When approaching Graceland for the first time, I was surprised to see how close it is to a major roadway. It sits well back, but right on a Highway 51 just outside of downtown Memphis. It is an impressive estate with stables, a swimming pool, racquetball complex, and meditation garden where Elvis and his family are buried.
It is interesting seeing the house as it was back when Elvis still lived there. Graceland has been preserved in all of its late 70’s splendor and you can still see the 15’ couch in the living room, the jungle room with Priscilla’s favorite chair, and the piano in the racquetball complex where Elvis performed his last two songs just before his death.
Across from the Graceland mansion there are several other exhibits including the King’s private plane, the “Lisa Marie”. This was the plane that he flew to Denver just so Lisa Marie could play in the snow for the first time. In this area you can also get a bite to eat and see an exhibit on Elvis’ famous jump suits as well. The highlight for me was of course the auto museum!
A turquoise Cadillac Eldorado displayed outside greets visitors to the Elvis Car Museum. The interior has been covered over to protect it from the elements. Elvis was a big fan of the Cadillac and there are two more displayed inside. His 1955 Pink Cadillac Fleetwood was a favorite of his mom, even though she didn’t drive it. The 1956 Purple Cadillac Eldorado seen in the famous shot of Elvis being photographed by two blond fans was displayed in its restored beauty. It was originally white, but Elvis preferred Purple to customize this Caddy.
The red 1960 MG A was featured in the movie “Blue Hawaii”, while the 1960 Pink Willy’s Surrey Jeep is similar to the one used in the movie. The security guards used it to run errands around the Graceland complex. The white 1962 Lincoln Continental with alligator skin roof was very cool! It also has the suicide doors that were an interesting way to make ingress and egress a bit more tolerable.
Every star needs a Roller, and Elvis had a white 1966 Rolls Royce. Elvis wanted the 1971 black Stutz Blackhawk so badly that he convinced the dealer to let him have the one reserved for Frank Sinatra. This car was totaled by one of Elvis’ friends and he replaced it with a similar black 1973 Stutz Blackhawk. The 1971 car was bought back by the factory and restored. Priscilla Presley’s white Mercedes 280 SL Roadster was much loved by her and she sent it to the museum directly from her California home in the 80’s.
.jpg)
Ferraris are pretty much a required addition to any famous car lover’s collection and Elvis chose a black 1975 Ferrari Dino 308 GT4 by Bertone. Also displayed in the museum are two race cars dedicated to Elvis. A drag racer funny car and NASCAR racer elsewhere in the museum were created as tributes to Elvis.
Various motorcycles, golf-carts and go-carts were also on display in their own section. Elvis was famous for organizing races around the Graceland estate for all of his friends and family. He always had a bevy of go-carts and golf carts at the ready just for the purpose of these spontaneous races. The marketing people certainly had a say in the design of the car museum and other displays at Graceland. You exit many of the exhibits by going through the souvenir stores.
It was great to see other people with far away license plates like my Virginia tags. A custom painted Canadian Smart Car from Quebec was in Memphis right near Beale Street. In these trying economic times it was also great to see public transportation in the form of the electric street car trolley still being used in cities like Memphis and New Orleans.
Pilot gas stations have just about anything you need including fun and exciting choices for collectors of automobilia. They have a great selection of car models from the VW Camper to a Datsun 260 Z. They also keep up with the trends and offer accessories for Iphones and Ipods. Oh, and they also had some of the cheapest gas I saw on the whole trip at $2.09!
Stopping by the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville it was amusing to see Cooter’s Place. This is of course Ben Jones’ store dedicated to “The Dukes of Hazard” TV show in which he starred as “Crazy Cooter” mechanic and tow truck driver. They had the General Lee 01 car on display and a Suzuki Sidekick in matching paint scheme labeled 0½! If you are a big fan you can have your favorite item autographed! Ben Jones is an author and also served two terms as a Congressman from Georgia.
The Gibson factory store and shop is also near the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville and being a guitar player it was great to be able to try out all of Gibson’s great guitars, mandolins and other instruments. They make all of their mandolins right there in Nashville, while the factory in Memphis makes many of the hollow-body electrics and Les Paul models. My favorites were the 50’s and 60’s vintage acoustic guitars. It’s amazing how the guitars just sound better and better over the years!
One of my favorite things to do while traveling is to eat at indigenous restaurants along the way. I had a fabulous Filet Mignon at the Austin Land and Cattle Company. It was great to eat at places like Shoney’s (the greatest hot fudge cake) and White Castle that are no longer in business near my home. The pizza place in the South Congress area of Austin was very good, as was “The Slice” pizzeria in New Orleans. Of course the Gumbo, Jambalaya and Beignets at Café Du Monde were also amazing! It was also great to see that Sonic is keeping the drive in burger stand tradition alive in many cities.
It was fitting that I’ve listened to Jack Kerouac’s “On the Road” during this road trip. Road trips are a unique way to get you away from your normal surroundings and out of your normal routine. You really get a chance to think about your life and self evaluate, while observing the real people of America in many interesting and different places and environments. It’s also great to be able to stop wherever and whenever you want with no real time limits.
I had plenty of time to take in the scenery and ponder life during my 3915 mile Texas road trip that covered ten states including Virginia, North and South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas and Tennessee. With gas prices now back to manageable levels all across the country, and a great country waiting to be explored, I whole heartedly recommend a road trip for your next vacation!
.jpg)
Comments