What is a trip to Memphis without going to Graceland? When the company announced that they were holding their annual conference in Memphis, the first thing I thought of was Graceland. I'm not an Elvis fan, but I do remember a lot about him when I was a child. Besides, Graceland is only about 15 minutes from our hotel, so how could I not go?
I talked with the concierge about going and he said that the last tour was at 5PM. It was already 4PM, so he called us a driver to take us down there, wait for us, and bring us back. We were thinking of taking a taxi, but the thought of trying to call one to come and pick us up from Graceland seemed a little difficult with our Italian cell phones. Also, we thought we might have to wait and then be stuck in Graceland for awhile.
When we got in the car, the driver told us that the price was $45. I assumed he meant roundtrip, until he stopped the car in the parking lot to drop us off and told us it was $45 each way.
We were in the last tour group of the day and were taken over to the mansion to visit it by small bus. I was very impressed by the audio tape that they loaned us because I really felt as if I was being escorted through the house with Elvis. They explained a lot of things about the man and his family, which I didn't know. I had only known him as a rock and roll singer and actor.
Walking past the gravestones at the end was quite sad. You walk through his house and his hall of fame, and then you come to where he is buried and you realize that he really has passed away.
We visited the car museum and his two airplanes, which were interesting as well. I am so happy to have visited Graceland because it was a unique experience that I thoroughly enjoyed. I am still not an Elvis fan, but I do have a much greater appreciation for him than I did before.
Share your comments for this blog post on the Living in Florence's Facebook page. Grazie!