Graceland, Sun & Tupelo

Of course the main point of any trip to Memphis is to take the tour of Graceland (and Sun). The first thing one notices on driving up to Graceland is that it's in a pretty run down part of town, not at all what you'd expect although I presume it was different in the King's time (which has past, he's really dead, you know?).
The tour we got was the premium one, which I think is the middle one, this allowed us a tour of the mansion, the car museum and the planes. The Mansion itself, while offering a fantastic experience, does somehow resemble the set from an old seventies detective show where the main character was a bored millionaire who solved crimes on the side. As the guides will tell you several times, it's been preserved just as it was when Elvis passed away. The basement is a site to see as is the Jungle room but my favourite moment was walking into the kitchen just as the line about making some noise with the pots and pans in 'Shake, Rattle & Roll' sounded out in the headphones. The tour also shows a massive trophy room containing items from his career, a racket ball court that's been converted to hold gold records and his offices. Now I've heard people going on about the grave and how affecting it is before and I wanted to hit them with a plank but it does catch you a bit. It reads; "God saw that he needed some rest and called him home to be with him". Nice.

The tour continues with a walk through the car museum, I was particularly taken with all the various classes of buggies that he used for arseing around the estate with the boys. His two planes, the Lisa Marie and the Hound Dog II, are things of rare beauty - so far over the top that they're coming back up the other side. Want gold plated taps in the jacks on your next flight? well here they are. The world would be a more fun place if Elvis was still in it.
Don't worry if you have a hankering for some Elvis tat on the way out as I counted at least four different souvenir shops. You cannot buy this kind of class.


While attempting to find Sun Studios, I made the stupid mistake of believing one of those free tourist "maps" and assumed that it was just around the corner from Beale Street on Union Ave. and convinced the boys to walk. This was a foolish move. The heat and humidity nearly killed us as we made this, at least, twenty minute trek and things weren't helped by a local "character" following us as we got further and further from the centre of town, talking excitedly into his cell phone about this "business opportunity" that had just landed in his lap.

We made it, despite ourselves and it really does take your breath away to walk around a building and be faced with the location of several of the greatest moments in history. The tour itself is great fun, our guide really knew her onions and let us take photos in the studio itself. Don't forget that if the mood takes you, a demo at sun will only cost $90 an hour. That makes no sense at all but it's apparently true.




Being complete gluttons for punishment, our touring party of four (Willie, Dec, The Coff and myself) also drove to Elvis' Birthplace at Tupelo, Mississippi. To say we were hungover while doing this akin to describing the sea as being a bit wet but we pushed on, for little reward as it turned out. It's nice to say I was there but the museum was very poor ("here's a coffee cup from a hotel room that Elvis once stayed in!") although it's interesting to see the two room shack he came up in, and we did get a nice photo of the Coff reaching across the table while the guide's back was turned.
As I paid for my ticket the woman behind the counter informed me that the Chapel was over to the left. "I need that today" says I. "You need that every day, Son" was her reply. Wise words madam!