WALKING IN MEMPHIS
based on 8 votes
I had originally booked my trip to Memphis to celebrate my 40th birthday but the journey became a pilgrimage (if it possible for an atheist to make a pilgrimage) following my younger brotherâs death from cancer seven weeks earlier. My brother like me was a great Elvis fan and always meant to visit Graceland.
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Explore locations featured in this Traveler List:
Memphis
- Category: Best of
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Traveler type: Culture, Sightseeing, Shopping
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Appeals to: Couples/romantics, Singles, Families with teenagers, Seniors, Students, Budget travellers , Tourists
- Seasons: Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall
- Tags: Memphis, Elvis
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1. Elvis Presley's Heartbreak Hotel
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Ave price:
$92
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| Where else can a pilgrim stay in Memphis but the Heartbreak Hotel which isnt "down at the end of Lonely Street" but on Elvis Presley Boulevard near Graceland. A complimentary shuttle bus transports guests from the airport to the hotel. The driver drove out of his way so we could catch our first glimpse of the Memphis shrine, which was attractively lit up but looked much smaller than I expected. Unusually for America, I had great difficulty tipping my thoughtful driver. I checked in to the sound of the obligatory Elvis impersonator wafting from the Hotel's lounge. My lodgings were comfortable with photos of The King on the walls and a TV with a channel that showed Elvis movies around the clock. I woke on my birthday to Viva Las Vegas, I couldn't have asked for more. The room rate of $90 a night included a "deluxe continental" breakfast of coffee; orange juice; cereals and pastries. |
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| Each visitor receives an individual headset, which plays a very helpful, "specially produced audio tour presentation featuring an informative narrative, music and commentary from Elvis himself, and personal recollections of Lisa Marie Presley". The house was much smaller and modest than I expected but the furniture and fittings were as kitsch as I anticipated. You get to see the living room, music room, Elvis' parents' bedroom, the dining room, kitchen, TV room, pool room, and jungle den in the main house, and, behind, Elvis' racquetball building and his original office. The house doesn't take very long to tour; your stay is more extended in the exhibition rooms where you view The King's clothes; records; gold discs; film posters and personal belongings. Did you know that Elvis was a black belt in two types of karate or that President Nixon gave him a federal narcotics agent badge? You finish the Graceland tour in the meditation garden where Elvis; his mum and dad; and an aunt are buried. There are further exhibits and shops in the complex opposite Graceland. I had paid $27 for the Platinum Tour package (the regular tour is $18), which included self-guided tours of Elvis's two custom airplanes, the Elvis Presley Automobile Museum and a memorabilia museum called Sincerely Elvis. |
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| The Mecca pilgrim makes the Hajj, which in Islamic law means to set out for the Ka'ba - the sacred house. However, Graceland wasn't the Ka'ba of my journey. This honour fell to Sun Studios, in downtown Memphis, which is in a small non-descript building with no architectural beauty. Yet history was made here, this is where Elvis recorded his first record, That's Alright Momma. You get to go in the studio and hold the actual microphone he used; as I felt it I was emotional - it was like touching a holy object. |
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4. Lansky at the Peabody Hotel
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| I indulged in some retail therapy at the splendid Lansky's where Elvis bought his clothes. The salesman who claimed to have known Elvis (I noticed all Memphis men of a certain age make similar claims) sold me a flamboyant Elvis motif shirt for $75. |
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5. National Civil Rights Museum
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| Martin Luther King has always been a hero of mine. Sharing first names helped catch my interest but his life soon inspired me. Dr King was assasinated at Memphis's Lorraine Motel, which has now been turned into the National Civil Rights Museum. It contains interesting and inspiring exhibits including a Alabama bus, which as you get on it you hear a voice shouting at you to move. This is to remind you what Rosa Parks endured when she refused to move and so ignited the Montgomery bus boycott that ended segregation on buses. You get to see the room Doctor King stayed in prior to his assassination; a wreath marks the spot where he fell after being shot. |
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6. Stax Museum of American Soul Music
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| The museum wasnt open when I visited Memphis but next time I visit the city I will definitely be going there! |
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Compliment BrotherSmith
BrotherSmith
The king and my brother
