, hours vary depending on the season. Normal hours through December are currently 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Overall, I can now say I am glad we went. The excitement from all the Elvis fans was contagious. The volume of people touring the facility was surprising and interacting with the employees was great. Everyone was very nice. It was interesting learning about his childhood, his acting career and his music.

I’m still not going to blare his music and dance around my kitchen to it, but maybe I won’t immediately change the station if it comes on now.

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