Elvis lived in the Graceland manor for more than 20 years of his life, and his personality and his family’s are represented throughout. Everything on the estate has been preserved by museum quality standards, allowing you to see the way the King lived his day-to-day life.
The best way to get the complete Graceland experience is to take a guided tour. There are four different tour options available, including the VIP Tour, the Platinum Tour, the Platinum Tour with Airplanes Tour, and the Mansion Tour. Pick based on what parts of the estate are most important to you, and of course, based on your schedule. The Mansion Tour is the shortest, and the Platinum Tour with Airplanes Tour is the longest and most inclusive, featuring the chance to see Elvis’s two custom airplanes.
Sun Studio is the place where Elvis launched his legendary career, and it’s quite close to Graceland. If you’re an Elvis buff, you’ll definitely want to make a stop here. Other notable stars that have recorded at Sun Studio include Johnny Cash and B.B. King.
Close to Graceland and all around Memphis, local microbreweries are easy to find. A growing trend in the area, three have actually just opened over the past year! What’s a trip to a new city without trying the local brews? Post-tour, hit up nearby High Cotton Brewery. The 60s-inspired décor gives this place the perfect atmosphere for discussing all your newly-found Elvis knowledge over a cold one.
If you’re visiting Graceland, the symbol of Elvis’s achievements, it only makes sense to visit where he got started as well. Backbeat Tours takes you through Elvis’s life, from his first apartment to where his first broadcast played and even some of his ex-girlfriends’ homes. See a whole new side to the King of Rock with their Hound Dog Tour or Memphis Mojo Tour, complete with onboard musicians playing your favorite hits on the bus.
Get immersed in the city of Memphis with American Dream Safari, a tour that takes you through the city’s hot spots and shows off locations that played a major role in music history and the careers of Elvis, Johnny Cash and Al Green.
Take a short trip to Tupelo, Mississippi, approximately 90 miles from Memphis, to visit the birthplace of Elvis. The modest, two-room house where Elvis was born in 1935 has been restored to the period before his family moved to Memphis and has been expanded to become Elvis Presley Park, including a museum, memorial chapel, gift shop and life size statue of Elvis at 13. When you see Elvis’s humble begins, you’ll appreciate the majestic sight that is Graceland even more!
(Insider tip: you can purchase discounted tickets to this attraction while at Graceland).
No need to go to Vegas for your Elvis wedding, when you can do it at the chapel at Graceland itself. That’s right, the iconic home is really available to rent out for weddings and other special events, complete with private tours and catering.
The Jungle Room was added to Graceland in the 1960s, first as a screened porch and then closed in as a room a few years later. The Room became a family favorite, reminding Elvis of favorite vacation spot Hawaii with green shagged carpet, exotically carved wood and green shagged carpets.
The final stop on your tour of Graceland Mansion will take you to Meditation Garden, the final resting place for Elvis and his family members. Fans have traveled from all over the world to pay their respects to the King of Rock ‘n Roll, and the legend he became. It’s only fitting that you now have the full Elvis experience, from birth until death.
