Long Live the King

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Today, we left the hotel and enjoyed breakfast at the local Waffle House. We left there and cruised down to Graceland where we bought two discounted tickets to tour the mansion. AAA strikes again. Why isn't it called a "kingdom"?

Unfortunately, we weren't allowed to film any of the grounds, and we couldn't use flash photography, so we don't have a whole lot of footage of our day. We took tons of photos, but only a few turned out. Jessie had been there, but Ben had not. He thoroughly enjoyed himself. We took a tour bus from the ticket center over to the house, and drove past the famous music-themed wrought iron gate at the front wall. We pulled up in front of the house and were given headphones to wear throughout the tour, which was narrated in an audio-tour style. This was great, as we could go at our own pace from room to room.

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The house itself wasn't really all that spectacular. It was the King's decorating fashion that makes the place so interesting. From a floor-to-ceiling carpeted "Jungle Room" to the bright yellow and navy blue TV room (which had three TV's, mirrored walls, a bar, and a wrap-around sofa that went around the perimeter of the room), each room had its own personality.

His grave in the back yard is very solemn and filled with mementos from adoring fans. To this day, people still send him cards and flowers, which are displayed throughout the grounds.

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Definitely worth the admission fee and the two hours we spent there. After finishing the tour, we got in the car and drove around the area, taking some video of the area (shh!). Before leaving, we stopped at the Heartbreak Hotel next door to the ticket center. It's an actual hotel on Lonely Street, complete with a heart-shaped swimming pool and a lobby decorated with plush velvet retro chairs and couches. While being a little gimmicky, it's still a fun stop for photos.

Tomorrow it's on to Ben's former hometown, Cameron, Missouri.