A House Fit for a King

[author: Kitty]

When we pulled our huge RV into the parking lot at Graceland, I whispered to Bubba, “I honestly thought this would be a lot more like Disneyland!” Tragically, the entrance is not glitzy, as I had imagined everything having to do with Elvis would be, but instead is tucked behind a strip mall in a gritty part of Memphis. I was not daunted by this negative first impression, however, as I had been looking forward to this for a long time.

We forged ahead through the 90-degree, humid weather toward the main building. Once we had our tickets in hand, we entered the shuttle line and we were each handed our own iPad to wear around our necks and headphones for the self-guided tour.  A funny little shuttle drove us literally right across the street and let us off in front of the house, which was kind of ridiculous, but considering the heat, we didn’t complain.

As we entered, I felt an overwhelming sense of Elvis’ spirit right away (kidding!). Seriously though, I could really imagine him back in the day, dressed to the hilt and covered in jewels, jingling all the way down the grand, mirror-lined staircase ready to receive guests. We toured around with our recordings and took in the amazing interior, which was a perfect time capsule of hip late 60’s décor. One of my favorite parts was the jungle room, which included green shag carpet, a funky fake waterfall at one end, and a lot of crazy carved-wood furniture from Hawaii. Also impressive was the "hall of gold”, which is where Elvis’ hundreds of gold records now hang.

Along with the incredible music history, it was also fun to learn about what a compassionate and generous guy Elvis was. He donated millions to charities very quietly and always helped his friends and neighbors in need. When we got to Elvis’ grave at the end of the tour, I felt like I had completed a musical pilgrimage to these hallowed grounds. I felt sad to have lost such an iconic entertainer at such a young age. I’m so glad we stopped. Long live THE KING!