I had been driving through some rain-soaked regions of late. This article and this one are good reminders of the rainy weather taking place all up and down the Mississippi River this Spring. (Two weeks ago I was in that biblical deluge from Selma AL to Biloxi MS … aannd I had just come through two days of rain across Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas.)
I arrived in Memphis mid-afternoon. My first glimpse of the city revealed a swollen Mississippi River.
Because of the two-day drive from Denver to Memphis in rain, my husband’s step-mother, E, had kept in touch via text. She followed the weather along my route and worried for me! I pulled into the Welcome Center and called her.
“The rain is behind me and I’m in Memphis! Blue skies ahead!”
“Hallelujah! Memphis!! You’re going to Graceland, aren’t you?”
To be honest, Graceland wasn’t even on my bucket list.
E had never visited herself — and she’s a huge Elvis fan.
But, HERE I WAS, so I decided to visit Graceland and text E a picture of myself in front of Elvis’ house.
I drove to the parking lot and walked straight up the Graceland kiosk complex walkway, which is a diner to the left, movie theater and shopping on right, and tickets, more shopping, and auditorium straight ahead.
Least expensive ticket was just under $50, which included an introductory video in the auditorium, iPad and headset for self-guided tour of the Graceland property (which is just across the busy Elvis Presley Boulevard via shuttle), and walk-on tour of the Lisa Marie jet.
After purchasing my ticket, I was directed to the auditorium. The video was mostly about Elvis’ rise to musical fame following his U.S. Army tour.
Upon exiting the auditorium, ticket-holders were handed an iPad/headset before boarding the shuttle. Once we were on the property we were free to roam the house and grounds, as permitted, including:
- Entryway (upstairs is off-limits to visitors)
- Living Room
- Dining Room
- Gladys’ Bedroom and bathroom (Elvis’ mother)
- Kitchen
- Billiards Room
- “Jungle Room”
- Vernon’s Office
- Smokehouse
- Horse Paddock
- Trophy Room
- Pool
- Meditation Garden and Presley Grave-sites
Once you shuttle back to the kiosk property, you are invited to tour the Lisa Marie, Elvis’ private jet.
You can imagine the photos, the history, and memorabilia…!
Graceland remains decorated just as it was at the time of Elvis’ death (August 16, 1977), as is the Lisa Marie. My unedited photos are HERE, should there be interest in taking a look.
I finished my tour of the Lisa Marie and headed back to my car.
When I turned out of the parking lot, onto Elvis Presley Blvd once again, I noticed that the skies had clouded up. I wondered if the rain would find me. It did, later that night, and on and off over the next several days to Nashville and Knoxville, until I was outside of Richmond VA.
Header image: Graceland selfie I sent to E
Mary Ann Stewart 