MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE

Jules’ Journal: Graceland!

By: Julianne Lillie, 12/7/22

After my 10am work call was over, we hopped in the car and headed to Graceland, the Home of Elvis Presley! It was only a 30-minute drive from the Memphis KOA campground where we’re staying.

Jason and I both had visited Graceland when we were much younger (before marriage). When we arrived, I didn’t remember it being so BIG! We ate lunch at a BBQ restaurant onsite that was named after Elvis’ dad, Vernon. (Delicious BBQ – highly recommend!)

Then we headed to check out his airplanes first since there was a break in the rain. (It pretty much has rained on us for 2 days straight at this point – we are sick of the rain & mud!)

The largest Jet, named Lisa Marie, he had was a 1958 Commercial Delta aircraft before he bought it and re-outfitted it. It was very nice on the inside and was perfectly in line with the 1960’s vibe! Suede everything - even a blue suede bed! We also learned that every seat belt buckle on board was 14K gold-plated!

After the planes we walked to the Museum. Everything was decorated so lovely for Christmas!

As we walked through the museum, we saw lots of his memorabilia including his flashy jumpsuits, belts, boots, albums, & movie props. Apparently, Elvis was quite the Hollywood movie star! I guess I didn’t realize Elvis starred in 31 movies! Crazy!

We then learned that he was drafted into the miliary (another fact I did not know) during WWII and served in the US Army for 2 years AFTER he had already became super famous. The military treated him just like any other soldier - he had kitchen duty and had to clean the latrines just like every other private. He was, however, allowed to stay off base with his family while stationed in Germany. And this is where he met Priscilla Presley.

We got the chance to play around and try to be Elvis! This was pretty funny!

We also got a chance to see Elvis' “fun” side and viewed his “toys” such as golf carts, buggies, go karts, motorcycles, snowmobiles, boats, etc. Apparently he loved to race and had the "need for speed!"

And then of course we got walk through his car collection including his famous pink Cadillac!

At this point, it was time for us to report for the Christmas Mansion tour. As we drove through the famous iron gates, we saw his massive Nativity Scene that he would put out front and center for every Christmas season.

And then we got to tour his mansion and saw it all beautifully decorated for Christmas with all original décor!

Entry way & front door:

Parlor Room:

Dining Room:

Every room looked straight out of the 70s, especially the kitchen, as it was left just as it was when he had passed.

Kitchen:

Mirrored Staircase leading to his hangout rooms downstairs:

Pool Table Room - Look at all this FABRIC!!!! Even had enough leftover to cover the couches & pillows! Oh my!

And here's the Den. Complete with green shag carpet... even on the ceiling!

Then lastly, we toured the grounds and got to visit the Meditation Garden where Elvis, his mother, father, and grandmother all lay to rest. We also saw a memorial stone for Elvis’ identical twin brother who was stillborn.

I guess I didn’t realize that his mom died just a year or so after they moved into Graceland. Then Elvis died at age 42 leaving his father and grandmother. Two years after Elvis died, his father, Vernon, died. So, this means his grandmother, Minnie Mae, outlived them all didn’t die until she was 90! In fact, she was still living in the house at Graceland when the home opened to the public for tours. The tour guide said that occasionally guests would walk into the kitchen and she’d be cooking eggs & bacon for breakfast! So crazy!

At the gift shop the kids were practicing being famous like Elvis! Ha ha!

I don’t think the kids enjoyed Graceland as much as Jason and I did. But overall, I think it was a fun day for us all! Thank you for reading, Thank you very much!

Jett’s Wild Flight: Do it the Egyptian Way?

By: Jett Lillie, 12/6/22

This ginormous pyramid in Memphis, TN is actually a Bass Pro Shop!

Here’s my wild guess of why it is a pyramid. It was a gift from “King toot” because he was happy riding his 4-wheeler up the pyramids yelling, “Bass Pro Shop, Bass Pro Shop is the place to be!” But back to reality… I’m sure you want to know what is inside!

When you walk in the store you will find GIANT live fish, live ducks, and live alligators! Also, we saw quite a lot of stuffed animals of all kinds. There’s even a hotel inside!

We looked around and saw Santa, so we had to take pictures with him! And he gave us these cool Santa glasses.

I also got to play with the Lincoln logs and a shooting range. We looked at all sorts of things in the store like chairs and guns that shoot salt at bugs!

Ooooh… there’s also a huge lookout place, to! I’m sort of sad that we didn’t get to up to the top, but I knew the view wouldn’t compare to the Washington Monument’s view!

This was by far the largest, weirdest, and coolest Bass Pro Shop I’ve ever been to!

Jaycie’s Bunny Hoppin’ News: The Bass Pro Shop

By: Jaycie Lillie, 12/6/22

This Bass Pro Shop was a Pyramid! I’m not sure why they chose this design, but it is very BIG! Inside they had fake scenes inside with trees and stuffed animals. They also had several very large ponds with giant real fish and ducks swimming in them.

And Santa, too! Mommy made us take a picture with Santa even though I didn’t want to. Daddy got a selfie! I did get these super cute glasses...

It looked like there were little stores within the big store and shopped in all of them! There were 2 stories to shop! The rest of the floors/levels were a hotel. There was also a lookout at the top, but we didn’t go.

We had to sit in all the chairs and see everything! So, it took a while! And I of course had to take a pic with a giant stuffed Grizzly Bear! What? I had to pretend punch him because he looked scary!

Then we went home to the RV. It was a fun store to explore!