Of course one of the things we had to see while we are in Memphis was Elvis’ Graceland Estate. We got there early to avoid the crowds but we are also out of season so it was not too bad. Before heading around the mansion we looked at the exhibit of Elvis’ stage outfits – the dozens of jump suits he had specially made for his performances through the 1970’s, and his personal aircraft including a Convair 880, which was named Lisa Marie after his daughter. Around a $1 million was spent furnishing this aircraft, including such luxuries as gold plating on the buckles of the seat belts and bathroom fittings.
Elvis bought Graceland when he was 22 years old for $100,000 and it was his home until his death in 1977. The tour of mansion is self-guided with head sets providing the tour. You travel through the lower floor rooms including the living room, dining room kitchen and personal rooms in the basement. Considering the obvious wealth of Elvis ,Graceland is a relatively modest home in terms of its size and since it has not been lived since his death it is trapped in the 1970s time 
warp in terms of design – with such oddities as fur covered furniture. Other rooms have been added to the property to exhibit Elvis memorabilia including his collection of gold, silver and platinum discs, his military uniforms and personal items of his, Priscilla and Lisa Marie. Although Jack and Emily never really knew Elvis they really enjoyed the tour of the mansion and grounds. The last thing on this part of the tour is the part of the grounds in which Elvis, his mother, father and grand mother are buried. Elvis’s grand mother lived to be 90 years old and lived to see the passing of her grandson and son, which is always a sad thing to see. We, particular myself and Karen were saddened by this as we had grown up with the legend of Elvis. Karen was even more concerned to see that the flowers that marked his grave were plastic!To finish off the day we went around a collection of Elvis’ many cars and motor bikes, including the famous pink Cadillac. Boys with toys!!
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