Carolinas, Georgia & South Trips (Lonely Planet, 1st Edition) - Alex Leviton [133]
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If you’re short on time, try Blues City Tours. The seven-hour bus trip includes a stop at Graceland, lunch and a tour of various Elvis-themed sites throughout the city. See Sun Studio, the Mississippi River and the rather unimposing Elvis statue on Beale St.
Sleep at - you guessed it - Heartbreak Hotel. Across the street from Graceland (on Lonely St), it has ordinary (even tasteful) doubles, and four themed suites. The Graceland Suite has its own miniature Jungle Room and the Burning Love Suite is straight out of the red velvet-draped 1970s honeymoon of your nightmares.
In the morning, hop on the free minibus to Union Ave, home of the venerable Sun Studio. An 18-year-old Elvis reportedly walked in here and, when asked what famous musician he most sounded like, replied, “I don’t sound like nobody.” The best part of the fact-filled tour is the old studio itself, where you can pose for pictures on an “X” marking the spot where Elvis stood while recording his breakout single, “That’s all Right.”
In leafy Midtown Memphis, Overton Park has the band shell where Elvis played his first stage show in 1954. The once-decayed shell was narrowly saved from demolition and reopened as Levitt Shell in 2008, with a full concert schedule.
Part of downtown’s massive FedExForum, the Memphis Rock ’n’ Soul Museum explains how Elvis practically invented youth culture as we know it today. Hear low, sweet Delta blues and the skit-skat of early rock ’n’ roll on the song-packed audio tour. Nearby, the posh Lansky Brothers department store once supplied Elvis with his Hi-Boy collar shirts and gold lamé suits. Buy your own pink- and black-striped “speedway” shirt, sequined button-up, or Humes High School (Elvis’ alma mater) tee.
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Two hours southeast of Memphis in Tupelo, MS is Elvis’ childhood home. The humble, white shotgun shack is now the Elvis Birthplace Museum. Fervent fans can visit the hardware store where he got his first guitar, the courthouse where he performed his first live radio show and the drive-in where he chowed down on cheeseburgers.
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In downtown’s arty South Main district you’ll find the Arcade, Memphis’s oldest restaurant and one of Elvis’ favorites. The vinyl-and-Formica decor is straight out of the 1940s and the menu includes the infamous fried peanut-butter-and-banana sandwich. Fans who reserve well in advance can sleep in Elvis’ actual bedroom at Lauderdale Courts, a Depression-era public housing complex where the Presley family lived at number 328 from 1949 through 1953. The Elvis Suite is preserved with period furnishings, including a vintage Frigidaire and reproduction family photos.
As you leave the city, ponder what Elvis said at the end of a concert during what would prove to be his final tour: “Til we meet you again, may God bless you. Adios.”
Emily Matchar
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TRIP INFORMATION
GETTING THERE
From Nashville, take I-40 West about 200 miles to exit 10A towards Jackson, MS, then take exit 5B toward Elvis Presley Blvd.
DO
Blues City Tours
A bus will pick you up at your hotel for a daylong tour of Graceland and the King’s favorite city sights. 901-522-9229; www.bluescitytours.com; 325 Union Ave, Memphis; adult/child $70/51; 10am;
Graceland Automobile Museum
Across the street from the mansion, see 33 of Elvis’ own vehicles, including a pink Cadillac. 901-332-3322; www.elvis.com; 3765 Elvis Presley Blvd, Memphis; Graceland admission plus museum adult/child $29/15; 9am-5pm summer, 10am-4pm winter;
Graceland Mansion
Poke your nose into Elvis’ private home, viewing his kitchen, TV room, racquetball courts, and poolside gravesite.