Our plan for today was to get on the road early and head to Memphis so we could do Graceland.
I'm a big Elvis fan so I've always wanted to go.
Before we left Cape Girardeau we had to check out this attraction - World's Largest Fountain Drink Cup.
It was right beside the hotel we stayed at.
When you are that close to the World's Largest anything, you have to stop by and get a picture.
It was too big to do a selfie of us together so first I got a picture of Jason with it.
Then he got a picture of me with it.
Then we went in search of a Starbucks so I could get a cold brew and there was a Chick-fil-a right beside it so we went there for some breakfast.
I love their playful cows encouraging folks to eat chicken.
They had their own punch buggy parked by the drive thru and it's hard to see but there is a cow sitting in the passenger seat with a message for everyone.
Eat Mor Chikin.
So cute!
It was the first time we got to Chick-fil-a early enough to try their breakfast - I got the chicken biscuit sandwich and that's all it was, chicken on a biscuit, no sauce or cheese or anything and I have to tell you, it was amazingly delicious.
We hit our 6th state of this trip.
We just drove through it for a bit - didn't make any stops anywhere but it still counts right?
Our first stop we made once we got to Memphis was Elwood's Shack which is a highly rated bbq spot there.
It's right next to a Home Depot.
It was just a tiny little spot but it was hopping.
The menu board.
Random decor inside the shack.
Lots of people in there enjoying bbq.
We sat outside of course.
Lots of others were sitting outside enjoying the nice weather too.
Jason got the ribs.
They had a dry rub on them and they were delicious.
I got the burnt ends - they were smothered in this sauce - I would have preferred them without.
They were very fatty and not really charred and crispy like I was hoping so I didn't really like them that much.
From there we headed to Graceland - these are the gates to entrance.
I took more pictures here today than I've ever taken anywhere.
I'm going to try to be selective and not keep all of them but it's going to be tough.
Graceland
Welcome to Graceland.
The house itself is cross the street then on this side of the street is this whole complex with museums, restaurants and gift shops and it's all considered part of the Graceland experience.
We hopped on a bus that took us over to the house itself and we didn't even really have time to take a picture of the front of the house, we went right in to start the tour.
We just had headphones with audio to listen to but they kind of pushed you through.
Some of the workers there were very unfriendly - to be fair others were very nice.
This is the main entrance in the house.
This is a living room.
Console with a picture of Elvis's parents.
His mom did a lot of the decorating in the house and this room specifically was her design.
Light fixture at the top of the stairs.
The upstairs is not open to visitors and the family actually stays there sometimes when they are in town.
Gladys & Vernon's bedroom (Elvis's parents).
You could only just peek into the bathroom - I do like the wallpaper on the wall.
Priscilla & Lisa Marie.
Old tv set - Elvis liked to shoot out tv's and did it on several occasions.
Looks like this one escaped him.
Dining room.
You could listen to the audio on the headphones (It was mainly narrated by John Stamos who is also a huge Elvis fan) and you could also read these write-ups as well.
I read some ot them but I just wouldn't have had time to read all of them.
The kitchen
The kitchen still just from a different angle.
Write up about the kitchen.
This is the famous jungle room.
I love the light fixture.
1it had this small bar area at one end.
The plant wall and the old lamp.
There was a well loved teddy bear sitting in the chair.
The write up.
Check out those busy curtains and the green shag carpet on the stairs.
This room was pretty funky and bold.
That couch is gigantic.
It had a bar area in it as well.
This is the pool room.
The walls and ceilings are covered in this busy fabric.
The write up for that room.
This painting just seems so out of place to me.
These walls are all covered in green shag carpet.
We walked through the backyard to the next section of the tour.
Passe the old swing set.
Then into another building on the property - this was Vernon's office.
Miniature of Elvis' birthplace.
The story of his birth.
Then we went through the smokehouse.
The yard - just on the other side of those trees is a residential area so all kinds of home.
I was kind of expecting it to be out kind of on it's own in more of a rural area but this is plopped right in the middle of a residential area.
Imagine Graceland being right in your backyard basically.
