Graceland

Graceland sit on 13 acres of land

We made it to Memphis, Tennessee last night. We will continue on to Hot Springs, Arkansas tomorrow. It is only a three hour drive from here. I couldn't pass on the opportunity to see this great city. It is a little raw, but very proud in it's participation in some great historical events that not only effected the United States, but the rest of the world. My first stop was Graceland. My mom was kind enough to watch the boys for me since she had gone on the tour last year. My first shock was the ticket price of $30, but since it is something I will do only once in this lifetime I shelled out the bucks. The second shock was how small his house was. He purchased the house in 1957 when he was 22 years old. He recorded his first album at 18 years old for $4 for his mother as a gift. When the studio owners heard him sing the rest was history. He was an instant star. The house is far from the southern charm of plantation house and as flamboyant as the 1970's with shag carpet and mirror on the wall. What was really amazing to see was all his gold records and costumes from his shows. I remember sitting with my grandmother as a little girl watching Elvis movies with her, and my mom even kissed the King when she went to a concert of his in San Francisco.