As Paul Simon sang in 1986, “I'm going to Graceland, Graceland, in Memphis, Tennessee, I'm going to Graceland.”
We left Byram, Mississippi this morning, after Eric got a haircut (#1 buzz) and I stopped two doors down at a fabulous scrapbook store called A SCRAPPIN FRIENDSY.
I love paper, so I always loved to look at the scrapbook supplies, but I never got into that craft, as I was always so busy with my decoupage and jewelry mosaics. Since we’ve been on the road, I’ve been saving post cards, business cards, brochures and other ephemera to document our trip, and taking plenty of pictures. I don’t know if I’ll actually do a scrapbook, but I will certainly make some collages to frame and hang in our new apartment, which will represent our adventure across America. Jo, the owner, was so helpful and I picked out a few pieces of paper that coordinated with the places we’ve been. She also had these adorable little license plates (about 1½ inches wide) and I got them for all the states we’ve been in, and the ones we anticipate going to next.
We hadn’t had breakfast and it was already noon, so we asked Jo in A SCRAPPIN FRIENDSY where there was a great place for lunch. She directed us to Jackson to a place called ELITE RESTAURANT, a cozy much-loved landmark, where we had another delicious meal. Their homemade rolls were to DIE for!
We got on the road and got to Memphis at 4:30pm and checked into the MEMPHIS-GRACELAND RV RESORT (at the end of LONELY STREET behind the HEARTBREAK HOTEL – no kidding). We couldn’t believe that Graceland is literally down the block. We can walk there tomorrow for the tour!
We decided to take a walk and see what else was in the area and find a place to eat dinner. There are tons of souvenir shops, and we went into 3 or 4, and then we just started walking up ELVIS PRESLEY BOULEVARD looking for a restaurant. The Elvis Automobile Museum and Elvis' two custom airplanes are right across the street from GRACELAND. There are also more souvenir shops and a bunch of restaurants. Unfortunately, they close at 5:00pm and it was already after 6:00pm, so they were all closed.
We saw an employee come out of the closed areas and we asked him if he could recommend a good place to eat. He told us about MARLOWE’S RIBS & RESTAURANT, which is 1 mile South of Graceland. They have a free Pink Limo ride to and from your hotel or RV site. The gentleman picked us up right at our site and took us (along with three sisters from England and Canada) to the restaurant.
Eric and I have found that talking to people has greatly enhanced our trip. We make conversation everywhere we go, and the natives will always be happy to recommend places to go, things to see, where to go for the best food, etc. It is through these recommendations that we have discovered some of the best food we have eaten on this trip, and had some wonderful adventures!
Marlowe’s is famous for their barbecue, and they have an entrance filled with about 30 huge trophies to prove it! Eric had the barbecued chicken, and I had the catfish, and we shared sides of beans, cole slaw, corn fritters and sautéed burgundy mushrooms. YUM YUM!
Everyone at the restaurant was so friendly, so helpful -- happy to be there. It was so enjoyable. We ended up taking home some catfish and chicken, so we could have room for dessert, which was a huge piece of Mississippi Mud Cake a la mode.
While we waited for dessert to arrive, Eric went to talk to Tony, the owner of the restaurant, who manages the gift shop. He told Eric what it was like in the “good old days” when Elvis used to come into the restaurant late at night. He said he, Elvis, and some of the others in Elvis' entourage used to go down to the Firestone Auto Center to look at Elvis’ cars while they were being taken care of. He said the auto center still maintains the cars to this day.
Elvis Aaron Presley. What a handsome boy!
After our fabulous meal was over, the Pink Limo gave us the royal treatment with a ride back to our RV. The driver was a great guy and also told us some interesting stories.
So, now we’re back in the RV. Eric is reading as I sit here typing. We will get a good night’s sleep, so we’re ready for GRACELAND tomorrow!