Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Down in the Jungle Room

A visit to Memphis is always special, especially in a charter bus, coach bus, party bus, mini bus, passenger coaches or school bus chartered from Bus Charter Memphis. Providing a variety of vehicles of various types to cater to any size group, Bus Charter Memphis makes it easy for you to visit that shrine to the King of Rock and Roll, Graceland.
Graceland was Elvis Presley’s residence until his death in 1977. This 13.8 acre estate was purchased by Elvis in 1957, when he gave his parents money to buy him a “farmhouse type” property. Elvis lived in Graceland with his parents, then with his wife Priscilla and their daughter Lisa Marie. In 1982, Priscilla Presley decided to open Graceland to the public, in order to raise funds to avoid defaulting on taxes owed on the mansion. This proved to be a major success with Elvis fans, and today more than half a million Presley fans visit Graceland each year.
A good way to visit Graceland is with a charter bus. The neighborhood around Graceland is described as “sketchy”, and chartering a bus from Bus Charter Memphis is a good way to travel safely and avoid any unfortunate incidents.
Graceland is constructed from tan limestone. This 10,266 square foot mansion as originally built was enlarged over the years to 17,552 square feet. It has 23 rooms spread across 3 levels.  Graceland today is very much a shrine to Elvis’ life. It contains all the furniture and fittings in the house as it was at the time of his death. The house has been variously described as “tacky and kitsch” and “white trash”. However, as a insight into the life of Elvis, it is an incalculable treasure.
Taking a tour of Graceland, the visitor will be led by an audio commentary with narration, comments and stories by Elvis and his daughter Lisa Marie. The Graceland Mansion tour includes Elvis’ living room, music room, parents' bedroom, dining room, kitchen, TV room, pool room and the famous Jungle Room. Visitors will be able to see the rooms where he lived, relaxed and played with friends and family.
Outside, visitors can step inside both of Elvis’ jets. The first is a Convair 880 which Elvis bought and christened “Lisa Marie”. Inside the aircraft, Elvis spent $800,000 remodeling the interior, installing a living room, conference room, sitting room and private bedroom. The second jet is a Lockheed Jet Star named “Hound Dog II”. This smaller plane was used to transport Elvis’ manager and crew to various venues when he was on tour.
The Elvis Presley Car Museum is next on the list. Here you can view Elvis’ automobile and motorcycle collection. Aside from his favorite pink Cadillac, also on display are his Harley Davidson motorcycles, the MG from “Blue Hawaii”, a 1975 Dino, Rolls Royce, a six door 600 Grosser Mercedes Benz and the John Deere tractor he used on his land.
A visit to Graceland will be unforgettable, especially if you are an Elvis fan. Call Bus Charter Memphis today to find out how we can help arrange your group’s trip to Graceland with our choice of vehicles and friendly, personalized service.

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