The King had unique taste to say the least…
Firstly, rest in peace to Elvis’ only child Lisa Marie. Before she passed, she would still have dinner in the dining room of Graceland with its original tableware when she was in town. Not only can you tour Graceland when you’re in Memphis, but you can pay respect to Elvis and his parents as they were buried on the property. Adorned in colorful flowers, handwritten notes and mementos, it’s clear that more than 45 years since Elvis’ death, his legacy lives on stronger than ever.
I recently visited Elvis’ Graceland, not really knowing what to expect. His home is elegant, humble, weird, original and unique. The rooms don’t match an aesthetic at all, but after learning more about the King, they shouldn’t. Here’s a look inside and some top Graceland facts that you probably didn’t know…
Elvis bought Graceland for $102,500 in 1957 which translates to about $924,000 today.
One year into his superstardom, a young 22-year-old Elvis Presley purchased Graceland mansion and estate for $102,500 where he moved in with his parents Vernon and Gladys. Elvis grew the home on a 13.8 acres lot from 10,000 square feet to 17,552 with 23 total rooms including 8 bedrooms, 8 bathrooms, and even 5 staircases. For all of that under 1 million today seems like a pretty sweet deal.
He had a mischievous pet chimpanzee named Scatter.
Believe or not, Elvis was an animal lover so much so that he once wanted to pursue making Graceland into a zoo. His property had a barn of horses and oddly his chimpanzee named Scatter – had a reputation of being a big pain in the ass. Elvis would dress his monkey in human clothes and even drive him around Memphis with Scatter in the front seat. This is very bizarre, I know!
The “Jungle Room” has carpet on the ceiling for better acoustics.
Elvis Presley added an enclosed den to his home in the mid-'60s, later filled with Tiki furniture, a cascading waterfall, green shag carpet on the floor and ceiling, rainbow lighting, and plastic foliage. It was later deemed the “Jungle Room” by fans. In 1976, RCA transformed the room into a temporary recording studio, recording four tracks released on the posthumous album, Moody Blue. This would be Presley's last recording session before his death a year later.
The pool room is by far the coolest room in the house.
Graceland's basement billiard room is unusual, with walls and ceilings covered in 300 yards of elaborately designed fabric. Elvis wanted something different and was inspired by an 18th-century billiards room painting. Designer Bill Eubanks bought the fabric and workers pleated it for 10 days. To say the least, this room is a masterpiece and real life optical illusion.
He constructed a building on the property for racquetball.
Elvis Presley had a variety of hobbies including: roller skating, roller coasters, karate, football, and movie-watching. In 1973, he discovered a new passion in racquetball and started playing at the local Y and Memphis State. He enjoyed playing racquetball and watching movies so much that he often stayed up late into the morning hours doing so.
In 1975, Elvis built a racquetball court at Graceland in his backyard. Aside from the court, there's a multi level lounge with a piano and pinball machine along with a hot tub upstairs.
Top Graceland Fact: It's the second most visited house in the country behind the White House.
A landmark and national institution, Graceland has attracted over 20 million visitors since its public opening in 1982, Graceland receives over 600,000 guests annually, generating an estimated $150 million for Memphis' economy. Visitors are diverse, ranging in age, background, and income, with Graceland being second in popularity only to the White House!
We'll see if Austin Butler takes home Best Actor for his role in Elvis.
Be good, JB PS. Sign up to the best newsletter for weekly honest travel tips. Also, make sure to forward it to a friend and add me to your address book so I don’t land in your spam folder.
