This past January, as my mom’s birthday was rolling around, I thought about taking her to Graceland so she could see the former home of her favorite performer, Elvis Presley.  I ended up going in a different direction (literally), but my sister came up with the same idea for Mother’s Day.  So, as May was drawing to a close, (nearly) the whole family loaded into the minivan and headed down to Tennessee and Mississippi to see the Elvis-related sights.

Things got off to an early start on Saturday morning as we left around 5 AM and headed south.  After a brief stop in Missouri for lunch at Lambert’s Cafe, where they throw dinner rolls at you, and so Michael could cross another state off his list, we rolled into Memphis around 2:00.  Our first stop was the Memphis Zoo, where we ran into some pandas and other animals.  After the zoo, we headed to our hotel for some relaxing in the pool, followed by dinner at a charming BBQ joint known as Corky’s, winners of multiple best BBQ awards.  After a long day, it was time to call it a night.

Sunday morning got off to an early, if wet, start at Graceland, home, and eternal resting place, of Elvis Presley.  Aside from the mansion, which is strangely small for what would be considered a mansion, there were a few other attractions to see, including a car museum and his 2 planes.

After lunch at Graceland (a fried peanut butter/banana sandwich, natch), it was time to visit Sun Studios, where Elvis made his first recordings.  While waiting for our tour, we made a quick trip over to the Peabody Hotel, where they have trained ducks hanging out in the lobby, which is supposedly a thing.  Back to Sun for the tour, which included the actual recording studio space, which is still in use at night.

Following the tour, we headed across the border to Arkansas for dinner, and another chance for Michael to add a state to his tally.  After dinner, it was on to Tupelo, Mississippi, where we would spend the night before finishing off the Elvis tour on Monday.  But more about that next time.