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Elvis on the Edgewater

Where: 666 Wisconsin Ave. [map], Madison, WI, United States, 53701

Elvis fans often wind up in Las Vegas when they are trying to pay homage to the King's memory. But there's a hotel in Madison, Wisc. where Elvis and his roadies took over two floors during the mid-1970s. Edgewater Hotel sits on the shores of Lake Mendota. Apparently, there's even a wooden hanger from the hotel in the closet of the Lisa Marie airplane, now on display in Memphis.

So what was so special about this joint?

The Chicago Sun Times says the hotel excels at creating "a community within a borrowed city."

I catch the King's drift. I've been staying at the Edgewater for years. It is my favorite Midwest weekend destination....I prefer to head north for Wisconsin cheese, beer and a stroll back in time.

The hotel's history goes back even futher to the 1940s when a manager from the Drake Hotel in Chicago began working there. The Edgewater then stole (with permission) the Drake's logo, and basket-weaved crests on the cocktail glasses.

Other celebrity hotel guests include Bob Marley (two times), Sammy Davis Jr. (who tried to fish from his hotel room) Bob Dylan , Johnny Cash and Garbage's Shirley Manson lived there for nearly a year (she's a big Green Bay Packers fan.)

Room rates range from $119 for a standard room to $399 for a two-bed, two-bath, lakefront suite.

Related Stories:
· Hotel Maintains its Free Spirit [Chicago Sun-Times]
· Edgewater reviews [TripAdvisor]