Graceland: Not Just for Elvis Fans

On a recent trip to Memphis, Tennessee to visit my parents they suggested we take a trip to Graceland. I guess because I'm in my early twenties, I was never an Elvis fan. I knew his popular songs such as "Hound Dog" and other chart toppers but didn't know much about him or his career. I tagged along for the event anyways and can truthfully say it was amazing and I'd recommend it to anyone visiting the Memphis area.

This year, 2007, marks the 30th anniversary of Elvis's death. There are events planned all over the United States for him. Graceland is planning a huge memorial event and all TV and news programs will be focusing on his memory as well. If you're brave enough to brace the crowds then I suggest joining in the nations memorial.

The tickets for Graceland range from $68 to $10. They offer a VIP ticket that includes all five sites and head of the line privileges. The next level down is the Platinum tour which includes the same five sites but you'll have to wait in the lines. If you really want to spend the money then I suggest getting the VIP version but the line's are not that bad. The last ticket you can buy is for just the mansion. If you choose to do all five sites it includes: the mansion, the plane tour, the automobile museum, sincerely Elvis and Elvis after dark. I suggest seeing all the sites. It will all take about 3-4 hours to see.

If you have access to the Internet I suggest buying tickets on-line, the longest lines were waiting to buy the actual tickets. If you're an active duty military member or family member, you can buy discounted tickets at the ITT office at the Millington base. They also offer discounts at the ticket counter for children, seniors and college students.

Once you buy your tickets, you wait in line to take a bus to see the mansion. They hand out headphones and tape players that guide you through your tour of the mansion. The mansion is surprisingly low key given how much money and how famous Elvis was. It is a large house but it is by no means over the top which is surprising from such an over the top performer. As you tour through the house they describe each room and his life as you look at their setup. There are video clips and audio clips that follow along on your tour. I was personally shocked at the volume of platinum and gold records he had. He has a long hall lined with all of his achievements. It is utterly amazing how massive the sales of his music are. The grave yard in the backyard is very touching and also sad to see that the grandmother was alive and had to bury everyone.

Elvis after dark explores his life after the sun went down. He was known for being a night owl and it focuses on that aspect of his life. The automobile museum is pretty self explanatory. It holds man of Elvis's cars including the famous pink Cadillac. There is a tour through his famous jet, the Lisa Marie, which is pretty spectacular. I wouldn't hate flying so much if I had a jet like that! Sincerely Elvis is a display of all of his jumpsuits. It's amazing how many different ones he had and how intricate some of the designs are. I couldn't imagine dancing around stage in those heavy jumpsuits and still be on my feet after wards.

The gift shops carry just about anything you would want to buy, from t-shirts to shot glasses, they have it all. Overall I really enjoyed my trip to Graceland. I learned so much about Elvis as a person and a performer. He lived very under his means. I just found the extortion of his property to be a bit uncalled for. When you exit any of the sites you have to exit through a gift shop. Tickets are a bit expensive too and makes it no surprise to learn that Elvis has earned more money in his death then when he was alive. I do recommend it to anyone touring the area. It's for fans and non fans alike, it will be meaningful to the whole spectrum.