The Wonders of the Isle of Wight with Phil & Lesley

The Wonders of the Isle of Wight

Our evening were spent having a terrific time on the dance floor.  The entertainment was fantastic with wonderful music!

In Alum Bay we visited the sand shop where we all made our own sand sculptures from Alum Bay Sand. 

We then visited the glass factory where we were shown how glass is made and watched a very interesting demonstration. 

 At the Zoo we had a superb time and saw so many different species. This included lions, tigers, wallabies, meerkats, monkeys, jaguars, and giant rabbits to name just a few. We also purchased a few items for the Zoo shop which included lovely t-shirts!

Another great holiday in sunny Isle of Wight!

Memphis - the Home of Elvis! With Steve, Michaela & Candy

  Memphis - the Home of Elvis!  

In Graceland we were so excited to start our tour of Elvis house. We went from room to room, equipped with headphones, learning so much about this musical icon. It was incredible to experience our hero in his own home. 

 The walls were covered with gold and silver discs and his magnificent costumes on display for us to see. As we walked through Elvis' Graceland we saw where he worked and enjoyed the extravagance of his lifestyle at that time.  

Outside we visited the meditation garden where he is laid to rest with his parents. 

 We then visited  his museum of cars, airplane and motor bikes alongside a new cinema block showing back to back Elvis.

 At the Mississippi River we boarded and old paddle steamer where we were treated to an entertaining history audio and learnt lots about this fantastic boat and river. 

We experienced the Rock and Roll museum  where we spent the afternoon. The museum gave us a good insight into the complete Memphis story. We all enjoyed an audio guide as we walked, danced and sang our way around the museum.

One evening we went to the famous BB King’s restaurant in Beale Street. We had front row seats in this buzzing restaurant and enjoyed listening to the incredible live blues groups. We danced and sang the night away.

Another day we went to Arkansas and explored the Deep South experience from cotton picking, a tractor drive through turtle and alligator swamp and pumpkin picking all within a setting you have only seen in western movies in miles and miles of agricultural land. 

We enjoyed a ride on a Horse and Carriage through down town Memphis. A stroll down Beale Street on a Saturday night was a real treat. 

 On our last day we went to the birth place of Rock “N” Roll, Sun Studio. This was a great place to visit. A museum and still a working studio where artists can record their music. Here we learnt about the famous recording artists Elvis, Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis. We even got to use the microphone, piano and drums used by these stars when recording.

Butlins, Fun & Dancing with Phil & Isobel

   Butlins, Fun & Dancing   

At the Centre stage we saw an amazing pantomime, danced to some party tunes and also watched  incredible tribute act from Whitney Houston, the Rat Pack and the legendary Elvis. We all loved pausing for pictures with our favourite, The Red Coat!

At the fairground we enjoyed going on so many rides, we loved the pretty carousel where we picked a horse and whirl around, we also went on the trabant which spinned us round and around and up and down. 

Some of us had Butlins t-shirts made with their name printed on.

What a great souvenir to take home!

We visited a Military Aviation Museum. It was interesting to see all the aircraft, communication systems and memorabilia. 

In Chichester town we visited the beautiful Cathedral and walked around the small market and visited some of the shops where we bought gifts and souvenirs.