Elvis is King. Period.

Updated: Jul 27

We fly into Memphis, Tennessee and a decision to stay at The Guest House at Graceland seals our fate for the next three days, as it provides me the opportunity to almost fully immerse myself into the Elvis experience.

It’s too late to spend any time around Graceland after our arrival, so after checking into our room, we take a walk to explore our surroundings. And they are not pretty. To be honest, I am not that person that goes around criticising places and to be fair, with the relatively new hotel in which we are staying, and the new museums built opposite the Graceland mansion, I can see that the area is being improved, albeit slowly. We have tumbled headlong into summer, and it is hotter than I had expected. There is also a hint that rain is threatening; the sort of muggy, tropical torrential downpours that go hand-in-hand with the southern states. This afternoon’s excursion to the next intersection to visit a store has us walking where there are no footpaths and having to avoid large steaming puddles of water. Additionally, the confusing pedestrian signals, with their indistinct arrows that are always pointing in the wrong direction do not help!

I wake up on Tuesday morning, flick on the television and am confronted with the news that in two days’ time Graceland is to be auctioned. There are plenty of reporters gathered and reporting from the iconic, and still closed gates at the entrance of Graceland. We have VIP passes that will allow us almost unfettered access to Graceland, a guided tour of the house, the archives, and the museums. Although I am sure this news will not affect our visit this week, I do wonder about the hundreds of thousands of people who are planning to visit over the next months.

Our VIP tour of the Graceland Mansion, the outer buildings, the archives, and the pool and garden area is excellent. Our tour guide’s knowledge is vast and even the tricky questions that I sometimes like to ask are answered honestly. She really loves her job, and it shows with the way she interacts with us. To be honest, I am not a real Elvis fan, and I am more interested in finding out where the gold records and the costumes are located now since the racquetball court has been restored to the way it was before it became a museum. As the tour enters a long narrow building, I slip away and sit in the reflective part of the garden under the shade of a pergola. I hasten to mention that I am not bored. Did I mention having almost unfettered access to the mansion due to our VIP status? This is the second time I have toured the house today, so a little restorative time alone is exactly what I need now. A good strong cup of coffee would be nice… My ear phones are still attached, and I get intermittent static and snippets of information each time the door opens for exiting patrons. I am well positioned to join the group when they exit, if they ever get out of there!

Since my last visit here in 2015 with Marianne, both Lisa Marie and her son Benjamin have passed away. Both are buried opposite the graves occupied by Elvis, his parents, and his grandmother. Seeing the two most recent graves brings home just how precarious life is. It also begs the question that if Graceland is to be auctioned on the steps of the Memphis Courthouse in two days’ time, what happens to the cemetery, which is located so very close to the house?

We have access to the archives and are transported to a building on the estate that is not accessible to most people. Inside the first room, we are advised on what to expect and that photos cannot be taken. Since my companion has photographed every inch of the estate over two visits so far today, this next part of our tour will be a challenge.

We are led into a climate-controlled area and asked to stand in a specific part of the floor. The archivists are currently cataloguing Lisa Marie’s effects, which are placed in acid-free tissue and in archive boxes. For our benefit and because it is done annually, a box containing some items of Elvis’ clothing is opened. A code is entered into a computer, which correlates with the specific box that will be opened, and the screen displays a description of the box’s contents. To maintain the fabrics and to ensure that they do not deteriorate even under a controlled climate, the archivists need to gently remove the items, remove the tissue paper, rewrap them in new paper and place the items back in the box in the reverse order they were in when it was opened. This means that fibres in the clothes are not unduly stressed under the weight of the other items in the box. We look at a white knitted top, an orange trousers that were probably never worn, and other items. Along with the information pertaining to the rewrapping of the items, any photos of the owner, in this case Elvis himself, wearing the clothing is included in the file. The archivists are quick to divulge that there is a huge number of items that were probably unworn by Elvis and their challenge is to keep them pristine even after so many years have lapsed. It is easy to imagine that these ladies will never be short of work after seeing the extent of the collection and the work that is required on a daily basis to ensure the items are maintained for as long as possible. Again, my mind is whirring at the thought that all this could be affected by the impending sale of the Graceland mansion and its acreage. As far as I am concerned, this is the high point of the tour. Returning to the first room, we are told that we can now take our photos and we are each handed a pair of white cotton gloves. Our attention is drawn to one of Elvis’ cloaks that is arranged on a stand. We are permitted to touch it as long as our hands are enclosed in the white gloves. and to have our photos taken with it. Any chance for a photo opportunity!

After returning to the main building, we are taken on a whistle-stop tour of the museums, but since it’s late in the day, our guide has given us something very unexpected. She signs our tickets and advises that we can use them tomorrow to tour the museums and the aeroplanes in our own time. I am actually delighted by this because I can return to the hotel and chill for a while before Happy Hour at the bar followed by the daily Elvis movie at the theatre. Whilst I am dreaming of a frozen margarita, my companion announces that ‘we’ are returning to the mansion. Not me, I’ve had enough for one day!

And so, we part ways and I miss the excitement!

Whilst my friend boards the last bus for Graceland, I return to the hotel and enjoy a little peace and quiet. But not for long…

The door opens and she bursts through. ‘You’ll never guess what happened at Graceland! You should have been there.’ Apparently a dodgy-looking family was touring the house and grounds with the few visitors left on the premises. The gentleman of the group suddenly sprang over a fence and jumped into the swimming pool. Security personnel swarmed in, hauled him out, and frog-marched him and his family off the premises after getting his details to ban him from returning to the mansion for life.

This evening, we are greeted with good news! The Graceland Mansion will not be sold. The claim was declared a fake and did not turn up to the hearing at the courthouse. The County Chancellor, JoeDae Jenkins, made the following statement.

“The court will enjoin the sale as requested because, one, the real estate is considered unique under Tennessee law. And in being unique, the loss of the real estate would be considered irreparable harm.”

Wednesday provides a sleep-in as it’s not necessary to go to the Graceland Museums too early. Since I was last here, the museums have been upgraded, and are far better for absorbing potential large crowds. I start from the Baz Luhrmann exhibition of his recent Elvis movie, and from there I move fluidly from one exhibit or museum to the next. A new exhibit is a tribute to Lisa Marie, which is excellent, and now armed with knowledge gleaned from yesterday’s tour, I am interested to see which of her outfits on display are also featured in the various film clips that are playing in the space. I am so glad that we able to spend a second day here because otherwise, we would not get the same experience.

Finally, the threatened rain starts to fall. Hard. Torrential rain that reminds me of Queensland’s cyclone season. Donning ponchos, we make our way down to the two aeroplanes on display and wait patiently to walk through the Lisa Marie and poke our heads into Col. Parker’s Lear jet.