Tips for Visiting Elvis Presley's Graceland, Memphis, Tennessee

Graceland, the opulent mansion in Memphis, Tennessee, that was home to the late Elvis Presley, is now a museum dedicated to the memory and the legacy of the King of Rock 'n' Roll. Three different guided audio tours are offered year-round: an ordinary Graceland Mansion Tour; the Graceland Platinum Tour, which includes admission to several additional exhibits as well as tours of Presley's two custom airplanes and the Elvis Automobile Museum; and the Graceland Elvis Entourage VIP Tour, which lets you skip the line and go right to the front of the mansion. The VIP Tour ticket is good for an entire day and includes a keepsake backstage pass.

Bring Your Camera

Flash photography is not allowed in the mansion, but digital cameras can generally do quite well with the existing light in most of the rooms, including the Jungle Room. Docents are exceptionally helpful and will volunteer to take pictures of you and your family inside the house.

Pay Your Respects

The Meditation Garden, where Elvis and members of his immediate family are laid to rest and the air is filled with somber piped-in Elvis ballads, is the final stop on the mansion tour. It's also the only part of the 14-acre estate that doesn't require a ticket to get in: free walk-up visits are allowed daily from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m.

Best Value

The best ticket to get is the Graceland Platinum Package because it's only a few dollars more than a standard mansion tour ticket yet gives you access to all sorts of additional exhibits. The worst value is the VIP Tour, which costs more than twice as much as a regular ticket but the only real advantage is front-of-the-line privileges. Time your visit right, and you won't have to deal with a line.

Best Time

The best time to visit the mansion is around 2 in the afternoon (the mansion typically closes at 4 p.m.).

Two hours is ample time to cover Graceland, and you avoid the crowds that generally show up first thing in the morning (opening time is 10 a.m.) and noon. But make sure you go through the house at least twice, preferable on different days, unless you are absolutely sure you will be returning.

You only get this once chance if not so make sure you soak it all up.

Lodging

If you really want to experience Graceland and are considering spending a whole day on the mansion grounds, spend the night at the Heartbreak Hotel, a nearby boutique hotel with 128 'Elvis-accented rooms', and four Elvis-themed suites. Heartbreak Hotel 3677 Elvis Presley Blvd. Memphis, TN 38116 (901) 332-1000

Elvis Presley's Birthplace

To really enhance the Elvis experience, consider a detour to Tupelo, Mississippi, to Elvis Presley's birthplace.

The tiny house was built in 1934 by Vernon Presley, his brother Vester and their father, Jesse Presley. The hammer Vernon used to built the interior door is now in the museum.

Elvis Presley Birthplace 306 Elvis Presley Drive Tupelo, MS 38801 (662) 841-1245
Quick Links

Graceland Links

Articles about Elvis Presley Elvis Presley's Graceland
Articles about Elvis Presley Elvis Presley's private Graceland upstairs rooms

Articles about Elvis Presley Elvis Presley's Home Sweet Homes
Elvis Presley Video Elvis Presley's Graceland : The Tour
Elvis Presley Video The Graceland Wall : To Elvis With Love
Articles about Elvis Presley The 'Den' : The Jungle Room
Elvis Presley Video Elvis Presley : Home Movies of Graceland
Elvis Presley Video Drone Footage of Graceland
Elvis Presley Video The Graceland Music Gates
Articles about Elvis Presley 3764 Elvis Presley Boulevard, Memphis Tennessee
Articles about Elvis Presley Visiting Elvis Presley's Graceland
Elvis Presley Photos Elvis Presley : Rising Sun and other Horses at Graceland

Elvis Presley Video Rare Film of Elvis in his car signing autographs at the entrance to Graceland

History

Elvis Presley Video Graceland, Before Elvis
Articles about Elvis Presley The Moores & The Presleys at Graceland

Over the years

Articles about Elvis Presley Graceland Newspaper article : March 1957
Elvis Presley Photos Elvis Presley with the music gates of Graceland : April 22, 1957
Elvis Presley Photos Photos of Graceland : April, 1962
Elvis Presley Photos Elvis Presley at Graceland : March 1965
Elvis Presley Photos Elvis Presley : Graceland : February 16, 1968

Articles about Elvis Presley Jerry Lee Lewis, Arrested at the Gates of Graceland
Articles about Elvis Presley The Night Springsteen Jumped the Fence at Graceland
Elvis Presley Photos Elvis Presley's 1955 Pink Cadillac at Graceland
Articles about Elvis Presley President Bush and Japanese Prime Minister Koizumi Visit Graceland
Elvis Presley News Graceland Mansion Designated National Historic Landmark

Elvis Presley Biography

Articles about Elvis Presley Elvis Presley Family History : 1669-1935
Articles about Elvis Presley Elvis Presley Biography
Articles about Elvis Presley Gladys and Vernon Presley - Elvis Presley's Mother and Father
Articles about Elvis Presley Jessie D. McDowell (J.D.) Presley - Elvis Presleys Grandfather

Articles about Elvis Presley For a more (very) detailed history of Elvis Presley see Elvis Presley 1935-1953

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Elvis Presley Video Tupelo's Own Elvis Presley DVD

Never before have we seen an Elvis Presley concert from the 1950's with sound. Until Now! The DVD Contains recently discovered unreleased film of Elvis performing 6 songs, including Heartbreak Hotel and Don't Be Cruel, live in Tupelo Mississippi 1956. Included we see a live performance of the elusive Long Tall Sally seen here for the first time ever. + Plus Bonus DVD Audio.

This is an excellent release no fan should be without it.

The 'parade' footage is good to see as it puts you in the right context with color and b&w footage. The interviews of Elvis' Parents are well worth hearing too. The afternoon show footage is wonderful and electrifying : Here is Elvis in his prime rocking and rolling in front of 11.000 people. Highly recommended.

Tupelo's Own Elvis Presley DVD Video with Sound.