This tour was part of the NETA conference (National Electrical Testing Association) spouse package. But you might be able to get it from a local tour operator. The 3 kings of the tour are; Elvis, BB King, and Martin Luther King. Pretty cute. The first stop was Graceland. This is Mecca for all Elvis fans. The number #1 comment from everyone on my tour was, “I thought it would be bigger”. I’m glad Elvis isn’t around to hear that kind of talk. There are about 26 rooms in the mansion, but each room is kind of small. The house tour takes you on the ground floor and the basement. The upstairs area where he died is off-limits. The whole Graceland experience is pretty large though. After the house you walk around the grounds and see more of his memorabilia. Then it’s back in the bus to the main area to see his cars and jet planes. There are 2 restaurants and even a post office. The other surprising thing about Graceland was that it wasn’t as wild and tacky as people have led me to believe. You be the judge. Maybe I’ve been desensitized from living in Las Vegas for over 12 years. But if MTV Cribs was around in the 1970’s, Elvis would definitely have a 2 hour special.
We went to BB King’s Restaurant for lunch. Ech. It was ok. The location in Nashville is nicer and larger.
We took a trolley car ride to the Civil Rights Museum. We lost all the young Canadian women at BB King’s bar (Why would they be interested in American civil rights anyway?) The museum is the converted motel that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spent his last night and where he was assasinated. The museum is continued across the street where the gunman shot him from. The tour didn’t give us enough time to see all the exhibits. Very informative and educational.
