It had been about twenty years since I first visited Graceland. Elvis purchased the mansion, on nearly 14 acres of land, in 1957. The sellers doubled the price to about $100,000 once they found out who the buyer was. The King’s parents moved in and Elvis joined them once he finished filming Jailhouse Rock. Graceland was named for the original landowner, not for Elvis’ beloved Mother, Grace.
The 17,000 square foot home became Elvis’ retreat from fame, his playground, his man cave and where he felt most relaxed. He moved his bride Priscilla to Graceland and they welcomed their only child, Lisa Marie.
‘Cilla and Lisa Marie have rewritten Elvis’ story to concentrate on the positive. Nearly two decades ago, I rented a car and drove to Memphis from Nashville, where I returned every summer to cover Fan Fair for Country Wave Magazine. No one else wanted to go, so I went alone. The house is still frozen in the late 1970s, but the tone of the exhibits has changed. Home movies of happy family time run continuously in a couple of rooms of the mansion. Now there’s a massive compound across the road called The Elvis Experience. It should be renamed, Elvis Overload.
This time, I noticed only one photo of “fat” Elvis among acres of memorabilia. An infamous shot-out TV is now an after-thought. Display after display weave their way through about a dozen gift shops. For $35 they’ll insert your photo into any iconic Elvis picture you choose. That seemed extra tacky, even in a place where a dead man’s likeness is plastered on everything from night-lights to tea towels to purses. His cars, motorcycles, golf carts, gold records, stage outfits, and more have their own huge rooms. There’s even a room dedicated to the stuff they haven’t yet catalogued. One more features posters and quotes from superstars who cite Elvis as an influencer: Michael Buble, Gene Simmons, Bruce Springsteen and at least a dozen more.
Below are some highlights of the mansion. Click on a photo to view them as a gallery. And a visitor’s tip: going in February is a wise decision if you want to avoid crowds!
