Just a bit of snow on the colder, exposed surfaces over night.
I had hoped never to see as picture like this.
Today was the day - now or never - for our visit to Graceland. Elvis Presley's Graceland Mansion, where he lived from 1957 until the day he died 20 years later, is hokey and something of a hoot, but it is also intriguing, entertaining, and, at times, moving. Beyond the crystal chandeliers, peacock blue curtains, "Jungle Room," with its waterfall wall, shag-carpet ceiling, and fake-fur upholstery, Graceland goes far beyond simple kitsch.
Neither one of us was a big Elvis fan but he was an entertainer, a poor boy from Mississippi who successfully merged the music of the Black South and the White South. His home, bought for his parents to fulfill a boyhood promise to buy them the biggest house in town, was the place where he could escape and find refuge, where he could kick back in an atmosphere that to him said "home."
There is a special entrance for those staying in the RV Park; all we had to do was walk across the parking lot.
We decided on taking just the Graceland Mansion Tour. We could have opted for the Platinum Tour that included Elvis' Automobile Museum, Elvis' Hawaii, and Elvis: Live From Vegas Exhibit. Or the Tour that provided all the Platinum stops plus the Airplanes - for the full Graceland experience.
Here we are waiting for the shuttle bus to take us across the street. Frederick is getting acquainted with the iPads that we were provided with that had the tour loaded on them.
Front of Graceland that is on the National Register of Historic Places. The home was built in 1939.
Living Room with the 15 foot long sofa.
Elvis' parents room. The rest of the bedrooms are on the second floor which remains private.
Dining Room
Downstairs Music Room that has three TVs.
Pool Room with pleated fabric on all four walls and the ceiling.
The water-wall in the "Jungle Room" which served as a family room next to the kitchen. There was shag carpet on the floor and on the ceiling.
The caption reads - This is a scale model of the tiny "shotgun" house in Tupelo, MS where Elvis Presley was born on January 8, 1935. Here the Presleys lived a simple, working class lifestyle. In search of a better life, the Presleys moved from Tupelo, MS to Memphis, TN in 1948.
Elvis loved horses and had 17 at Graceland.
The back of the house. The house and grounds are well maintained.
Graceland is a 32-acre complex and adjacent to the house was a trophy hall lined with his gold and platinum records.
There are also cases that held Elvis' army uniform,
wedding attire for his marriage to Priscilla,
and, some of his stage costumes.
In an adjacent Meditation Garden, the King's last resting place surrounded by the graves of his mother, father, and paternal grandmother, Minnie Mae.
No comments:
Post a Comment