The back of the house.
Another building on the property.
Next we went into another building that had a bunch of personal memorabilia/ artifacts of the family.
A young Elvis with his parents
A short biography of Elvis.
I think this might have been his bike.
Pictures of a young Elvis.
Family tree of portraits.
This dress belonged to his mom Gladys.
It was a long hallway full of all kinds of artifacts and pictures.
The Presley Wedding.
Some items from Lisa Marie's nursery.
An old dresser and some clothes.
He was very handsome!
Elvis liked to redecorate in Graceland often.
The fancy red couch.
That lamp is pretty over the top.
Elvis, Lisa Marie and Priscilla - 1970
Lisa and her sone Benjamin.
He looks so much like Elvis it's uncanny.
Lisa Mari and her daughters at a park.
From Elvis' office.
Then it was back outside to the pool area.
More of the yard.
Then it was on into a building that was like a games room area.
He like raquetball so had a court put in.
There it is.
Then there was this seating area right outside of it where you could spectate or just hangout and there was even a piano there in case you wanted to play.
And of course a bar area.
His initials on the wall.
Then back outside again.
An on to the Meditation Garden.
This is where a lot of the family is laid to rest.
There is a circular pool/fountain in the center.
Then all the resting spots all around it.
His twin brother.
It's nice that they are all there together.
His mother.
She had been buried in another location but Vernon got permission to have her and his mother moved here.
His father.
Elvis himself.
This was at the top of his gravesite.
This would be Elvis' grandmother.
Some statues.
It is a peaceful area.
Lisa Marie is buried there as well.
As is her son Benjamin.
It's very fitting that they are next to one another.
Looking back at the pool and the Meditation Garden is to the right there.
This is the front yard.
It is so huge - the rest of the Graceland experience is just across the street.
Well I can tick that one off the bucket list!
Graceland selfie.
I did get Jason to take a picture of me in front of the house before we hopped on the shuttle to go back across the street to check out the rest of the Graceland experience.
(It's only across the street so not far to walk but they don't allow you to walk).
The shuttle dropped us off at Graceland Air where a couple of Elvis' private airplanes are parked.
The biggest plane.
This is the Lisa Marie.
Then there was another smaller plane.
You could go up into the Lisa Marie and walk through it.
The cockpit.
Bet this was top of the line technology back in the day.
The bathroom had a gold sink.
There was a long couch on one side.
Then some seating with a table on the other.
Fancy tv.
Another couch and seating area with table.
Then an eating area.
Always a bar.
Yet another seating area.
Then we moved into the bedroom.
It had a bed and another comfy chair.
The dressing area.
You could see the bathroom in there had a gold sink as well.
Then we exited out of the back of the plane.
And went over to look inside the smaller one.
All the gear for the stewardess.
The cockpit.
Some Elvis paraphernalia.
Love the colors of the seating.
His famous logo on the back of the plane, TCB.
Taking care of business.
Then it was into the museum of large selection of the various vehicles that Elvis owned.
I'm not going to caption them all because they are self explanatory for the most part or I took pictures of the descriptions because I knew I would likely forget.
Elvis did just that!
1936 Cadillac Elderado.
E.P. Special - Solar Midget Race Car
Maybe I need to get me a Mercedes.
Rupp Centaur Trike
I like that the displays included pictures and footage of Elvis driving the vehicles.
1975 Super Trike
1969 Mercedes-Benz 600 Sedan.
1969 Mercedes-Benz 600 Limousine.
1973 Stutz Blackhawk.
1953 Cadillac Fleetwood.
Mercedes 280 SL Roadster - Front
and back.
1956 Continental Mark II
This one belonged to Sam Phillips/Sun Records.
It's a Series 62, 2 door convertible and many celebrities drove around in it at one time or another.
I am not a car person and I didn't take pictures of the write ups for these ones so I'm not too sure what they are but even I can still appreciate that they were special cars.
More cars - there were so many of them.
Even if you weren't into Elvis but were just into cars I think this would be a great place to check out.
Quite the fancy grill on this one.
