Development Planned at Elvis Honeymoon Ranch This week plans were announced to develop the Circle G Ranch in Horn Lake, Miss. That happens to be where Elvis and Priscilla Presley spent their honeymoon in 1967.

Development Planned at Elvis Honeymoon Ranch

  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/4799245/4799246" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

(Soundbite of "Teddy Bear")

Mr. ELVIS PRESLEY (Singer): (Singing) Baby, let me be your loving teddy bear.

SCOTT SIMON, host:

In 1967, Elvis and Priscilla Presley honeymooned on his Circle G Ranch in Horn Lake, Mississippi, just east of Mississippi Highway 301. That's about an hour out of Tupelo. You knew that. Elvis considered the place rustic and restful, a nice spot to kick back with the peanut butter banana and bacon sandwich.

This week, the Horn Lake Board of Aldermen approved a plan to build 16 buildings, all 35 stories tall, where the deer and the antelope used to play, along with golf courses, shops, restaurants and a performing arts center. The whole complex will be called the Stars Resort. Calling it something like Rancho Elvis presumably would have cost them even more than the $2 billion they plan to spend.

There is some local concern. The resort hopes to bring in 2,000 visitors a day, which would certainly overload the present road system. There will be no gambling, but liquor will be served 24 hours a day, which concerns some of the local churches and law enforcement agencies. But just building the resort would create jobs, and a local man named Jim Jordan told the Memphis Commercial Appeal, `I'm kind of in favor of this thing. It's time Horn Lake become know as something other than a trailer park with no wheels on it.'

(Soundbite of "Teddy Bear")

Mr. PRESLEY: (Singing) 'Cause lions ain't the kind you love enough. There's a lonely...

SIMON: Coming up, our Annoying Music Man presents selections of Elvis songs that others foolishly attempted. Stay tuned.

(Soundbite of "Teddy Bear")

Mr. PRESLEY: (Singing) Put a chain around my neck and leave me anywhere. Oh, let me be...

Backup Singers: Oh, let him be...

Mr. PRESLEY: (Singing) ...your teddy bear. Oh, let me be...

Backup Singers: Oh, let him be your teddy bear.

Mr. PRESLEY: (Singing) I just wanna be your teddy bear.

Backup Singers: Oooh.

Copyright © 2005 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information.

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.