Graceland Tour

On our way to St. Louis for a family reunion last week, we took a break in Memphis and toured Graceland, Elvis Presley's mansion.

I didn't think I'd enjoy the tour so much, but it turns out that I did.  Although there are areas of the house that are far from my simple taste, I just needed to remind myself that I don't have to live there.     

Of course, the photos I took are of some of my favorite spaces. I'm also not showing all the photos I took (they number over 100) mostly because I feel some guilt at posting them at all.  The guides gave us permission to take photos provided we did not use a flash, and I didn't notice any signs saying that they could not be used online.   Still, I have some qualms about posting them.

 
One of my favorite rooms is the kitchen.  I was surprised at how small and ordinary it is.  I assumed that because there were so many guests at the house that the kitchen would accommodate more cooks and be more "industrial."

 

There were many more rooms to see in the house, the Jungle Room for example, but I was disappointed that we were not able to see the second floor at all.  The outbuildings, horse pasture, and Elvis' grave are included. Also our tour package included the antique car museum and airplanes, so by the time we'd been through all the spaces and had taken well over 100 pictures, I was done.  I've never been a huge Elvis fan, but I do appreciate his impact on American culture and history.  Should you be anywhere near the Memphis area, you should visit Graceland.  It's well worth your time and money and you may grow to appreciate what he added to American life, art and culture.