I think the plaque on this one said it was used around the Graceland estate by workers and such.
Black Dune Buggy.
Elvis loved driving these golf carts around the Graceland property.
He even had a few boats.
Pedal Car - This one was for Lisa Marie.
Go Cart.
Elvis sure seemed to like to have fun and he loved hanging out with his family and friends - that's one of the things that I admire so much about him.
Then it was onto the next exhibit - Private Presley - from his time in the military.
He was so young.
There were some pictures of him getting his crew cut.
Dressed in his uniform.
His fatigues.
Wearing them.
The next exhibit was all about Elvis and how influential he was (and still is) as an artist.
Elvis over the years.
This exhibition featured outfits that other entertainers have worn over the years that were influenced by Elvis' style then there were also quotes by some of the on how Elvis affected them or just how they feel about him.
This was a jumpsuit worn by Lainey Wilson who was just recently inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame by Dolly Parton herself.
Some costumes Dolly Parton and Kristen Chenoweth wore.
Dolly Parton
Kristen Chenoweth.
John Stamos - He was (and likely still is) a HUGE Elvis fan.
Paul Stanley
Gene Simmons
Some Kiss boots.
They had more of the Kiss costumes there that were influenced by Elvis' style but they were inside of glass cases and the way the light was shining on them I just couldn't get a good picture - too much glare.
Brian "Q' Quinn - I don't even know who he is but he is completely correct!
John Lennon
One of my favorite guys - Michael Buble.
These are hand written lyrics to Butterflies by Kacey Musgraves - I love this song.
Kacey Musgraves
Just looking back at the display.
There were costumes and quotes from many other artists - I only just included a few of them here.
Then it was on to yet another exhibit, the birth of Rock 'n' Roll.
Elvis had a dream from a young age and he made it come true.
The first songs ever recorded by Elvis were funded by him but That's Alright was the first one recorded and paid for by the studio and it was the one that set Elvis on his path to celebrity.
They kind of stumbled upon the song accidentally and out of desperation but it set the path for what was to come.
A young Elvis at Sun Studios.
Playing the Louisiana Hayride in Shreveport - that must have been a time!
Elvis' first record.
His shoes.
An outfit from his younger days.
Then it was onto the movie days.
Some shots from Jailhouse Rock.
The bottom center was a still but the rest of the pictures were tv screens with moving pictures.
This was one of the Elvis movies that I have actually seen.
I should watch the rest one of these days.
The Jeep that belonged to his character in Blue Hawaii.
The robe his character wore in Kid Galahad.
His costume from Charro
Then it was onto the touring years.
That's a groovy shirt.
Some of the black suits he wore.
This one looked like it was made out of velvet.
A burgundy suit.
His iconic black leather outfit from the 68 Comeback Special.
It aired on NBC in 1968 of course and was a huge success.
They had the suit displayed inside this case on a platform set up to look like the stage he performed on that night.
Elvis in lights.
Performing in front of those lights.
There was footage of the performance playing on a loop.
The suit he wore for the performance.
Menus and scarves from the International Hotel in Las Vegas where he performed many times.
Now we are getting into the jumpsuit era.
Look at those prices - 1.50 for a poster - those run $25-30 now at a show, maybe even more.
Elvis Presley Fan Club members - they were starting early.
Marquis at the International Hotel.
Not just anyone could pull off a jumpsuit like this.
Tablecloth contract.
Work with what you have I guess.
Invoices for some of Elvis' jumpsuits.
The prices seemed to start around the $500 or so mark and go up from there.
The more designs on them the higher the cost of course.
Nowadays the prices for costumes like these would most likely be in the high thousands I bet.
Here are some of those referenced sketches.
Black jumpsuit with long fringe.
Elvis' iconic sunglasses.
Ok, now we are getting into the jumpsuits.
So many styles and variations.
I noticed that some of the jumpsuits were exactly the same just with different embellishments.
I didn't realize he had so many.
He performed a LOT of concerts so I guess it would make sense that he needed a lot of costumes.
Some of the belts that he wore with his jumpsuits.
They look like they must have been heavy.
The belts.
