I’m going to Graceland…

Actually, it’s been slow the last couple of days so I’m going to write about a recent trip I took to, you guessed it: Graceland. Memphis, Tennessee!
My mother is a very big Elvis fan. I believe she is only a few movies short of having his entire collection. My sister and I decided early last summer that we were going to plan the best birthday present ever by taking her to Elvis’ home. I did some research online and Dad reserved us a room at the Heartbreak Hotel. We planned out the entire trip beginning with our parents driving down to Biloxi, Mississippi for a vacation where we would all meet up. There was an Elvis impersonator performing at one of the local casinos so we were going to start out at the concert but Elvis was sick and did not perform. We went to dinner instead and passed mom a card with a picture of Graceland Mansion on the front. My sister (the creative one) wrote a nice little poem which told where we were bound. I thought mom was going to pass out. She spoke in the most adorable voice as if she wasn’t sure if she was reading it right “we’re going to Graceland?” The three of us (mom, sister, and me) left early the next morning and drove towards Tupelo, Mississippi. We stopped to walk through the birthplace of Elvis Presley and the museum right behind it. We ate lunch downtown then continued northwest towards Tennessee. We got there early evening so we checked in, relaxed a little then caught the free shuttle downtown. We went to the Hard Rock Café where I added another shot glass to my collection, had a few drinks then rested for the big day. We woke up early and walked over to the ticket counter to catch the first tour through the mansion. This is where I would advise anyone who has not yet gone through the tour to NOT take the first bus. Wait until 11:00; it will be much more enjoyable. We got on the bus with everyone else who came to see the Elvis’ home and squeezed our way through the rest of the tour. It was great, don’t get me wrong but when we returned, there were maybe 30 people waiting in line opposed to the 300 that were in line with us earlier that morning. We spent the whole day walking through Elvis museums and Elvis gift stores, eating in Elvis diners and listening to Elvis Radio. Mom had the time of her life…like a kid at Disneyland.