Graceland II: Grounds

After you're done in the house, you slide out into the back yard and through a few outbuildings, accompanied the whole time by the taped voice of a tour guide.

The building Ken is walking in front of here was used at one time for shooting practice. In front of the building is Lisa Marie's swingset. Beyond it is the meadow where the King kept horses--there are still some grazing there today.

But before you get to the horses, you go through the office of Vernon Presley, Elvis's father, who survived him.

Vernon was all business.

As you can see, Vernon too was a fan of the King. (The TV is playing an interview with Elvis when he came home from serving overseas, which was where he met Priscilla. He talks about her a little in the interview, but then gets bashful and says he'd better not say any more. It's kinda cute.)

The back of the house, more than the front, suggests its size and style.

Elvis' famous guitar-shaped pool. (That's the graves across on the other side.)

After you go through the various buildings surrounding the back yard (which again is of relatively modest size), you go into a building that's been converted into a trophy gallery. It includes some interesting pictures and about a zillion gold records and other awards, plus various artwork and outfits once worn by Elvis. The taped tour describes almost every item in fastidious detail. Finally it ends, and you can go into the racquetball building (a few more tributes; Elvis spent some of his final hours here), then on to the gravesites.

Graceland: Interior . . . Exterior . . . Graves . . . Façade . . . Planes

Memphis: Graceland . . . Lorraine Motel . . . Stax Records . . . Sun Records . . . Highway 61

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