Some boots he wore.
Ok, from there I walked around the corner and ended up in a big room with one of the most amazing sights I've ever seen.
Tons of his jumpsuits all in their own individual cases - so many of them that I could barely get them all in the picture.
It was my favorite spot of the whole Graceland experience.
I LOVED it.
Seeing them all displayed like that was just kind of mind blowing - Jason loved it just as much as I did.
I tried to take pictures of all of them which I'll share here but I'm not going to caption each one.
I can't really explain why but the feeling I had when I walked into that room was pure joy.
Each wall had this plaque at the bottom that described the jumpsuit and the year and if it was worn for something significant.
These are the jumpsuits referenced in the above plaque.
The middle section of them.
Then the last bunch.
Then these were all the jumpsuits on the back wall.
This was the back wall.
I zoomed in a bit closer on all of them.
Got pictures of the in threes so you could see the details better.
This was in the center of the room.
This was another one displayed in the center.
The third one displayed in the center of the room.
And the last one from the center.
These are the ones on the right wall.
I forgot to take a picture of the plaque that went with these ones.
The rest of the right wall.
I zoomed in a bit closer on some of my favorites.
I guess I like the eagle motif with the blue.
Jason made a tiktok of them too that was fun.
There was a room set up like a concert with a stage and seating.
You could sit in the 'audience' and watch footage from his concerts.
Then it was on to his awards room.
The tuxedo he wore to an awards show.
The Outstanding Young Man Awards which he won in 1971 and was the only award he ever accepted in person.
Some of his gold records.
A Grammy that he won - he won it for a gospel song.
Elvis was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
There it is.
Before we left that exhibition I had to go back to the jumpsuit room and get Jason to take my picture.
It truly was my highlight of the day.
They even had jumpsuit 'costumes' that you could order in the gift shop.
Ok, from there we went into yet another exhibition, this time it was the all about Lisa Marie.
There were a lot of her iconic outfits on display and usually they had pictures of her wearing them as well.
This one is so pretty.
A gorgeous pantsuit.
I love that green suit - such a bold color.
The dress looks better on her that it looks on the mannequin.
A group shot of a bunch of outfits all worn by her.
Her style was really varied.
Some gowns that she wore.
Lisa Marie and her children.
She really grieved over the loss of her son which I completely understand.
She looked a lot like her dad.
More outfits.
Another beautiful gown - she was so tiny.
More outfits.
And more.
A vehicle she and her friends drove around the Graceland estate.
Some items from her nursery.
Some of her baby clothes of hers.
Then it was onto the last exhibition we went into for the day, it was dedicated to movies and shows about Elvis.
This was the CMT set of Memphis Recording Service.
This was the Recording Studio.
More of the recording studio.
An office.
Another office - check out the wild table and chairs.
More offices.
This was one of the tv's that Elvis shot out.
I didn't notice it while we were walking through but Jason did, he has an eye that guy.
These were some costumes from the movie Elvis.
This was worn by Austin Butler who played Elvis.
I watched the movie and liked it - Austin did a great job playing Elvis.
This was worn by Austin as well.
The outfit on the left was worn by Tom Hanks who played Elvis' manage Colonel Tom Parker.
I'm not sure if the pink and black outfit was Austin Butler or another character.
By the time we finished up, the gift shops were closed.
Luckily I stopped at the one by the airplanes and got a Graceland souvenir there - another Christmas tree ornament.
The outside of the all the buildings.
We didn't have to come outside at all to go to each of them - they just run together on the inside.
Such a famous shot of Elvis.
Graceland flag.
The restaurants were all closed as well.
TCB!
You had to walk through these gates to get back to the parking lot.
Ours was the only car left in the whole place so we literally closed it.
We closed down Graceland, we were literally the last car left in the parking lot.
I did want to get a picture of the gates onto the Graceland Estate so I went over and parked by it and Jason walked up to take a picture.
I couldn't get out too because it wasn't a real parking spot and I didn't want the car to get towed.
This is the wall on the roadside of Graceland.
That's me waiting in the car.
Peeking over the wall onto the grounds.
