By Emily-Fortune Feimster

Thousands of fans are bidding farewell to the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, today in downtown Los Angeles at the Staples Center, but in the days leading up to the memorial, Jackson's former Neverland Ranch had been turned into a tourist hotspot. Our guess is that this is just the beginning of what's to come.

In our own efforts to pay respect to the infamous entertainer, we drove down the long, deserted road in Los Olivos, California that led to the 2,800-acre estate he once owned from 1988 to 2005. As we continued, it became clear that we were getting close to the property as we came upon hundreds of cars that were parked alongside the dusty highway. People quickly filed out of their cars, cameras in tow, to get a glimpse of the well-known Neverland Ranch, though the actual house could not be seen from the road.

Once we got to our desired destination, we saw fans from all over the world crowding around the front gates that said "Neverland" on one side and "Once Upon A Time" on the other. People were either placing signs that said things like, "Spain loves you" or were waiting their turn to get their picture taken in front of the gates that once greeted the troubled icon.

Not surprisingly, other people used Jackson's death as a way of making a quick buck. There were people everywhere selling Michael Jackson t-shirts, hats, stickers that said "I Went To Neverland Ranch," and food and drinks. Even the local farmers made their way out there to sell their freshly-picked strawberries. Of course, dozens of camera crews were on hand to catch every little moment and fans had no problem telling them their favorite Michael Jackson memory.

Now that the famed singer is being laid to rest, most can only wonder what will happen with the enormous house. Since most have already compared Michael Jackson's life and death to that of Elvis Presley's, many think it will be turned into a place of pilgrimage for his fans, similar to that of Graceland. (Though most of the neighbors detest the idea, and might fight it.) Considering how many people are already making the pilgrimage, they're certainly off to a good start!