Pilgrimages in the united states and beyond | members only access

GRACELAND Memphis, Tennessee _VISITORS FEEL “A SPIRITUAL PRESENCE.”_ For music fans, there is probably no more sacred site in America than Elvis Presley’s home. Since it opened to the public

in 1982, roughly 600,000 people have explored the mansion each year. At Graceland, you get to know Elvis the person, not the image. You see the music room where he played gospel tunes on

the piano. You see the exotic Jungle Room with its waterfall, green shag carpeting (on the floor and ceiling) and faux-fur Polynesian-style furniture — a hideaway where Elvis liked to eat

breakfast. “I feel a powerful longing to just be there,” says Mary Hertweck, who has visited Graceland more than 60 times since 2017. Her favorite space is the Meditation Garden, where Elvis

and his family are buried, and where she feels “a spiritual presence.” Angie Marchese is a 34-year employee of Graceland, first as a tour guide and now vice president of archives and

exhibits. She describes the experience: “You’re walking through the same door that Elvis did when he bought the house in ’57, when he brought Lisa Marie home from the hospital, where he’d

greet friends.” _—K.B._ _IF YOU GO _Graceland is about 4 miles from Memphis International Airport. Admission is $82. While in Memphis, many fans also visit Sun Studio (tickets are $20),

where Elvis first recorded. The Pearl Harbor National Memorial opened in 1962 to honor the more than 2,400 Americans who perished during the 1941 attack. Getty Images PEARL HARBOR O‘ahu,

Hawai‘i _“I IMAGINED ENEMY AIRCRAFT BEARING DOWN.”_ We all know that Dec. 7, 1941, was “a date which will live in infamy.” But to ensure that no one forgets the Japanese attack on the U.S.

naval base in Hawai‘i, the Pearl Harbor National Memorial opened in 1962. For decades, World War II vets and family members of the more than 2,400 Americans who perished at Pearl Harbor have

been among the more than 1.5 million annual visitors. But even those without strong ties make pilgrimages. Journalist Denise Goolsby, 63, remembers interviewing eight Pearl Harbor survivors

about 15 years ago. “Their stories were harrowing and horrifying as they recalled the sheer devastation.” In 2020, Goolsby went to see Pearl Harbor herself. “My heart sank. I thought about

the survivor vets who had become such a special part of my life. I imagined enemy aircraft bearing down from all directions. I walked to where visitors can still see the eerie remains of the

_USS Arizona. _One of the veterans I interviewed was on the USS _Tennessee,_ docked right in front of the _Arizona,_ and recalled the explosion and the flames. It all happened right where I

was standing.” _—Kathy Strong_ _IF YOU GO _Fly to Hono­lulu’s Daniel K. Inouye International Airport. Entry to Pearl Harbor’s Visitor Center and museums is free. To view the USS _Arizona

Memorial,_ make a reservation at recreation.gov. The Selma Interpretive Center at the foot of the Edmund Pettus Bridge features exhibits and information on the civil rights movement. Getty

Images EDMUND PETTUS BRIDGE Selma, Alabama _“YOU TRY TO FEEL WHAT THEY FELT.”_ This bridge is small, no architectural marvel. That isn’t why people come to see it. On March 7, 1965, roughly

600 civil rights marchers peacefully approached the Edmund Pettus Bridge and were clubbed and tear-gassed by police. More than 15 people were hospitalized and others treated for injuries on

“Bloody Sunday.” “That afternoon changed the whole meaning of democracy,” says marcher Jo Ann Bland, 70. “People who had felt left out stood up and said, ‘We want full citizenship.’ That

bridge represents freedom. It’s a symbol that says, ‘I have power to enact change.’ ” Bland, then 11, was one of many young activists, recruited because adult protesters often feared losing

their jobs. Shocked by the violence and tear gas, she fainted, then awoke in a car, her head in her sister’s lap. Only when fully awake did she realize that what she thought were tears on

her face was actually blood. Today, Bland and fellow protester Kirk D. Carrington Sr. lead tours in Selma. The bridge, they say, endures as a pilgrimage site because it symbolizes our

yearning for liberty — and the sacrifices that demands. Denise Davidson is a Pettus Bridge pilgrim. She has visited other African American historic sites but especially wanted to see the

bridge, named after a grand dragon of the Alabama Ku Klux Klan. In June 2023, she and a friend took a silent, solemn walk across it, with the Alabama River chugging below. “You imagine the

people who marched that day,” Davidson says, “and try to feel what they felt.” _—K.B._ _IF YOU GO_ Fly into Montgomery Regional Airport and drive 45 minutes to Selma. Stop at the free

Selma Interpretive Center at the foot of the bridge for exhibits and information on it and other important civil rights sites. Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village, New York, is surrounded by

the Stonewall National Monument, a 7.7-acre area that will include a new visitor center, set to open in June. Alamy STONEWALL INN New York City _“THIS IS WHERE WE FOUGHT TO BE WHO WE ARE.”_

Manhattan’s Stonewall Inn was a dark, nondescript bar, but it was a place where LGBTQ+ people could gather. A police raid in June 1969 ignited protests over six days on the surrounding

streets; the events were pivotal in the movement for LGBTQ+ equality. Stonewall has since become a landmark and a monument to the struggle and draws visitors from around the world. THEY

WISHED FOR A TRIP Wish of a Lifetime From AARP fulfills older Americans’ lifelong dreams and has helped people make pilgrimages. One example is Sharon Justis, 77, of Sacramento, California,

who in 2022 retraced her great-grandfather’s steps at Ellis Island and viewed her family’s immigration and naturalization documents. “It changed my life to understand how I got here today.”

Learn more at wishofalifetime.org. The Stonewall Inn is surrounded by the Stonewall National Monument, a 7.7-acre area. In June, a new visitor center will open; AARP is a founding supporter.

Russ Goeltenbodt, 67, a cabaret singer, recently made a trip from Chicago and visited Stonewall. “I got this feeling of nostalgia; I had extreme emotions,” he says. “I remember tears

welling up in my eyes and a lump in my throat. Wow, this is where it all happened. This is where the community fought to be who we are.” While there, a friend urged Goeltenbodt to take the

stage. As Goeltenbodt belted out “I Am What I Am” from _La Cage Aux Folles, _others in the crowd cheered and one person shook a tambourine. “It’s difficult to put into words, but it almost

felt like watching a movie as you go in. It was an amazing experience.” Such visitor reactions are common, says Andrew Lear of Oscar Wilde Tours, an LGBTQ+ tour company: “The Stonewall Inn

served as a symbolic start of a movement, like the original Thanksgiving dinner served as a symbol for the start of a holiday.” _—Jenna Gyimesi_ _IF YOU GO _The recently refurbished

LaGuardia Airport is close to Manhattan. Entry to Stonewall is free. For more information, go to nps.gov/ston.