Giant Gingerbread House at the Grand Floridian

Each Christmas the Grand Floridian Resort in Walt Disney World in Florida constructs a giant gingerbread house (made out of real gingerbread) in the lobby of the hotel. Visitors can purchase a variety of gingerbread treats from the kiosk including gingerbread men and chocolate dipped gingerbread shingles - although in our experience, eating a giant gingerbread shingle kind of just tasted like eating a giant shingle. The gingerbread house itself is amazing though. 

Eating one of the giant gingerbread shingles.

 

Haunted Homesteads on the Canadian Prairies

With a number of new travel shoots across Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba this autumn, I inadvertently kept spotting abandoned houses and homesteads all over the prairies. These are just a few of the "haunted" highlights found on numerous backroads across the Canadian Prairies.

Phantom Manor at Disneyland Paris

Welcome to Phantom Manor in Frontierland at Disneyland Paris in France. Unlike the other haunted mansion attractions at Disney Parks, because of its location in Frontierland, Phantom Manor has incorporated a number of western influences into the design of this ride. 

 

Elvis Presley's Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee

Elvis may have left the building, but that hasn't stopped countless fans from visiting Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee each year. As one of the most popular homes in the United States, the former estate of Elvis Presley is now a museum, archive, national historic site, and shrine to the life and music of this undisputed rock and roll legend. 

The house was built in 1939, however it was on March 19, 1957 that Elvis Presley bought the property for $102,500. Situated on a 13.8 acre wooded estate, the southern Colonial mansion used to be on the outskirts of Memphis, but as the city grew it became surrounded by other properties. Today, as amazing as it is, Graceland is at the center of what can only be described as an unapologetic tourist trap dedicated to The King.  

Elvis would call Graceland home for two decades, before his untimely death here in 1977. Recognizing the enormous upkeep costs, Graceland was opened for public tours on June 7, 1982. He, along with his parents, Gladys and Vernon, and his grandmother, are all buried in the Meditation Garden on the property. 

Graceland remains a fascinating look into the life of Elvis Presley. From the kitsch 1970's decor of the Jungle Room to the upholstered ceilings in the pool room to the three televisions that Elvis would watch in his media room, the home is well kept and locked in time. Only the upstairs remains off limits. Still, there's no place better than Graceland to appreciate the man who revolutionized rock and roll. Elvis Presley is still very much alive in Memphis. 

Elvis Presley at Graceland ca. 1957