There they are, the famous gates that probably everyone has seen in an image at some point in their life either on television or in a magazine or online.
I am so thankful that I finally got to visit.
Jason had booked us a room at this fancy spot called Big Cypress Lodge.
We were expecting a rustic looking hotel but instead Google Maps brought us here to a Pro Bass Shop.
We were confused so Jason went inside to check and sure enough, the hotel is inside of the store.
We checked in and headed to our room.
Welcome!
It had a hunting cabin theme but done tastefully and I really liked it.
The bed looked so comfy.
Those doors to the right lead to a huge balcony that looks out onto the store.
This 'window' looked into the bathroom.
Another view of the balcony doors and this was the console with the tv.
The beam across the top of the console had a fish carved into one end of it.
Here is another view of that.
Then entrance to the room.
There was a deer head which I didn't mind and a cozy chair.
This was the balcony.
And this was looking over into the store.
The bathroom vanity.
The bathroom also had a giant shower and a two person whirlpool tub.
There were some complimentary snacks on the desk in the entrance.
We dropped our bags off in our room then went to get something to eat.
We'd seen a Wahlburgers inside the store so that's where we went.
It was right next to this bowling alley that looked like a fun spot.
There was an aquarium in the middle of the restaurant and check out that ceiling!
We've been to a couple Wahlburgers before and we know we like their food.
Jason got a milkshake and I got an orange float.
It was soooooo good.
We shared some pickle chips.
Then we both got salads.
Jason got the cobb because.....blue cheese.
My salad had avocado on it and onion rings so I'm not sure how healthy it actually was.
We walked around the store a bit after we ate but it was closing so we didn't have long.
So instead we walked around and checked out the hotel itself.
It had the hunting cabin theme throughout
But with some kind of feminine touches like these flower arrangements
They were in minnow buckets.
What a great idea.
Fishies painted on the wall.
Another minnow bucket flower arrangement.
I was taking pictures because I was thinking I'd like to try to copy them.
I'm not sure what this table was for originally but it looked great here and that mural on the wall was so nice.
Another nice arrangement also in a bucket.
There was a big common hang out area.
With a stone fireplace and lots of seating.
It had a large bar area.
And some greeters.
This guy.
Then we saw another bear in the hallway.
We went up to the top floor of rooms, you could see down into the store from a few spots.
They sell boats in the store and they are actually in the water and moored to a dock.
Then there are live trees all around with Spanish moss hanging from them.
You can kind of see all the cabins on the top level there on the other side.
They actually look like cabins on the outside on the top floor, not just hotel room doors.
The blue thing you can see in the center is an elevator that takes you up to a restaurant and observation deck.
We each got a pass to go in it but it was closed for the night so we will do that tomorrow night.
This was the entrance to more rooms - they had their own seating areas - they must have been really fancy.
I love the plaid chairs.
More arrangements that I liked.
This one in an old crate.
This one in a fishing basket.
The hallways were really wide.
We discovered an outdoor patio area.
There was one couple up there and that was it.
There were lighted seating areas - both at tables and then just with chairs like this.
There was a table with a fire you could sit around.
Just relaxing and taking it all in.
It was such a lovely evening.
Trying to get a selfie in the dark was tough.
This lit up bridge was so nice and I was trying to get it in the picture.
The whole area was strung with lights which I love.
We sat out there for a bit and enjoyed the nice evening then headed back to the room.
They were getting set up for breakfast and even their chafing trays fit with the rustic theme.
Lots of deer heads.
And other taxidermy specimens.
Love the woodwork and the light fixtures in the hallways.
The room numbers plaques were all unique - ours had a beetle.
I decided to take advantage of that giant tub and ran myself a bath.
It was so relaxing.
My poor feet have put on a lot of miles on this trip.
While I was in the tub, Jason went back up to the outdoor patio to get some footage of the lights on the bridge.
He put together a little tiktok for it, enjoy.
Our plan is to do a little exploring in Memphis tomorrow then head to Nashville for the night since we fly out the next day.
Phew! That's all for today, until next time, be happy!
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