Elvis Presley's Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee
One of the Most Visited Homes in the USA
Jul 2, 2008
Graceland - Memphis, Tennessee
Elvis Presley bought the rambling Memphis mansion and 14-acre estate as a home for himself and his parents in March 1957, reportedly paying around $100,000. He was only 22 at the time. Graceland was named for Grace Toof, whose family owned the estate for over a century before the sale to Presley.
Now more than 650,000 people go through the mansion each year. Next to the White House, it is the most visited house in the USA. It’s not hard to find when you’re in Memphis - everyone knows where it is and can point you in the right direction.
But those who are imagining a gracious “southern plantation” scene, will be disappointed – Graceland, though set back from the road, is located on the four-lane Elvis Presley Boulevard, lined by strip malls, Elvis museums, parking lots and souvenir shops.
Colonial Revival Structure
Although this is one of the most visited homes in the USA, the house is not at all that exceptional and far smaller than it appears in photographs, but is certainly worth a visit for any Elvis fan.
Graceland is a limestone, Colonial Revival structure, shaded by big old hardwood trees, set well back from the road surrounded by green lawns.
Visitors are drivent to the front door in little busses from the Plaza across the road and then the tour of the house begins. Look to the right as you come in the front door, there is a gracious living room with a piano in the far corner. A portrait of Elvis hangs on the wall flanking the staircase.
The Jungle Room at Graceland has Green Shag Carpeting
Elvis's private quarters upstairs are off limits to the public, of course. Green shag carpeting, a lot of houseplants and vaguely tropical furniture give the Jungle Room its name. The Media Room in the basement boasts a canary yellow carpet, many mirrors, multiple TV screens, and ceramic monkeys. An office and a variety of other rooms are also on show.
The overall feeling inside is quite cramped, but maybe it is because tourists are press-ganged through the home in groups with other groups ahead and some behind. And being in Memphis in mid summer also doesn't help the feeling of closeness in the place Elvis called home.
Out the back door along the side of the house past the pool are the family graves. This is the place everyone heads for.
Graceland Mansion Only Part of the Graceland Package
But the Graceland Mansion is only one part of the Graceland “package.” There are private after- hours tours where after guests can enjoy themselves across the road at the Plaza, a kind of mini-mall that includes a range of Elvis-themed museums and gift shops, the Heartbreak Hotel, a huge parking lot for tour busses, and visitor parking. Here Elvis Presley fans can get “all shook up” till their wallets are empty.
Weddings at Graceland
That is right – devoted Elvis fans can say "I do"in Graceland's Chapel in the Woods - a romantic, secluded chapel adjacent to the grounds of Graceland.
Elvis Week at Graceland : 9 - 17 August 2008
