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Hillsboro Village
7 reviews
Nashville, TN
Category: Local Flavor
Graceland Mansion
Rating Details »
- Good for Kids:
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5 reviews for Graceland Mansion
The Graceland visit felt a little like a religious experience. We came to take this road trip across America in search to find out what is the real America (and our place in this country) and Graceland had some secrets to share with us.
We were both skeptical about Graceland because it was pricey and out of the way, but we agreed at the end it was well worth all of the effort. Elvis Presley was the American dream. And he still is for many Americans. His home is a tribute to the tacky, was this the dream we were looking for? Not kitschy in a deliberate way but in the most sincere form. Like in a lost time or place when mirrored ceilings and shag rugs were a pure expression of class and status.
We have all fallen from grace now and then, we all have our fifteen minutes of fame but only a chosen few will live on forever (cue the cheesy music).
People thought this was:
- Useful (1)
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Everything is as it was when Elvis lived here. Which in a way is sad. The rooms aren't as large as I thought but extravagant in its own way.
The grounds were impressive having a racketball court (which is now the trophy room), horse stables, there was a seperate building for an office. The playset that Lisa Marie used was still there. The place is beautiful.
The tombstones for Elvis, His mother and father and brother are there.
So now for the other part:
It is self guided and you can follow along with the audio headset that they give you so it can be long or short how ever you want to play the audio tracks. So you might skip over some places because it was way to crowded with people who were actually at that concert and reliving their youth. There are also bonus tracks in different areas to hear interviews, songs and ect. The audio tour was very helpful and a little slow.
You pay to park across the street to get in line for a mini bus ride to the actual Graceland acrerage that is a across the street.
There are 3 different types of tours all I remember is thet we did the middle tour and it included all the other museums: his plane, his costumes, his days in the military and his cars (they are located across the street from Graceland)
There is a gift shop connected to every one of those museums.
There is also restuarants in this area also.
Go early - you don't want to be drivingt at night in this neighborhood!!
So all in all - Graceland wasn't named by Elvis. He wasn't a very big man, he loved the invention of Polyester and Shag carpeting but is loved by many.
People thought this was:
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The Graceland Mansion tour was simply fascinating! I saw one of many biographies and E! True Hollywood Stories about Elvis but visiting Graceland made me truly appreciate the King of Rock N' Roll! I'm not an Elvis fanatic by any means and what brought me to Memphis was our national meeting. All of us were initially unimpressed by the location choice, however, by the end of the meeting we all left Memphis with a little bit of Elvis in us...including me. My visit to Graceland gave me a first hand look into Elvis's life---seeing his many personal mementos, family videos with Lisa Marie and room decor that were inspired by the King himself. The night ended with some Memphis style barbeque, a lot of rockin' Elvis tunes and line dancing with way too much beer in hand. It was certainly a memorable business trip that wasn't just a heartbreak hotel.
People thought this was:
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- Cool (3)
3.5 hours away from Nashvegas is "The King" Elvis Presley's Graceland. A ridiculous display of what happens when you give people a lot of money in a short time span, it's glorious in all its gaudy ridiculousness. The audio tour of the mansion is lots of fun, and aside from the billiards room that is literally covered in carpet from floor to ceiling, I also really enjoyed the small museum at the end of the tour with all kinds of fun Elvis stuff. However, the most impressive part of my Graceland experience was going into the room where they kept all of Elvis Gold Records. Who knew that Elvis was responsible for almost every song written and produced in his time, wow, the gold records where almost blinding. The museum exhibiting Elvis' car collection is a must see even if you aren't a car buff, as well as a looky loo around Lisa Marie (Elvis' personal plane). Even if you aren't Elvis' #1 fan, Graceland was definitely worth the drive.
Graceland was, hmm, well a bit strange. First, of all, it's sorta in the ghetto. They bus you over from an Elvis themed megaplex across the street, and be prepared to wait. Then they give you these headphones. I can't tell you how much I hate headphone tours. Then they let you loose in the house, which holy crap it's GAUDY. I had seen some photos of it, but nothing prepared me for the reality. There is one stairwell going down to the basement that is floor to ceiling green shag carpet. I could just imagine a big fat coked up Elvis hanging out in the jungle room or the weird mirrored and yellow vinyl bar in the basement. There were people crying and going on around the grave in the backyard, but hell, he WAS the king. All in all it was worth the $25 bucks.
