It all started on a Saturday night in the middle of September. My mom and I were watching the new “Elvis” movie when I noticed a particular look coming at me from across the room. Having seen the look before, I knew my mother was about to either say or do something crazy. “Do you want to go to Memphis?” she asked me. I told her I would like to someday, and she again gave me THE look and said, “Like do you want to go to Memphis this month?”

My family has a huge heart for history, so any opportunity for me to visit a museum or historical sight will never be missed. So, on September 30, I hopped on my flight to Memphis, Tennessee to go and visit Elvis Presley’s Graceland.

Graceland is honestly one of the most unique museums I have ever experienced. There are so many exhibits to see and things to do there. You start by watching a short biographical film on the life of Elvis and his family. Next, we were loaded up on buses and driven across the street to tour the actual Graceland homestead.

Let me just start by saying this house is interesting. My mom said, “This house is very 1970s.” You walk in and everything looks normal–the house has that typical mid-century style going on–but once you walk into the kitchen… that’s when everything changes. I don’t really remember what was going on in the kitchen because in the room behind, there was quite literally a jungle going on. The staff ushered all of the distracted tourists down the stairs, but the glimpse I got of the “Jungle Room” in Elvis’s house DID NOT prepare me for what was just down the stairs.

Besides the weird mirrored walls of the stairway, I thought the rest of the house would be what I considered normal. However, my descent down the shaggy green steps led me to a NEON YELLOW ROOM. The walls were NEON YELLOW. NEON YELLOW. I was stunned. “Hideous” was the only word coming to my mind. Everywhere I looked, I saw yellow. Yellow walls, yellow pillows, even a yellow fireplace. There were three televisions located at the back of the room and a mirrored tile ceiling.

From there it was into another room Elvis used to entertain; then as you can imagine, back to the “Jungle Room” we went. There was a working fountain and lots of greenery going on in there. It was slightly overwhelming for my minimalist style, and I will just kindly say the room was out there. Regardless, it was iconic, and I wish I was bold enough to have a Jungle for my living room.

We also got to tour Elvis Presley’s racquetball court, pool, and his gravesite, where all of his family have been laid to rest. It was quite a shocking home, both completely unaesthetic and pleasing at the same time.

The rest of the tour consisted of exhibits featuring different parts of Elvis Presley’s life and career. We of course didn’t miss a photo opportunity in front of Elvis’s pink Cadillac and with all of his famous suits. In retrospect, Graceland was honestly one of the coolest museums I have ever been to, and when in Memphis, I recommend you go and see it for yourself!!