Wednesday, Jul. 28, 2010

Graceland Too, Holly Springs, Miss.

Paul McLeod is obsessed with Elvis. He named his son Elvis Aaron Presley McLeod, and when he dies, he'd like to be buried in a gold lamé suit formerly owned by the King. Ideally, when his casket opens, the box will play the song "Return to Sender." It's appropriate, then, that he is the proprietor of Graceland Too, located halfway between Graceland and Tupelo, Elvis' birthplace. McLeod's home is full, floor to ceiling, room after room, of thousands upon thousands of pieces of Elvis memorabilia. For a mere $5, visitors will be walked through narrow passageways stacked high with old records, postcards and costumes. Graceland Too is open 24 hours a day. (McLeod claims to get about four hours of sleep a night — and that's during low-traffic hours.) Students from the nearby University of Mississippi are known to drunkenly stop in at 4 a.m. and get the full 1½-hour tour.