Spring Break
Graceland: A Visit to the King's Dominion
Pauline McKim
Issue date: 10/8/08 Section: Entertainment
Few people have reached the iconic status of rock and roll king Elvis Presley. Although gone for more than thirty years, his memory is as alive as ever for the countless imitators, conspiracy theorists, and fans around the world. Undeniably, he was a pioneer for many genres of music and changed television for years to come. So as a new resident of Memphis and a pop culture enthusiast I jumped at the chance to visit "The King's" domain and world famous Memphis landmark - Graceland. After a fifteen minute ride from campus, I arrived at the mansion not knowing what to expect but excited nonetheless.
Before the tour even started, I got a sense of how special this place is to the 600,000 thousand visitors Graceland attracts each year. Each of the Graceland employees I met, spoke of the mansion with a sense of personal pride and fondness. One woman gushed about how she met Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson when he came to visit several years ago. Another proclaimed that in all the years she worked at Graceland, "not a day goes by that someone doesn't arrive for their tour dressed up as Elvis." Although I was not lucky enough to see such a character during my own tour (I was told that, "one just left only an hour earlier"), t-shirts emblazoned with the face of Elvis were plentiful and the aurora of Elvis was definitely in the air.
Overall, Graceland was more amazing than I possibly could have imagined. Although the tour itself is short, only the first floor, the basement, and outside areas are shown, the trip is well worth the effort. Audio-head phones given to every visitor act as personal tour guides leading visitors through the house and pointing out special things while giving an overarching biography of Elvis. Among the various king artifacts on display are Elvis's stain-glass peacock windows, the wedding outfits he and Priscilla wore, and of course his legendary Viva Las Vegas jewel encrusted suit. Visitors also get to see the famed jungle room referenced in Marc Cohn's hit "Walking in Memphis" and Elvis's quirky multiple screened living room. My favorite part of the tour was Elvis's racquetball court, which for the purposes of the tour now houses many of Elvis's hundreds of awards. Seeing this room with walls almost coated in gold from Elvis's many honors allows visitors to truly grasp the sheer magnitude of his astounding career and appreciate his amazing contribution to the music world.
Before the tour even started, I got a sense of how special this place is to the 600,000 thousand visitors Graceland attracts each year. Each of the Graceland employees I met, spoke of the mansion with a sense of personal pride and fondness. One woman gushed about how she met Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson when he came to visit several years ago. Another proclaimed that in all the years she worked at Graceland, "not a day goes by that someone doesn't arrive for their tour dressed up as Elvis." Although I was not lucky enough to see such a character during my own tour (I was told that, "one just left only an hour earlier"), t-shirts emblazoned with the face of Elvis were plentiful and the aurora of Elvis was definitely in the air.
Overall, Graceland was more amazing than I possibly could have imagined. Although the tour itself is short, only the first floor, the basement, and outside areas are shown, the trip is well worth the effort. Audio-head phones given to every visitor act as personal tour guides leading visitors through the house and pointing out special things while giving an overarching biography of Elvis. Among the various king artifacts on display are Elvis's stain-glass peacock windows, the wedding outfits he and Priscilla wore, and of course his legendary Viva Las Vegas jewel encrusted suit. Visitors also get to see the famed jungle room referenced in Marc Cohn's hit "Walking in Memphis" and Elvis's quirky multiple screened living room. My favorite part of the tour was Elvis's racquetball court, which for the purposes of the tour now houses many of Elvis's hundreds of awards. Seeing this room with walls almost coated in gold from Elvis's many honors allows visitors to truly grasp the sheer magnitude of his astounding career and appreciate his amazing contribution to the music world.
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